Congratulations that your dream/product-line is becoming REAL! Your entire enterprise is in danger of collapsing if you proceed improperly. No pressure.

You might want to suffuse a bit of flair and sophistication into your brand for the purpose of making it attractive to your select market.  Moreover, the public can smell a fraud. Your label may be beautiful, but if you don’t know that your demographic cares more about recyclable packaging and less about the ingredients your package design strategies may be for naught.If you’re considering modifying your package design for the purpose of marketing to a broader demographic, here are a few things that might make your product more attractive.

1.  Play up the history of your founding region.

People are interested in different local cultures. When we find a product that is unique to a particular region and its inhabitants, our curiosity is piqued. By giving your public a brief yet rich history lesson through your product label design, you make your product a window to a different and interesting way of life.

People don’t necessarily seek out foreign products that try to be identical to local products – why would we? If we want a real local delicacy, we’ll buy the real, local delicacy. If we want something exotic, we’ll buy the exotic product. When you make your humble origins clear, you enhance the exotic nature of your brand and seduce the public with your unique qualities. When you outline your company’s regional history, you give your brand a dose of authenticity that is so sought after by large corporate brands. Your product has a proud culture, and isn’t just a sterile and emotionless manufacturing firm.

CASE STUDY
Watergraphics has a client based in Vermontville New York, a crazy-beautiful upstate New York town –after our research we discovered Vermontville was heavily French settled.

We STRONGLY suggested our client change the brand-name –one that encompassed the French settlement of the community, was unique (former company-name was used by a variety of businesses all over the country) and client could personally identify: formerly: ‘Wildewood Farms’ to NEW NAME: Bérubé Botanicals (her last name, plus we added accents over the two “e’s” to French it up a bit).

If your product contains ingredients that are widely eaten in your target area’s region, make sure your label reflects that. You give the consumers something familiar to cling to, even while they try something undeniably foreign. Even the biggest American corporate juggernauts feature products that are common to the varying international communities.

CASE STUDY
Bérubé Botanicals are made from organic farm-fresh ingredients –even the jewelry is hand-crafted from found objects from the working farm!

4. Celebrate yourself!

Your region does your product better than any region in the country, and you want that known. We all know the best hot sauce comes from Louisiana; the best lobster rolls come from Maine; the best frozen custard comes from Milwaukee; and the best surfers comes from Cocoa Beach Florida (although there are some who would argue Aussies have us beat, I just have a mad crush on Kelly Slater).
Whenever you market a product or service, you want to play up the features that distinguish you from your competitors. Your exoticism is a great differentiator, and it is something you really should point out for international markets. The trick is marrying your qualities to the region’s own culture, which can have the effect of creating an entirely new product; something completely different from what you previously envisioned, and which cannot be duplicated. At least… not until other brands flagrantly steal your idea and saturate the market, but that’s a whole ‘nother article.

CASE STUDY
Watergarphics fell in love with Bérubé Botanicals town: Vermontville. We love the beauty + charm and squealed with delight when we read Wikipedai defines Vermontville as a “hamlet” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermontville,_New_York). There are only two US states that use the term: “hamlet” and NY is one of them (Oregon is the other).   We changed wording from: “Made in the USA” to bérubé botanicals Handcrafted in the hamlet of Vermontville, New York USA.  BAM!

voilà  = 

Sassy Uniqueness