Please upgrade your browser.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse this website, you agree to our use of cookies. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.

Packaging Testing

Test the effectiveness of new or revised package designs and labels.

How do you create winning pack designs?

The 3Cs are the building blocks of packaging success and are key to winning at the point of purchase.
The 3cs methodology

Captivate

Stand out on-shelf, arouse shoppers’ curiosity, and trigger an emotional response. This can be achieved through both the visual design (e.g. colors, typography, imagery) and structural elements (e.g. shape, layout, materials).

Pringles depicted flavor varieties in a bright, fun, and creative way – departing from category tropes.
Pringles case study

Connect

Leverage the brand’s distinctive assets to build instant on-shelf recognition (e.g. colors, shapes, characters). People shop on “auto-pilot”, so the more easily recognizable the packaging, the more likely it is to be chosen.

While Laughing Cow received a re-fresh, its 100-year-old iconic ambassador remained unchanged.
Laughing Cow case study

Compel

Making the brand/product seem different, better, and more advantageous gives people a reason for choosing you. Facts and information motivate behavior, but so does laddering up to higher order benefits and making it feel like a good choice. 

Cadbury Old Gold altered its information hierarchy – making flavor identification more seamless.
Cadbury case study

Learn more about our 3Cs methodology

The 3 C’s predict marketing success

Captivate

Does it stand out and elicit a positive emotional response?

Connect

Does it leverage unique branding properties to create instant recognition?

Compel

Does it predispose people toward purchase?

We offer 3 tiers to choose from when configuring a test

Each tier builds incrementally (i.e. ‘Diagnose’ includes ‘Evaluate’ metrics, ‘Optimize’ includes all three).
1. Evaluate
How does it perform?
2. Diagnose
What is driving performance? 
3. Optimize
How can performance be improved?
Packaging Testing metrics - Performance SummaryPackaging Testing metrics - Attraction DiagnosisPackaging Testing metrics - Branding DiagnosisPackaging Testing metrics - Impressions (prompted)Packaging Testing metrics - Value for moneyPackaging Testing metrics - Name AppealPackaging Testing metrics - Name AppealPackaging Testing metrics - Name Appeal

Performance
Cubery Rating
How effective is it overall? This is a composite measure made up of: Captivate, Connect, and Compel.

Activation Potential
‍What is its in-market potential, independent of its strength of brand synergy? This is a composite metric made up of: Captivate and Compel.
‍
Captivate
Does it stand out and elicit a positive emotional response? Metrics:‍
  • Attraction: Does it stand out and get people’s attention?
  • Interest: Is it interesting?
  • Likeability: Is it liked?

Connect (Branding)
Does it synergize with expectations of the brand (or parent brand/masterbrand)? Metrics:‍
  • Fit: Alignment with people’s expectations of the brand.
  • Cues: Synergy with the things people are generally familiar seeing for the brand.
  • Attribution: Transference of associations and feelings unique to the brand.

Compel
Does it predispose people toward purchase? Metrics:‍
  • Feeling: Does it generate positive feelings and an emotional attachment to the brand/product?
  • Difference: Does it make the brand/product seem different to others?
  • Persuasion: Does it positively influence stated behavior?
Attraction
Does it stand out and get people’s attention? Metrics:
  • Unique/Distinctive
  • Annoying/Irritating
  • Nice/Pleasant
  • Dull/Boring
Connect (Branding)
Leveraging distinctive properties enhances the ease of identification of the brand/product, while also building credibility and trust. Metrics:
  • Fit: Alignment with people’s expectations of the brand.
  • Cues: Synergy with the things people are generally familiar seeing for the brand.
  • Attribution: Transference of associations and feelings unique to the brand.
Impressions
Does it convey the desired impressions about the brand/product? Metrics:
  • ‍5x tailored statements
Value for money
Does the proposed price represent good value?
Name appeal*
How appealing is the name?
Custom open-ended question*
Diagnosis of an area of interest not otherwise covered by the core metrics.
Van Westendorp*
How much would people be prepared to pay? This identifies an acceptable range of prices using the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter.
*Additional cost
Packaging Testing metrics - Rational DiagnosisPackaging Testing metrics - Associations

‍Diagnose includes all Evaluate metrics, plus:

Rational
How persuasive is the information conveyed about the brand/product? Metrics:
  • ‍New
  • Different
  • Believable
  • Relevant
  • Clarity
Likes (open-ended)
What aspects are people most positive toward?
Dislikes (open-ended)
What aspects are people most negative toward?
Associations (open-ended)
What 3 words would people use to describe the brand/product?
Packaging Testing metrics - Emotion DiagnosisPackaging Testing metrics - Impressions (spontaneous)Packaging Testing metrics - StandoutPackaging Testing metrics - Assets

Optimize includes all Evaluate & Diagnose metrics, plus:

Emotion
What emotions does it make people feel? Metrics:
  • ‍Diagnosis of both positive and negative emotions (20 in total) across a high to low arousal continuum.
Impressions (open-ended)
What impressions are people left with about the brand/product?
Standout (open-ended)
What are the most memorable elements?
Assets (open-ended)
What distinctive branding properties did people recognize?
Can I see an example report for a packaging test?
Get in touch and we'll send through a real-life case study so you know exactly what to expect when commissioning a test with us.
PricingGet in touch

Not sure what solution is right for you?
We're here to help.

Get in touch

Our latest thinking

Did Barilla’s new packaging pasta the test?

Packaging
Food

Were Sanpellegrino’s redesign plans foiled?

Packaging
Beverage

Sprite can see clearly now the green is gone

Packaging
Beverage

Bürgen Pack Refresh: When everyone’s Zigging, Zag

Packaging
Food

Baskin Robbins scoops plaudits for redesign

Packaging
Food

Compare the pair: Colgate’s new recyclable packaging

Packaging
CPG
Read more case studies