Packaging design’s acceptance as an ROI delivering powerhouse is here. 2018 is the year that Packaging delivers measurable ROI, strategic marketing plans and lasting memories well beyond the recycling bin. Influencer marketing or seeding campaigns are a daily part of the brand battle for market share. Successful influencer marketing is the result of campaigns that deliver a cohesive brand experience that includes influencer packaging design.

In the old days, good packaging delivered three things: A product protection, product identification and a clear message.

Great packaging design today delivers so much more! Packaging delivers brand validation and is flooding markets with unboxing posts, haul videos and social media marketing. Hannah Stocking, Inanna Sarkis and Lele Pons featured in WWD, discussed why fashion brands should be utilizing Youtube over Instagram. Combined, they conduct an audience of over 12 million subscribers. Launching cosmetics, fashion, or a CPG, there are three things every influencer packaging campaign must execute.

Wayfinding
Wayfinding an unboxing experience is as critical for tech or medical packaging as it is for cosmetic packaging. The unveiling hierarchy of products can mean the difference between a happy influencer and a confused one. Keep wayfinding cues simple, but never skimp on flair. Designing anticipation into an unboxing process, requires layering in micro-interactions that allow the influencer to share their sense of discovery. Provide key words and hashtags to insure influencers use campaign specific language. Authenticity is critical, never provide a scripted interaction.

Remember your excitement when you got your first car? Yeah, that feeling still exists, and great packaging has the power to bring that out in all of us.

By the Numbers
To know how many influencer boxes you’ll need, understand that “Influencers are not all created equal.” An influencer’s reach allows you to determine the scope of your seeding campaign. A typical micro-influencer campaign that includes a packaging component will range between 300–500 seeding units shipped globally. Increasing the scale of your program means increasing your reach. Targeting both micro-influencers, and PR Influencers increases your average, 500–750 influencer packages.

If you’re hitting the big time and focusing on celebrity influencers, less than 50.

Unboxing
Unboxing begins with the corrugate shipper your custom package arrives in. White shipping cartons sealed with a custom branded tape makes a splash that provides a subtle invite to your target. The moment the shipping carton is opened, the process of unveiling has begun. Personalized messaging and layering delightful cues as tissue, a note card or a direct message set the tone for the unboxing. Drawers or sections to divide products provide a hierarchy and outline the order in which products tell your story. The hero product in an influencer packaging presentation is always second to last. The final reveal is appreciation. Once your hero product is removed, thanking the recipient and making them feel valued is key to closing the loop in any interaction.

Carrying the DNA of your hero product through the presentation is important to drive a cohesive message across cosmetic packaging, fashion packaging or jewelry packaging.

Let's Get Started
Design Packaging manages the manufacturing, kitting, assembly and individually shipping influencer packaging around the globe. Our design team has a phased approach to creating influencer packaging and seeding kits. Early phases focus on product unveiling, user experience and maximizing the potential for onscreen real estate while being considerate of shipping rates. All concepts are presented as sketches which quickly evolve into 3D CAD renders detailing branding and messaging opportunities throughout the unveiling process. Materials, finishes and textures are critical to the unboxing experience, understanding how they’ll present on screen and what they communicate about your brand is as important as visual design. Graphic design and messaging are created with a specific goal to physically connect the entire campaign into a single share-worthy experience.

Getting your packaging in the hands of the right influencer and delivering the right experience has the potential to deliver a viral hit. When used as part of a larger campaign, packaging will heighten the sense anticipation of your influencer and their followers. From measurable likes, shares and views, a well-designed influencer seeding package can make the difference between thousands of viewers watching an unboxing post or your target market skipping over you to watch the latest Avengers trailer.