Packaging Design: Successful Product Branding From Concept to Shelf, 2nd Edition

The Stakeholders

If all the industries that service the marketing of consumer goods are combined, the consumer product industry is among the largest sectors of the global economy (accounting for $2 trillion plus globally). Packaging design plays a vital marketing role in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), categories, which encompass a vast range of products related to travel and leisure, pharmaceuticals, technology, food, beverage, personal care, and endless other retail industries. The roles and responsibilities of packaging design professionals—and the opportunities available—are diverse and wide-ranging. Indeed, the possibilities for engaging, exciting, challenging, creative careers are endless.

Each member of a design and marketing team has a distinct function, yet all are critical to the outcome of a successful packaging design. These professionals may be responsible for marketing, research and development, production and manufacturing, or design. With all that is required, there are many stakeholders in the competitive business of designing consumer brands (fig. 5.1).

The roles of the stakeholders in the business of packaging design had, in the past, been clearly defined. The marketer was the decision maker, and other industry professionals were considered service providers, or “vendors.” However, new technologies, an evolution of consumer design-consciousness, and the increased demands of the retail environment have led marketers ...