September 11, 2024 • 10 mins
In Episode 110 of the My Curious Colleague Podcast...Denise Venneri (host/creator of the pod) discusses the importance of effectively reviewing packaging artwork in the consumer relations role. Denise emphasizes the need to approve and create artwork that can reach consumers, And provides guidance on specific information to focus on, such as contact details, hours of operation, and language support. She also highlights the importance of checking nutrition facts, ingredient statements, allergen information, and preparation instructions.
Thoughts:
- Effectively reviewing packaging artwork is important in the consumer relations role to ensure it can reach consumers.,,!
- Focus on specific information like contact details, hours of operation, and language support.
- Check nutrition facts, ingredient statements, allergen information, and preparation instructions for accuracy and clarity.
- Be close to the brand and consumers to identify potential issues and improve the product's appeal and avoid confusion
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: The Importance of Reviewing Packaging Artwork in Consumer Relations
02:49 Checking Specific Information in Packaging Artwork
04:10 Ensuring Accuracy and Clarity in Nutrition Facts and Ingredient Statements
05:36 The Significance of Preparation Instructions and Allergen Information
06:34 Being a Second Pair of Eyes for Consumer-Friendly Packaging
07:03 Considering Romance Language, Recycling Information, and Front-of-Pack Design
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Denise Venneri (00:01):
Welcome to the My Curious Colleague podcast
with your host, me, DeniseVenneri. We'll be talking all
things consumer relations with afocus on consumer product goods
organizations and the brandspecialist and analyst roles and
responsibilities. So if you likeCPGs, like I like CPGs,
(00:22):
marketing, insights, and caringdeeply for your consumers, well,
take a listen. Hello, my curiouscolleagues. Today, I'm curious
about how to effectively reviewpackaging artwork in the
consumer relations role.
(00:42):
Now let me ask you thisquestion. Are do you feel it,
you know, as as the supply chainconstraints are in the far
distance? There is thisexpansion of ideas resulting in
new CPG products, and it is justout there. And how we see it in
(01:03):
this role is it comes throughoften as packaging artwork to
review. So, you know, I love itall, CPG.
I'm an aficionado of consumerproducts. Good. And, you know,
this this excitement is bringinga little additional work to be
done, but it is important work.The artwork needs to be
(01:26):
approved, created so it can getout to those consumers. So now
is the time to embrace this,consumer relations friends.
I am thrilled to be, you know,in my in my experience in the,
CPG roles that I've done in thein the past to be among the
(01:48):
approvers of packaging images.You know, there was a time that
it was really something that itwas rooted manually, and it was
only quality that was involvedin that, but some things have
changed. So let's go with someguidance to help you get the job
done effectively. So first, 0 inon your specific info. Largely,
(02:14):
that's gonna be the contact usinformation.
This will vary by companycompany or even brand to brand,
but, generally, this includesthe TFN, which stands for a toll
free number, the URL of thewebsite you're driving consumers
to. So, of course, that'swww.suchandsuchsuchandsuch. The
(02:36):
h o o p or the hours ofoperation. So that could look
like the time period that you'reopen each day, say, 8 to 5 PM,
and then also the time zone,central time. Also, is there any
special language of, that willbe available to assist those non
(02:57):
English speaking consumers, suchas French or Spanish?
If so, then advertise that. Domake sure it says se habla
espanol, for example, that thatis noted. Also, just going back
to that TFN toll free number fora second, if that toll free
number is enabled, in otherwords, the technology exists
(03:21):
there for consumers to use the 1800 number, for example, to text
comments to you, then do notethose directions. On pack to
either call or text. But wait.
Your work is not done yet. Sure.This is the most critical piece
(03:41):
of the whole packaging flat. Butif you're like me, you're
curious, and you wanna be closeto the brand. You wanna be close
to the consumers, and you wannahelp your cross functional
partners.
So my guess here is excuse me.There's a good chance if there's
anything that kinda gets passedover on this review process
(04:03):
because it's a very human reviewprocess, at least, you know, in
my experience. The contactcenter is often the place where
you where you will get thosequestions and comments from
consumers. Therefore, workingbackwards, it's a good good work
effort to help your crossfunctional partners and take
(04:26):
this opportunity to check outthe different sections. I think
the next one that is always goodto look at is the nutrition
facts, for example.
So do a quick check that thecallouts in the front of pack
maybe they're just like littlerectangles that call out this,
you know, the sodium or thefats, and they also have a
(04:50):
numeral attached to it. Makesure that front of pack, excuse
me, front of pack matches up tothe values in your nutrition
facts. How about thoseingredient statements and any
allergen information? You know,the consumers are reading those
labels as you are aware. Youknow, is there a big nine
(05:11):
allergen ingredient that's notedthat should be noted?
If the product has dairy in it,is that clear to consumers in
the ingredient statement or not?And it's a really nice way to
get to know the product, get toknow the ingredients literally
and put yourself in theconsumers' shoes. Look. Your
(05:33):
regulatory and compliance folksare all over these things, of
course, but being that second oreven third pair of eyes is often
helpful. Another critical area,especially in the food and
beverage business, is the prepinstructions.
You cannot have a consumerexperience your product and then
(05:54):
come back and buy it again andenjoy it unless the prep
directions are clear and they'reable to get into that product.
So check. And that's like thecooking instructions, that's
another way you might label it.Does it appear clear to you as
if you were a consumer using theproduct for the first time? Look
(06:16):
at the words.
Look at the little images. Youknow, one colleague had a new
prep direction for cold prep fora typical hot prep product, but
the hot imagery and words was onprevious packaging. And when
they rolled out a little lineextension, that previous prep
(06:38):
directions got sort of copy andpasted over. Again, we are
humans. So, hey.
If you can get close enough toyour products and can see that
as an opportunity, then do sharethat with your people. Again,
someone else might find it, butyou should get as close to that
product and that consumer as youas you can. It will benefits
(07:02):
benefit you in ways that you Icannot even go on to list right
now. Now you have what they callthe romance language, and do a
quick scan. Look at thelanguage, the description, the
provenance, the lifestyledescribed.
Be a student of your brand, asI'm trying to say. What about
the recycling information? Ofcourse, this is more and more
important to consumers. Does theromance language maybe talks
(07:27):
about, for example, this greatrecyclable plastic that the
package is made of, does therecycling logo and directions
match that, or does it sayglass, for example? Again, maybe
it's a copy and paste type ofthing, but it could be cause for
consumer confusion.
(07:49):
Look. Your marketers will dotheir once over on their own,
but, again, do a quick scan ofthe romance language. Marketers
and legal, sometimes, will bethe reviewers of the distributed
by information. So that's sortof the legal entity and maybe an
address. But wait.
(08:09):
Your work is not done again. Youknow, there's there's let me let
me tell you why. There's so muchelse. There's the front of pack,
as I mentioned, earlier. Let'sgo back to that for a second and
and take a look at maybe theingredients are drawn on there
in a delightful way or the realingredients that are are
(08:34):
featured.
You know? For example, does theblueberries that are sort of
scattered in the front of pack,do they look bluish or more
purplish and could bemisconstrued maybe for grapes?
Again, this could be minor, butyou wanna really help the appeal
(08:54):
on shelf of the product and helpthat consumer take that product
home with them and enjoy it.Thanks so much for your time. If
you've learned even a kernel ofan idea or was inspired by this
episode, please consider ratingand reviewing the podcast on
(09:18):
Apple Podcasts.
Be sure to share out the hashtagCPGCX because CPGCX really and
truly rocks. You have beenlistening to the My Curious
Colleague podcast with DeniseVineri. Thank you for your time.
Welcome to the My Curious Colleague podcast
with your host, me, DeniseVenneri. We'll be talking all
things consumer relations with afocus on consumer product goods
organizations and the brandspecialist and analyst roles and
responsibilities. So if you likeCPGs, like I like CPGs,
(00:22):
marketing, insights, and caringdeeply for your consumers, well,
take a listen. Hello, my curiouscolleagues. Today, I'm curious
about how to effectively reviewpackaging artwork in the
consumer relations role.
(00:42):
Now let me ask you thisquestion. Are do you feel it,
you know, as as the supply chainconstraints are in the far
distance? There is thisexpansion of ideas resulting in
new CPG products, and it is justout there. And how we see it in
(01:03):
this role is it comes throughoften as packaging artwork to
review. So, you know, I love itall, CPG.
I'm an aficionado of consumerproducts. Good. And, you know,
this this excitement is bringinga little additional work to be
done, but it is important work.The artwork needs to be
(01:26):
approved, created so it can getout to those consumers. So now
is the time to embrace this,consumer relations friends.
I am thrilled to be, you know,in my in my experience in the,
CPG roles that I've done in thein the past to be among the
(01:48):
approvers of packaging images.You know, there was a time that
it was really something that itwas rooted manually, and it was
only quality that was involvedin that, but some things have
changed. So let's go with someguidance to help you get the job
done effectively. So first, 0 inon your specific info. Largely,
(02:14):
that's gonna be the contact usinformation.
This will vary by companycompany or even brand to brand,
but, generally, this includesthe TFN, which stands for a toll
free number, the URL of thewebsite you're driving consumers
to. So, of course, that'swww.suchandsuchsuchandsuch. The
(02:36):
h o o p or the hours ofoperation. So that could look
like the time period that you'reopen each day, say, 8 to 5 PM,
and then also the time zone,central time. Also, is there any
special language of, that willbe available to assist those non
(02:57):
English speaking consumers, suchas French or Spanish?
If so, then advertise that. Domake sure it says se habla
espanol, for example, that thatis noted. Also, just going back
to that TFN toll free number fora second, if that toll free
number is enabled, in otherwords, the technology exists
(03:21):
there for consumers to use the 1800 number, for example, to text
comments to you, then do notethose directions. On pack to
either call or text. But wait.
Your work is not done yet. Sure.This is the most critical piece
(03:41):
of the whole packaging flat. Butif you're like me, you're
curious, and you wanna be closeto the brand. You wanna be close
to the consumers, and you wannahelp your cross functional
partners.
So my guess here is excuse me.There's a good chance if there's
anything that kinda gets passedover on this review process
(04:03):
because it's a very human reviewprocess, at least, you know, in
my experience. The contactcenter is often the place where
you where you will get thosequestions and comments from
consumers. Therefore, workingbackwards, it's a good good work
effort to help your crossfunctional partners and take
(04:26):
this opportunity to check outthe different sections. I think
the next one that is always goodto look at is the nutrition
facts, for example.
So do a quick check that thecallouts in the front of pack
maybe they're just like littlerectangles that call out this,
you know, the sodium or thefats, and they also have a
(04:50):
numeral attached to it. Makesure that front of pack, excuse
me, front of pack matches up tothe values in your nutrition
facts. How about thoseingredient statements and any
allergen information? You know,the consumers are reading those
labels as you are aware. Youknow, is there a big nine
(05:11):
allergen ingredient that's notedthat should be noted?
If the product has dairy in it,is that clear to consumers in
the ingredient statement or not?And it's a really nice way to
get to know the product, get toknow the ingredients literally
and put yourself in theconsumers' shoes. Look. Your
(05:33):
regulatory and compliance folksare all over these things, of
course, but being that second oreven third pair of eyes is often
helpful. Another critical area,especially in the food and
beverage business, is the prepinstructions.
You cannot have a consumerexperience your product and then
(05:54):
come back and buy it again andenjoy it unless the prep
directions are clear and they'reable to get into that product.
So check. And that's like thecooking instructions, that's
another way you might label it.Does it appear clear to you as
if you were a consumer using theproduct for the first time? Look
(06:16):
at the words.
Look at the little images. Youknow, one colleague had a new
prep direction for cold prep fora typical hot prep product, but
the hot imagery and words was onprevious packaging. And when
they rolled out a little lineextension, that previous prep
(06:38):
directions got sort of copy andpasted over. Again, we are
humans. So, hey.
If you can get close enough toyour products and can see that
as an opportunity, then do sharethat with your people. Again,
someone else might find it, butyou should get as close to that
product and that consumer as youas you can. It will benefits
(07:02):
benefit you in ways that you Icannot even go on to list right
now. Now you have what they callthe romance language, and do a
quick scan. Look at thelanguage, the description, the
provenance, the lifestyledescribed.
Be a student of your brand, asI'm trying to say. What about
the recycling information? Ofcourse, this is more and more
important to consumers. Does theromance language maybe talks
(07:27):
about, for example, this greatrecyclable plastic that the
package is made of, does therecycling logo and directions
match that, or does it sayglass, for example? Again, maybe
it's a copy and paste type ofthing, but it could be cause for
consumer confusion.
(07:49):
Look. Your marketers will dotheir once over on their own,
but, again, do a quick scan ofthe romance language. Marketers
and legal, sometimes, will bethe reviewers of the distributed
by information. So that's sortof the legal entity and maybe an
address. But wait.
(08:09):
Your work is not done again. Youknow, there's there's let me let
me tell you why. There's so muchelse. There's the front of pack,
as I mentioned, earlier. Let'sgo back to that for a second and
and take a look at maybe theingredients are drawn on there
in a delightful way or the realingredients that are are
(08:34):
featured.
You know? For example, does theblueberries that are sort of
scattered in the front of pack,do they look bluish or more
purplish and could bemisconstrued maybe for grapes?
Again, this could be minor, butyou wanna really help the appeal
(08:54):
on shelf of the product and helpthat consumer take that product
home with them and enjoy it.Thanks so much for your time. If
you've learned even a kernel ofan idea or was inspired by this
episode, please consider ratingand reviewing the podcast on
(09:18):
Apple Podcasts.
Be sure to share out the hashtagCPGCX because CPGCX really and
truly rocks. You have beenlistening to the My Curious
Colleague podcast with DeniseVineri. Thank you for your time.
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