Branding is a set of associations that is created to interact, influence and bring together prospective end-users. The origin of the term branding dates back to times when agro-cattle were stamped with a mark of the owner, signifying a particular group of cattle were owned by an individual or a group of people. It has since bloomed into an industry that not only gives an identity to brands, but also gives information to consumers.

This information gives them the ability of choice, to choose one brand over another and if everything goes well choose it time and time again. Today agency, design houses, etc. work with brand owners in the brand building process.

Specifically, branding the FMCG product packaging is of great significance. It has to be exciting, relatable, unique and also trustworthy.

In an aisle inside a supermarket, imagine a row of products with absolutely no branding on it. It would be absolutely impossible to choose one brand from the other, would it not? The face or front-of-pack of your product is the most important asset you have. It conveys not only a unique visual identity but also provides more to the consumer, the closer they get to your brand.

Today brand owners work with agencies or design houses in creating the concepts and positioning of the brand.
 

Brand partnership with pre-media

Concepts are good when they can be executed. The pre-media industry works with brand owners in design execution.

They are the ones who are connecting the wires, and giving the final shape to the brand image which goes into the minds of the consumers. Through packaging and structural design, visual cues and content on the pack, they make the product pack talk to the consumer from 10 feet away. The idea is to provide standardised and consistent communication that is appealing to the consumer wherever they might see the product.

When the identity of the brand is standardised, people start to recognise the product or even an element of the product like the colour, typeface or the trademark swish of the Nike logo. Standardisation makes sure that the brand always puts its best foot forward while talking to the consumer. Along with knowledgeable brand managers and their pre-media counterparts, organisational resources are used to create packaging that fulfills these requirements.

Other than colour consistency packaging pre-media helps the brand owners to streamline the graphics supply chain. From the design concepts to the execution of the print – from launch to promotion to variation and finally to the re- launch of the brand, pre-media players own the digital file and treat it in such a manner that execution brings consistency, cost saving and time efficiency.

A good partnership with a pre-media firm helps brand owners to approach critical situation in a better and efficient manner, example customer care logo inclusion, FSSAI logo inclusion, etc. on the pack.

Future participation
Today brand owners are looking for vertical specialisation and would like to associate with specialists in design development and design execution.

Pre-media companies across the globe are focusing on design execution and expanding their scope of services from packaging to marketing services. From packaging development to point-of-purchase execution and even into content management on electronic media, pre-media companies are playing an integral role through design execution.

The role of pre-media firms is increasing with more international integration within global organisation. With time to market being a critical KPA for the brand owners, pre-media firms become critical partners in building brands with brand owners.

This article is contributed by Sethunath Padmanabhan, managing director, Diadeis Alia