When an image, video or story spreads quickly and widely via social media, email or other online means, it is said to “go viral.” And when content goes viral, many people discuss it. The term stems from the biological “virus,” where “going viral” is likened to an epidemic spread, which occurs if more than one person is infected by a disease for every person infected. This is of course something we are now unfortunately all too familiar with.

In the world of memes, tweets, posts and shares, going viral however can be either good or bad for the “viral” subject. While most people may not think of labels and packaging as something that can go viral, they certainly can, and when it happens it can propel a brand to a new level, or it can bury one. For a negative example, I recently came across a homemade food product with the tagline “Tastes Like Grandma” emblazoned across the label. Regardless of how good the product may be, the labeling blunder had this brand on many lists of “Packaging Fails.”

There is a strong contingent of label and packaging professionals using the internet daily to mine ideas for innovation and packaging success stories. And when a product’s packaging goes viral in the good way, it becomes a form of advertising that you cannot put a price tag on.

This is Nuts
Let’s take a look at a recent, positive example of viral packaging. Last year, nut brand Hrum-Hrum launched product packaging that got lots of attention from consumers and packaging professionals alike.

Designed by Constantin Bolimond of Belarus, the package design is inspired by squirrels and their ability to collect nuts in their cheeks. The package comes in three designs for three different nuts: hazelnut, almonds and sunflower seeds. Combining folding carton and fabric, the nuts are stored in the rodent’s cheek. With the tagline “Our squirrels collect the best nuts,” the packaging excels in its humor, aesthetics and functionality – three big boxes to check.

Finding online chatter about the brand and its packaging is not hard, since images of the package went viral in late 2020. Hundreds of shares on multiple social media platforms made it so it would find the eyeballs of those “in the business” with any sort of social media presence. That’s how it found me. Just how it found nut consumers the world over.

Let’s take a look at the power of viral packaging. A tweet from Twitter handle @AlaaHage1 reads: “Hrum-Hrum is a nut and seed company that uses such a unique yet simple design that stands out amongst other nut companies. I’ve never seen such perfect packaging! Look how cute it is. I’d buy it just because of how it looks.”

That has to be music to a brand owner’s ears.

On Instagram, an account called @marketingmind.in posted, “A brilliant nut packaging in a squirrel shape, the designer played with the nut hoarding habit of squirrels to create packaging that is both practical and playful.”

Not everyone online immediately gushed however, as viral content – no matter how positive and innocuous it seems – will bring out both skeptics and detractors. This is the internet after all, but not all commentary that’s not glowing is from the trolls.

In response to a Twitter post praising the Hrum-Hrum packaging, @TBBcommunity (ThinkBigBranding) tweeted: “The challenge would be the amount of space that this package will consume, its shelf life and how protective is the packaging against water on the exposed fabric. Design is function and beauty should never outpower the primary function of the packaging to protect what’s inside.”

That’s smart commentary right there. It’s important to note skeptics like @TBBcommunity are pushing the needle. The fact that the package is being discussed so much is a major boost to the brand.

Unboxing
Imagine taking the excitement of receiving and opening a wrapped present, and turning it into a form of entertaining and engaging online content that can drive the growth of a brand. That’s the essence of the “unboxing” trend that recently emerged on social media, in large part to the rise of e-commerce. Social media posters are receiving packages in the mail, turning on their cameras and chronicling their experience in opening up packages. That’s unboxing in a nutshell.

Beth Owens, a digital marketing assistant and content writer at noissue.co and Big Commerce, says, “unboxing has become such an expected experience in the industry, that Instagram accounts like ThingTesting report on how products are packaged and round that up into the overall customer and venture capital review of any e-commerce company.”

Owens references a study from 2013 that found that attractive packaging stimulates the reward-seeking areas of the brain – areas that are associated with impulse purchasing. “It’s been proven that people are naturally drawn to products and packaging that look good. Out of any of our senses, visual stimuli has the greatest impact on our perceptions. Plain packaging, on the other hand, garners very little response,” she says. “In sum, making a positive impact on your customers’ purchasing decisions is impossible without considering product presentation.”

Owens suggests brand owners would be wise to cultivate a great unboxing experience. “It helps your brand tell its story. If you aren’t leveraging your brand’s unboxing experience to the fullest, you’re missing out on a brilliant opportunity to express yourself. Unboxing is about much more than making your products look good; it’s about crafting your brand’s narrative. Your narrative is integral to communicating successfully why customers should choose you over alternatives. This is about emotion as much as what your product or service offers. Your brand narrative is effectively the answer to the question ‘Why should I care?’ Refining your unboxing experience will go a long way toward helping you craft a powerful brand narrative,” says Owens, adding, “Instead of just words, you are giving customers tangible proof of your values.”

Because unboxing takes place in the “post-sale” phase, it also avoids the risk of coming across as a cold-hearted sales pitch, she adds. “You already have your customers’ money, so anything extra you give them falls into that all-important ‘value-added’ category.”

Owens stresses that in e-commerce, customer loyalty drives business success. “Last impressions are just as important as first impressions. Product delivery is effectively the last point of contact that your customer will have with your brand, so make it a memorable one... brand loyalty isn’t simply about whether the product or service is ‘good’.”

Finally, the unboxing experience presents an opportunity to go viral. Celebrities and “influencers” participate, and many reach the most important consumer demographics. “When your package might only be seen by one person, or by one household at the absolute maximum, it can feel difficult to justify the cost,” Owens says. “But what if your efforts had the potential to be seen by a virtually limitless audience? In the world of social media, this potential is very real.

“Social media and unboxing are virtual bread and butter,” she emphasizes, concluding, “It engages with those primal consumer desires that brands have to tap into in order to be successful. This makes it an incredibly friendly way to get your brand out there. An image or video of someone ‘unboxing’ your product can allow your brand to reach entirely new markets, which may have been difficult to reach or discover otherwise.”


Steve Katz is the former editor of Label & Narrow Web and is now a regular contributor. He is focused on helping companies in the label industry share their news and tell their stories. Follow him on Twitter @LabelSteve.