The role of packaging for consumer products: understanding the move towards ‘plain’ tobacco packaging

The Australian Government intends to introduce plain tobacco packaging in 2012. We consider whether such a move appears justified by examining the wider marketing literature in order to understand the role that packaging has for consumer goods. Packaging is often called the fifth ‘p’ of the marketing mix. It is an effective marketing medium for all consumer products and helps build consumer relationships through possession and usage. Common packaging strategies to promote the product, distinguish products from competitors, communicate brand values and target specific consumer groups include innovative, special edition, value and green packaging. These strategies, combined with the visual and structural aspects of packaging design, such as colour, size and shape, influence consumer perceptions and purchase and usage behaviour. This gives packaging an important role at point-of-purchase and also post-purchase. Packaging also has a close relationship with the product, influencing perceived product attributes, and is a key representative of the brand. We conclude that plain tobacco packaging appears justified, based on the importance of packaging as a promotional tool, and will fundamentally restrict the opportunity for tobacco companies to influence consumers through package design

Perceptions and Dynamics Affecting Acceptance of 3D-Printed Bridal Lehenga in India

In India, the wedding industry is booming as a result of growing affluence. Indian brides are inclined towards spending an extravagant amount on exclusive, high-fashion, designer bridal wear. There is, however, almost no published research that examines the aesthetic and other preferences of bridal couples in India in respect of bridal wear, including how predisposed couples are to innovate in its design. 3D printing is a popular aid in visualizing prospective designs and in prototype testing, being gradually applied in the creation of haute couture and mass-produced fashion products. The paper reports research on consumers’ attitudes towards and use intention regarding 3D-printed bridal lehengas. Data was collected from Indian bridal wear consumers and decision-makers through semi-structured interviews. The results suggest that respondents had a positive attitude towards the technology, having a higher perception of the aesthetics and wearability of 3D-printed bridal lehenga

¿Por qué nos apegamos emocionalmente a la ropa?

Este producto forma parte de una serie de textos de divulgación científica que buscan reseñar algunas de las investigaciones más importantes en las que ha tenido participación la Universidad EAFIT, publicadas en las revistas especializadas más prestigiosas del mund

Individual adoption of convergent mobile phone in Italy

Convergence, Adoption, Mobile technologies, Attitude, Intention to use, L20, O33,

Assessing multifunctional innovation adoption via an integrative model

This study proposes and tests an integrative model that incorporates the mental resources framework (MOA: motivation, opportunity, and ability) alongside traditional innovation adoption predictors for assessing the adoption of dual-functionality innovations (DFI), a special case of multifunctional innovations (MFI). The multifunctional nature of an increasing number of new products demands the use of mental resources in evaluating new offers, as the comprehension of MFIs is more demanding (i.e., requires more mental resources) than singlefunctionality (SF) products. The proposed model also recognizes the role of MFI categorization as a critical link in the process, because an MFI, and within the context of our study a DFI, helps consumers achieve multiple goals if they realize its dual functionality. Our model demonstrates that mental resources play a significant role in consumers’ adoption decisions and should be included in studies of MFI adoption. Further, our integrative model offers a significant improvement over rival alternatives that use only traditional innovation adoption predictors. Thus, the model offers a new approach for estimating MFI adoption with a superior predictive power and facilitates the development of appropriate marketing strategies for such products.Product Innovation ManagementIndustrial Design Engineerin