When purchasing products today, Americans tend to focus more on the packaging rather than the actual product inside, making this century all about looks. From different brands of breakfast cereal to the cosmetics or beauty products we use, packaging holds great value and meaning.
Packages are full of persuasion and appeal. What is eye catching and attention grabbing is what wins the buyer; the package is what makes the product. Most Americans depend solely on the packages’ appearance to determine whether the product id worth buying. Packaging has a great influence on American consumption.
“Packaging is the temptation. In many cases, it is what makes the product possible. But the package is also useful to the shopper. It is a tool for simplifying and speeding decisions.” (What’s In A Package, 93) Today packaging has become essential to the consumers’ decision on what to purchase. Rather than looking on the side of the package, the part of the package that is out of sight when placed on a shelf, Americans focus on the bright colors or name brands posted on the packages. Women especially, tend to follow name brand items or the names posted on the package. A women’s retail company that sells their product at Kmart or Target is no match for Louis Vuitton or Coach, two of the nation’s most popular retailers in women’s fashion. Some find this hard to believe, but it is even hard for men to stay away from the persuasion of packaging. When walking into a store such as Home Depot or Sports Authority, men are attracted to the biggest packages or the packages with eye catching photographs on them. This is true especially for those American men who exercise and are looking to stay in shape. For men of this category, Sports Authority becomes persuasion frenzy. The biggest package with the tall, muscular, handsome man on the front wins the buyer’s heart. It is all about the temptation and persuasion of the package.
Packaging has not only become a