1. ROUTE 42
S T U D I O
PACKAGING AND ADVERTISING
IN WESTERN EUROPEAN AND
AMERICAN COSMETICS MARKET
BY GIOVANNI VELLUTO
CEO OF ROUTE 42 STUDIO

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S T U D I O
PART 1
PACKAGING
A few simple questions...
What is design?
Is design that important?
Is packaging a kind of design?

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PART 1: PACKAGING
Packaging IS design
(From Collins dictionary)
1: a plan, sketch, project, preliminary drawing
2: the arrangement or pattern of elements or
features of an artistic or decorative work
(From Raymond Loewy teachings)
Art applied to common objects
(Practically speaking)
Art applied to commerce
What is design?

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S T U D I O
PART 1: PACKAGING
Packaging IS design
This is a common chair.
Price: 15/20$
Brand: any
Functionality: full, you can sit on it
Peculiarity: is a chair
This is a Panton chair
Price: 250$
Brand: Vitra
Functionality: full, but high encumbrance
Peculiarity: worldwide renowned
Is design that important?
It doesn’t save lives
but...

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PART 1: PACKAGING
Packaging IS design
Is packaging a kind of design?
Yes, in any possible meaning
Even in cosmetics?
Let’s try to spot the differences...
?
=

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PART 1: PACKAGING
The “Apple” effect
How design is design in these markets?
How do we deal with it?
Keep it simple, keep it clean, keep it Zen,
keep it Apple

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PART 1: PACKAGING
The “Apple” effect
Before After
+ =

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PART 1: PACKAGING
Avoiding monotony
What if everyone follow the “Apple” effect?
We might get a “pharmacy” effect

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Avoiding monotony
A few tips:
- Design doesn’t mean monotony, means creativity
- Clean and simple doesn’t mean white and empty
- Colors and shapes are powerful allies

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PART 1: PACKAGING
Case study: L’Oreal - Studio Line packaging evolution
1984
2013

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PART 1: PACKAGING
Case study: L’Oreal - Elvive packaging evolution

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Meanwhile in luxury
Is the situation different in luxury market?
In mass luxury, no
In elite luxury, maybe
Versace
Dolce&Gabbana
Prada
Etro
Marly
Diptyque

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PART 1: PACKAGING
Some packaging tips
- Bottle shape can be a key facror in mass market
- Cold colors are easier to use
- Avoid full warm colors, mix with neutral
- Black means luxury but in cosmetics can be an hazard
- Geometric shapes in graphic risk to look “old”
- Same as gold and silver
- In midrange and luxury use all the potential of new
packaging ang printing solution
-

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S T U D I O
PART 1: PACKAGING
Information is marketing
Directive 76/768/CEE art 2
“Cosmetics products sold in EU must not hurt human health”
And people knows it
=
“if it’s for sale, it’s safe”
SO
Inform aboout your innovation
Regulation impose to inform
Than take advantage of it!

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PART 1: PACKAGING
Conclusions
Packaging is not a container anymore but a
key factor in the customer choice
Packaging design is mandatory
Packaging design is not an easy journey
Strong brand image is a key factor that has to
be built
Guess, bet, create, innovate
TELL YOUR STORY

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S T U D I O
Can external players enter the EU/US market?
Yes, but they need a good strategy
Can a good packaging design be enough?
No, not without support of aimed advertising
(or really a lot of luck)
How can they fight against major competitors?
With packaging design and new weapons as
entertaining advertising, social media and
brand/product storytelling
How to afford the cost of an advertising campain?
Web oriented campains can highliy contain
the cost of every element
PART 2
ADVERTISING

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S T U D I O
PART 2: ADVERTISING
Passive Adv VS Active Adv
Passive adv model Active adv model

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PART 2: ADVERTISING
Passive Adv VS Active Adv
Passive adv model Active adv model
- predictable audience
- predictable results
- high budget
- decading efficiency
=
ADVERTISING IS JUST
A VEHICLE
- potentially higher audience
- potentially better results
- low budget
- incresing efficiency
- unpredictable dynamics
- different and more
complex approach
=
ADVERTISING BECOMES A
PRODUCT ITSELF

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PART 2: ADVERTISING
Storytelling
What is the storytelling?
The new way to make brand and product adv
Why storytelling?
Because in a globalized market you don’t sell
anymore just the product, you need to sell emotions
Why is it a winning strategy?
Because our entire existence is made by stories and
we all live for emotions
What is the difference between Ulisses and any
other castaway?
The answer may appear to be his ability, his genius
or his bravery. But what if no one has told his story?

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Storytelling
How to do storitelling
- Storytelling about people involved (Red Bull)
- Storytelling about products/brand (Discovery)
- Storytelling about emotions (Timberland)
Storytelling can be made also in series
format to create a continous relation with
the potenciacial customers, in this case also
known as audience

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PART 2: ADVERTISING
Storytelling case study: Dove Men + Care
Old brand image VS New brand image
Traditional video VS Storytelling video
Or even play out of the rules

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Dangers of storytelling
BEWARE!
- People MUST want to see your adv
- Promote your adv as the product itself
and do it socially
- The brand must be the frame, not the picture
- Internet is forever
- Stories must be told in listener language

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Conclusions
To breach the EU/US market you need quality,
design, stories, emotions and strategy
Choice criterias are totally different from 10
years ago because of interntet
Selling a product has never been so far from the
product itself as it is now
SO
Invest on ideas
“Average is over”
(Thomas Friedman - Pulitzer prize winner)