Global marketers are taking a more personalized approach to reaching consumers. This year, several have tinkered with logos and packaging, adding names, words, teams or whatever the brand sees as a way to make a deeper connection with shoppers. "Consumers—and more specifically millennials—love a customized, personalized experience, and leveraging packaging is the best way to tap into" that, said Alex Lambrecht, vp of Bud Light.
Younger generations embrace individuality, and these personalized efforts cater to that, added Brian Rafferty, global director of research insights for branding firm Siegel+Gale. "It makes people feel like the brand is more about them than about the brand," he noted.
It worked for Coca-Cola, which just wrapped up its "Share a Coke" campaign in September. Coke attributed a 2.5 percent gain in sales, following a decade-long decline, to the customized cans. The campaign also helped Coke score over 1.14 billion impressions across social media. With that kind of impact, it makes sense other marketers would follow—Snickers replaced its logo with hunger triggers and Bud Light is rolling out NFL team-themed cans.
