Product packaging is a powerful visual aid that can help establish a brand’s identity, attract customers’ interest, and play an influential role in product positioning. In fact, according to a 2018 study, 72% of consumers agreed that a product’s packaging design often influences their purchase decisions.

Now, more than ever, food manufacturers are investing more in the visual appeal of their products, with the global packaging market projected to grow by $170.61 billion between 2021 and 2025. From minimizing food waste to using innovative materials to preserve meat quality and limiting light exposure, a brand’s meat packaging can increase sales, boost brand awareness and gain the upper hand over competitors. Keep reading to see how four brands took their packaging to the next level.

What Is Brand Packaging?

When it comes to winning over customers, packaging plays a pivotal role. Unique packaging sets your brand apart from competitors, reinforces company values, and creates a lasting impression on potential customers. Another interesting caveat is that specific design elements can really influence the perceived health benefits of the food inside. As humans, we’re hard-wired to respond to visual cues. The food industry has heavily relied on packaging to differentiate its product, increase sales, build a loyal customer base and craft unique customer experiences.

How Meat Packaging Influences Customer Perception

When it comes to meat packaging, there’s more to it than just containing the product. The way meat is packaged can have a significant impact on how customers perceive its quality and freshness. With innovative materials and clever designs, meat packaging can effectively communicate not only what’s inside but also the level of care taken in preparing and preserving the meat.

Packaging materials like vacuum-sealed plastic and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) help extend the meat’s shelf life while preserving its freshness. These materials reduce the amount of oxygen in the packaging, slowing down the growth of bacteria and other harmful microorganisms that can cause spoilage. MAP, in particular, can be tailored to specific types of meat to control carbon dioxide and nitrogen levels, which help maintain the meat’s color, texture, and flavor.

In addition to functional packaging materials, meat packaging can use visual cues to communicate freshness and quality. High- quality printed images of juicy steaks, succulent roasts, and other mouthwatering cuts of meat can grab a shopper’s attention and give them a sense of what they can expect from the product inside. Clever branding and labeling can also enhance customer perceptions, making shoppers feel confident in their purchase and willing to pay a premium for higher-quality meat.

Meat packaging is crucial in shaping customer perception and influencing purchasing decisions. Check out the following examples of how meat brands use innovative materials and highly effective designs to effectively communicate the value of their products and build a positive image in the minds of consumers.

The Black Sheep

(Credit to the Creative By Definition)

The butcher brand teamed up with the marketing agency, Creative By Definition to develop a clean but modern meat packaging design that makes the brand’s message of “happy animals that live in natural, healthy environments will always produce the best meat” the focal point. The agency says the goal was to “highlight the “values and philosophy behind the product: simplicity, playfulness, unique flavors in high-quality cuts.” Investing in a modern new meat box helped give the brand a competitive advantage while minimizing damage. A new illustrated logo and color palette that combined sophisticated tones with a vibrant pop of pink added personality to drive brand recognition.

Land O Frost

(Source: Land O’ Frost)

Land O’Frost’s products have been around since 1958. The nation’s best-selling brand of pre-sliced deli meats announced a new package design for its flagship Premium Meat product line, geared towards capturing the attention and appetite of today’s consumer. The revamp includes a transparent back panel to tantalize the taste buds of modern-day carnivores and is specifically designed to prevent over-exposure to retail light. Each box features a delicious photo of a mouthwatering sandwich to increase curb appeal and, yes, (sales).

Cinco Jotas

(Source: Cinco Jotas )

Cinco Jotas, a legendary brand with 130 years of history, produces world-class Iberian pork products – a Spanish delicacy exclusively made from acorn-fed pigs. The brand is revered for the extraordinary care they take when crafting their meats: Iberico pigs consume an exclusive diet of only acorns for 3 months before slaughter and go through an extensive aging process of 2–4 years in highly-specific conditions, resulting in perfectly cured meat packed full of a symphony of well-orchestrated flavors. The brand’s opulent packaging conveys the meat’s luxurious nature and consists of an outer carrying case containing drawers filled with sealed Iberian ham. To elevate the tasting experience one step further, the reusable case is wrapped with moisture-resistant leatherlike skin embossed with the Cinco Jotas 5J logo. To unveil the decadent meat, consumers must use cloth drawer pulls to open the drawers revealing a black paper envelope that’s sealed with a precinto de garantia, tamper-resistant sticker containing 1.5 oz stacks of presliced Iberian ham.

Hormel Natural Choice

(Source: Hormel Natural Choice)

Did you know that Hormel Natural Choice reduces the microbial load to safeguard consumers from food-borne pathogens while also extending the shelf life of their products? Their sliced deli meat undergoes unique high-pressure processing within the packaging. Advanced materials such as ethylene copolymers and ionomers are then used to improve protein adhesion and decrease the presence of residual liquids.

Conclusion

Your product packaging can have a profound impact on sales and brand awareness. It could even be the deciding factor of someone purchasing your product over a competitor’s. With thousands of food brands out there today, choosing a unique visual design helps to quickly communicate key brand messages and values to simplify the decision-making process for shoppers.

Stand Out From The Crowd With Unique Meat Packaging.

If you’re looking for innovative packaging solutions to boost brand awareness, we can help. At Flavorseal, we work with you to create customized, flexible packaging that improves performance and visual appeal. We stay on top of emerging industry trends, consumer tastes, and customer needs to deliver innovative and unique meat packaging solutions that keep food fresh. To learn more about our products and services, click here.