When there is a seemingly infinite number of choices, “findability” is the KEY to your brand’s connection with consumers. As Wired magazine tech guru, Kevin Kelly, puts it in his fantastic article Better Than Free, “unfound masterpieces are worthless”. Not to compare a box of cereal to a Van Gogh, but if your package gets lost in the sea of products on today’s store shelves, it doesn’t even get to be a BRAND.

It’s a daunting problem, but creating brand loyalty isn’t impossible if you understand the obstacles your product faces to be noticed. Justin Crout’s seminal book Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Competition still paints the picture best. With printed knowledge doubling every 4 to 5 years, 4,000 books published daily and the internet growing by 1 million sites a day, the demands on a person’s time and attention are overwhelming to say the least. Since those statistics were first published in 2000, the pace has only quickened! So, even taking into consideration that Crout’s calculation that the average person has been exposed to an excess of 140,000 commercials by the age of 18(!!!) is somewhat softened by TV viewers’ ability to fast forward through those commercials with their DVRs; consumers are being bombarded by media in a relentless way. Standing out in such a competitive environment has never been more crucial to the “findability” of your brand.

Further complicating things are the mass of technological trends that have become a part of our daily lives since 2000. Smart phones, instant messaging, texting, Facebook, Twitter: these devices and apps all represent separate, individual content streams, often overlapping and competing for attention simultaneously. One recent market research study by Crowd Science found that about 10% of consumers under 30 actually follow brands on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, which certainly makes it a trend worth watching. The same research found that while younger generations, ranging in age from 16-49, are far more brand aware than older consumers, their loyalty to brands varies widely. Generation X-ers(those born between 1961-1981), tend to be the most loyal to the brands they like, sticking with them even if there is a cheaper alternative readily available. Whereas, the Generation Y crowd(born roughly between 1982-1995), like to mix it up and try new brands more often.

The most successful brands to clear these hurdles and be SEEN by consumers will be the ones best able to make, and maintain, connections that make people repeat customers. Strong brandmarks and packaging that communicate a clear DIFFERENCE from their competitors, will go a long way towards pushing through the clutter and achieving that “findability” absolutely necessary for today’s brands.

I just ordered a pair of Tory Burch shearling boots because they were on end of year clearance, and much less than a new pair of Ugg’s would have cost me for next season. I have to admit I am a Tory Burch fan because of the logo-big, bold buckles of intertwining T’s…that’s what it’s all about.

The boots are a little understated, but the packaging they came in…WOW! Is there such a thing as overbranding? Logos on the box, signature orange box wrap with logo sticker; the invoice was in a boldly branded envelope with a coupon for future purchase and, of course, a logo on the invoice as well.

If there’s one thing Tory does right, it’s suck consumers in like me, who are in it for the BIG BRAND SPLASH….some may think it’s overkill, but to me, this is why I dig the brand!

When was the last time you set foot inside a pet store and really took a good look around? Were you surprised at the variety of brands and the diversity of products? According to market research from the American Pet Products Association(or APPA), you shouldn’t be. APPA’s research has found that annual spending in the pet industry for 2010 was $48.35 billion. And that’s just here in the U.S. That is a LOT of kibble! But this consumer trend goes FAR beyond just pet food.

In a recent series of articles in the New York Times, an entire section on Health was devoted to the many ways pets have a positive impact on their owner’s health and sense of well being. For many of these pet “parents”, there is an unbreakable emotional bond with their pet “children” which makes them an integral part of the family. That bond drives pet owners in record numbers to the shelves of pet stores where they spare no expense buying premium food, treats and specialty toys.

Though the majority of pet owners typically have dogs or cats; small animals like hamsters and mice, birds, fish, and even reptiles, figure largely in the surge of pet industry sales as well. Which translates into an explosion of categories and brands that cater to each and every type of pet’s individual needs. And if the APPA projections are correct, this trend of a ballooning pet supplies market is just the beginning. According to their calculations, pet owners are going to spend an estimated $50.84 billion in 2011. So you can expect some pretty tough positioning for brands looking to stand out as leaders in this very competitive market.

Make this one of your regular stops to see what’s new in the constantly changing world of Package Design and Branding!

Since we are forever scanning store shelves, and hyper-aware of emerging packaging trends; we thought we’d share some of our best thoughts with you!

From boxes to bags and bottles to cans; we’ll highlight all the things that work for your brand, and point out some of the things that won’t.