By Fresh Produce Marketing founder Lisa Cork

By now, most of you know I am a big fan of telling the 'story' of your product on your packaging. While those of us in produce know and understand our products intimately, we often forget that the consumer doesn't have the same level of knowledge or understanding as we do. Hence, our packaging needs to convey more than just the brand - it needs to compel people to buy.

I am always on the lookout for packs that tell a great story. I am particularly enamored when packs not only tell a great story, but also teach me how to best use the product inside. The use information is the reason why I really liked this Tesoro Tomato pack. Here is what catches my eye.

First, I like the simple tagline, "The Food Lovers Tomato". In the current climate of cooking shows, where lots of shoppers want to be seen as 'foodies', appealing to this characteristic sets this tomato apart.

Second, I like that this bag tells me what to use the tomatoes for - "Best for sauces, sandwiches and grilling!"

Now I realize it is quite a broad group of categories (which is potentially the one drawback of this bag) but at least it is making me consider the fact that different tomatoes have different uses.

When you educate shoppers that different varieties have different uses, you increase the potential of driving multi-pack or multi-variety purchasing. Picture a consumer thinking, "I need some sandwich tomatoes AND I need some snacking tomatoes AND I need some of the grape tomatoes the kids love". Bam! Now putting three specific types of tomatoes in her shopping cart; not just one.

The third element I like about this bag is it uses the newish, high gloss, high clarity plastic, which just makes it look more beautiful. I think it showcases the product in the bag well and makes it look desirable. Because as we all know, the best packaging in the world won't make a difference if it is not supported by quality produce inside.

Your turn: What does your packaging say to consumers? Does it promote increased use by getting specific on best use or does it focus on a more generic message? What about your tagline? Does it capture attention and appeal to your shoppers’ inner needs?

Never forget your packaging is a mini-billboard seen by thousands of shoppers per day. It needs to sell your product, educate your consumer and showcase use to encourage increased purchasing.

If you would like your packaging to be working harder but not sure where to start, give me a call or drop me an email. A simple packaging review could be all you need or we can explore options for a complete revamp. Contact: Lisa@freshproducemarketing.com or call 64 9 815 5944.

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