I’m reading this article which considers “touch” as a potential global language, and I can’t help but ask myself – “How could the feel of a product’s packaging encourage me to purchase or distinguish that brand from any other.” The article argues that because languages are so diverse that maybe we can use a different sense as our global language; ‘touch’ being the most popular choice. It sights the coca-cola bottle. The manufacturer wanted it to be recognized in the dark. ‘Touch’ being universal, people all over the world would potentially be able to recognize the product by feel. This was obviously a few years back (90 according to the article) because now there are so many competitor bottles which are almost identical this strategy couldn’t work.
It also sights shampoos and fragrances for trying to appeal to the consumer’s touch. My girlfriend is a hairdresser and I’ve seen some pretty strange shampoo bottles, and for the most part they clearly distinguish themselves from any other brand of shampoo. The thing is, most consumers are going to ‘see’ the bottles before they ‘feel’ them, so the bottle becomes more appealing to the sight rather than the feel.
The only example that truly made sense and holds water in my opinion, is the toilet paper. Even though the article discusses the packaging that’s used, and describes it as being soft and smooth, that’s not what makes the sense of ‘touch’ come into play. Think about it, if three different brands of toilet paper were line up in front of you, unmarked, and you were asked to choose one, you would choose the softest. No matter what brand it was, you know there is only one factor that matters – ‘touch’.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2006/id20060224_135831.htm?chan=search
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