An Analysis of the Role of Packaging in Modern Marketing

AN ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF PACKAGING IN MODERN MARKETING (A CASE STUDY OF ISO GLASS, IBADAN, OYO STATE)

This chapter will entail what scholars in the field has seen and written in the past. This is going to make us to gain better understanding of how, and what packaging is all about especially in Iso Glass Plc and the strategies that the research problems are treated. The material will be treated under the following headings. The nature of packaging, here entails and also enables a researcher become better able to identify the producers, the methodology including the instrument that will help the researcher to work effectively and satisfactory.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE.

According to Briston and  Nell (1972) “packaging is the means of ensuring the safe delivery of a product to the ultimate consumer in a sound condition, at the minimum overall cost and as the art of science and technology of preparing goods for transport and sales.

According to Stanton (1981) “packaging is defined here as the general group of activities in product planning and producing the container or wrapper for a product.

Walter (1969:229) in studying human behavior stated that “motivation refers generally to the inner striving conditions of the individual which are described as drivers want urges motives, needs and the like.

IMPORTANCE OF PACKAGING

Packaging has really been growing in its importance at times, it becomes very difficult to determine whether greater emphasis should be put on the protective functions.

Packaging is the most important especially in the case of consumer convenience goods. Packaging ranges from the complex. For example narrow paper bag that holds a simple package, its importance in todays competitive economic is obvious. When many products are available that has the same or highly similar functions the package may make the difference success and failure. Packaging gives a consumer clues about product, it attract the consumers, it also serves several useful purpose like, help to product and how to use it.

CRITICISMS OF PACKAGING

From Okafor A.I (1998) there has been a continued public outcry against packaging because of the degree of environmental pollution caused by throw away package furthermore, the same customers who are requesting that products to be adequately are also the same people crying out loudly against packaging according to Okafor A.I, its   briefly summaries thus:

1. That excessive packaging only goes deplete our natural resources. These critics failed to understand that empties are now being recycled.
2. The critics pin point also at the very expensive material used for the packaging of beer and cosmetics products, they argue that, this is going to be responsible for about half the production cost of these products. These critics failed to understand that packaging go to drastically reduce the likely hood of the product being damaged while in transit.
3. The same plastic material for product packaging tends to be hazardous. The weakness in their argument is that they also tend to forget that argument band the use of such dangerous materials finally, those packaging tend to be deceptive, those producers go to un-necessary have some unreasonable space within the container thus making customer believe that the package if filled to the brim.

FUNCTION OF PACKAGING

What vital functions to a product does packaging offer?

According to Ferrell (1978:50) said that effective packaging involves more than simple putting products in containers. It serves as also] protective in it’s  function.

My recent research also revealed that packaging does not apply or only go to protect product content, it provide some promotional functions to product.

We may now look at the functions of packaging from its promotional and perspective. Sometimes the protective and promotional function of packaging come in conflict. Apart from the protective functions, they are:

1. It enables prospects to differentiate one product from the other thus preventing the mistake of a wrong choice of brand.
2. Product advertisement which are done on most product packaging go to pre-sell the product.
3. Self service retailing thieving presently would not have possible without packaging that sell themselves.
4. Packaging goods stacked on the shelves at various retail serves as invisible sales person.

PROTECTIVE FUNCTION

Johnson and Wood (1977) in their discussion this particular area said that for a package to have performed a protective function it must:

1. Enclose the materials both to protect them and protect other items from them.
2. Restrain them from undesired movement within the container is in transit.
3. Separate the content to use of the corrugated fiber board partition used in the shipment of glassware.
4. Cushion the content from outside vibration and shocks.
5. Support the weight of identical container that will be stacked above it as part of the building block concept.

PACKAGING AND RECYCLING

According to David Schwartz (1973) said that majority of consumer have limited trash disposal facilities even city and sanitation department are over stressed with copying with the enormous wastage of packaged used. The interest of firms in the recycling of empties was motivated as a result of continued public outcry against various empties that littered our environment, one can see littering of most of our streets, roads with beer cans. These can also provide breathing and living places for mosquitoes. Abandoned empties did not end with only can and bottles, we also notice how worn-out tiers and many other bottles were littering our environment. Bottles of Coca Cola and many other soft drinks need to be praised for their effort towards recycling of their empties to take place with bear product in Nigeria. Other firms are advised to join our pollution because the much more lower pollutants discharged when compared with mining and refining of the virgin ones returns of empties do not only go to reduce drastically other raw materials that are required for the final making of the particular package in question. Finally, when empties are regularly recycled, it lead to much cleaner and healthier environment.

THE PACKAGING MUST CREATE A DESIRE FOR THE PROJECT.

It must be designed in such a way that  it will create real desire on the potential consumer to purchase the product. the role it plays is that it creates uniqueness on the product the desire for a product can be created by ending the customer in recalling the product advertising which he  has been exposed.

2.2  SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW

Packaging is the development of container and graphic design for a product. Part of the product after that communicates with prospective buyers while protecting the product.

It carries product branding descriptions, shape and colors. Its major objectives are:

1. To introduce new product
2. To attract new product
3. To increase sales off-seasons
4. To induce present customer to buy more and
5. To increase the inventions of business buyers.

In chapter two, we emphasize that packaging is very important in today’s competitive economy, packaging gives the consumer clue about a product, it also helps to store  a product. in this chapter also we discuss on the various criticism of packaging , also we discuss on to criticism of packaging , also we mention the functions of packaging, it plays a very vital role in modern marketing, we also find that packaging is protective, apart from the protective functions of packaging it also talks about packaging and recycling, finally we saw that package must create a desire for the product.

One of the roles of packaging is to create a desire that is unique on the product.