Joining in: consumers create packaging design

 Chocolate makes you happy and in this case doubly so.    An increasing number of companies are involving consumers in their product packaging design. The aim is to thus strengthen customer loyalty and at the same time discover trends. The decision on the new packaging design was taken within the framework of the current charity project staged by the Munich marketing agency “trnd” and “Plant-for-the-Planet” foundation for “Die Gute Schokolade” from “Alnatura”. Three designs made it to the final round, with a 2/3 majority, almost 17,000 participants chose their favourite. Not in shiny paper, but with a matt surface in natural brown, the packaging already shows on the outside what it is all about. For each organic bar sold, 33 cents goes to “Plant-for-the-Planet”, for three bars a tree is planted. The chocolate will be in the shops from March 2016.

“Die Gute Schokolade” is not the only packaging to have been designed by consumers. As a trailblazer in early 2001, in cooperation with the then Axel Springer young peoples’ magazine “YAM!”, “Kellogg’s” already initiated a packaging design competition with the “Macht, was Ihr wollt” (“Do what you want”) motto in which young people were also involved in designing the new layout for “Kellogg's Pops”.

Around two years ago things got chocolatey again: in addition to a new packaging design, “Ritter Sport” was also looking for a new name for a chocolate snack with nuts, raisins and marzipan. 152 packaging designs were submitted and three winners selected. The food producer from Waldenbruch not only involves consumers in the design. Users can make article range selections online, express their likes, comment and share them on Facebook and Twitter.

How does the young generation perceive the packing of “Mein Privat Kaffee”? This question was examined by students of the “Brand Academy” as commissioned by Tchibo. The winning design was a stand-up pouch in matt black created by students Xinghao Pan and Huimin Wang with the comical name “Klausuren-Kaffee für Anna” (“Exams coffee for Anna”), “Kaffeeklatsch mit meinem Schatz” (“Coffee talk with my sweetheart”) and “Phills leckerer Morgenkaffee” (“Phil’s delicious morning coffee”). The limited edition was available to order online from the Tchibo shop.