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Is less more or a bore? Package design simplicity and brand perception: an application to Champagne

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  • Favier, Manon
  • Celhay, Franck
  • Pantin-Sohier, Gaëlle

Abstract

Packaging design as a medium for brand communication has a strong impact on the point-of-purchase decision. Therefore, marketers need a keen understanding of how packaging design influences brand perception. Although many studies have investigated the impact of design elements like color or typeface, few have examined the impact of holistic variables like the degree of elaborateness. This study proposes to fill this gap by investigating the influence of the degree of simplicity/complexity in package design on brand perception. The topic is first investigated through a multidisciplinary approach mobilizing the fields of semiotics, art history and marketing. Then, we conduct an experiment in which three bottles of Champagne operationalizing three levels of simplicity/complexity are tested with a sample of 305 consumers. The results indicate that the simplicity/complexity of a package design has a significant impact on brand perception, with simplicity being associated with modernity, reliability, authenticity, success and sobriety and complexity with seniority, joy, imagination, charm, femininity and sophistication.

Suggested Citation

  • Favier, Manon & Celhay, Franck & Pantin-Sohier, Gaëlle, 2019. "Is less more or a bore? Package design simplicity and brand perception: an application to Champagne," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 11-20.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:46:y:2019:i:c:p:11-20
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.09.013
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    3. Sung, Billy & Crawford, Robert & Teah, Min & Stankovic, Michelle & Phau, Ian, 2020. "The “timber box†effect for premium wines," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    4. Dopico-Parada, Ana & López-Miguens, María Jesús & à lvarez-González, Paula, 2021. "Building value with packaging: Development and validation of a measurement scale," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    5. Orlowski, Marissa & Lefebvre, Sarah & Back, Robin M., 2022. "Thinking outside the bottle: Effects of alternative wine packaging," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    6. Aurélie Ringeval-Deluze & Louis César Ndione, 2021. "Meaning of packaging and innovation dynamics in a traditional luxury sector: the example of growers’ champagne [Signification des packagings et dynamiques d’innovation dans un secteur de luxe tradi," Post-Print hal-03266127, HAL.
    7. Jaud, David A. & Melnyk, Valentyna, 2020. "The effect of text-only versus text-and-image wine labels on liking, taste and purchase intentions. The mediating role of affective fluency," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    8. Tan, Fuqiang & Li, Xi & Agarwal, Reeti & Joshi, Yatish & Yaqub, Muhammad Zafar, 2024. "Does multilingual packaging influence purchasing in retail segment? Evidence from multiple experiments," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    9. Sutrisno Trisno & I Ketut Gunarta & Erwin Widodo, 2024. "Packaging optimization model using cost-based behavioral perspective approach in food and beverage industry," Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, PC TECHNOLOGY CENTER, vol. 5(13 (131)), pages 97-111, October.
    10. Ouidade Sabri & Van Doan Hai & Faten Malek & Hager Bachouche, 2019. "When Is Transparent Packaging Beneficial?," Working Papers 2019-006, Department of Research, Ipag Business School.
    11. Tiansheng Xia & Xiujuan Fan & Jingwei Zhang & Tingting Liu, 2023. "Influence of Complexity in Low-Fat Food Packaging on Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-15, February.
    12. Pelet, Jean-Éric & Durrieu, François & Lick, Erhard, 2020. "Label design of wines sold online: Effects of perceived authenticity on purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    13. Baek, Eunsoo & Huang, Zhihong & Lee, Seojin Stacey, 2023. "Visual complexity = hedonic? Effects of visually complex packages on consumer perceptions and evaluations of products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
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