Today, some brands are taking substantial risk by applying unconventional ways to promote and establish their brands. PEPSI is rolling out 35 different pack designs for the same content in it! In April, the soft-drinks giant kicked off a global campaign that will see its pack designs, which have changed just 10 times in the brand’s 109-year history, will be altered 35 times over the next year.

In the US, Pepsi has gone a step further and will include content created by its customers in the designs. A ‘Design our Pepsi Can’ contest offers consumers the chance to submit designs and judge the work of others, based on a set of criteria drawn up by Pepsi: 30% of the score must relate to the strength of the branding, 30% to creativity and 40% to originality. The winning submission will appear on 500m cans and net $10,000 for the designer. The same model will be soon replicated in the UK too.

Similarly, McDonald’s is embarking on a programme in which the faces of 24 members of the public, chosen in a ‘global casting call’, will appear in rotation on its cold drink cups and food bags.

The aim is to engage with young people, who, according to Pepsi, seek ‘discovery, connectedness, personalisation and multiculturalism’. Designs include images relating to cars, music and fashion.

But I am a bit sceptic about the success of this kind of experiment. Personally, you are more comfortable in a party or city where you find more recognizable and familiar faces. Isn’t it? Consistency in the packaging results in quick recognition of the brands and are essential ingredients of the successful branding. And this experiment could succeed (if it will ever) only with mature brands (ofcourse like Pepsi). Because only intelligent consumers who are not carried away with the attractive packaging and has complete faith in the brand in question will allow themselves to entertain with the various packaging options or customised packaging choices. But all consumers are not so mature and they don’t always take packaging for granted. Infact, packaging has a huge pshychological impact on judging the quality of content in it and eventually the purchase decision or post- purchase satisfaction. And a frequently changing packaging might convey frequently changing convent and thus implying that the brand is still experimenting with its products and hence its not yet matured enough to be stablised!

Brand owners and design agencies agree packaging design will become more complex. Indeed, Pepsi’s attempts to use a range of imagery to appeal to different groups may be the start of a move toward personalised designs. Eventually products will be stocked in plain bottles in supermarkets before being custom-printed for each customer.

…Perhaps not just the design, consumer might actually contribute in the making of the product. Like Reebok’s custom designed shoes or HCL’s Notebook with custom-design and features has already arrived in the market making their product more customised according to the individual preferences. The success of all these might embark the era of web 3.0 compatible products …I mean user created products .

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