Creating Packaging That Communicated the Benefit

The design of the Zicam packaging was a very important part of the overall marketing mix. It was critical to communicate to consumers that this was a product that actually shortened the cold. One way this was done was by placing the statement ˜˜actually shortens the cold in a prominent location on the label. As the product line was expanded, the label was modified with a color -coded banner that distinguished the different types of products. The cold remedies all had an orange banner, the allergy products had a blue banner, and the decongestants had a blue-green banner.

The bottle itself was also an important part of the packaging design. For cost reasons, the company decided to go with an existing bottle rather than designing one from scratch. All of the alternatives available from outside suppliers were reviewed. Zicam does not go into the nose as a mist because it is a gel. Therefore, the company had to find a special pump designed for a gel. It also had to find something unique, since Zicam was very different from other cold remedies because of its ability to shorten a cold. The result was the selection of a very upscale bottle that functioned well and sent the right message to the consumer.