What makes packaging effective?

Today I'll be using the example of Olia, Garnier's new "oil powered" hair color.

So why do people buy this, or more specifically, why did it catch my eye?

First of all, the box is black. It stands out from other boxes of hair color by the packaging color alone. You can see a picture for reference here. The box features a bright yellow flower, and a close-up, shiny representation of the desired hair color on the front. The difference between this product and many others, is that it claims to "improve and restore" hair, and plans to do this by a 60-40 ratio of flower-oils to chemicals. This giant yellow flower assured me that if I used this hair color, I was practically bathing in earth-liquid. 

Secondly, was the name. Genius. Olio means "oil" in Italian. It's 2013 and Italy is hot. Everything from the Italy-inspired clothing patterns, to the men. Olia is a brilliantly feminized version of the word, which is the main selling point in the product. 

So needless to say, the packaging, name, and price combined are what convinced me to pick up the box and bring it home.


Upon walking in the door, I was eager to see what made this product different. I opened the package and inside was a mixing bottle that looked like a large teardrop. It was marvelous. The packaging designers stuck with the color theme the whole way through, making each bottle mostly black, with a subtle hint of yellow. Even the colorant gloves were captivated in a small jewelry bag, and were black. The individual tubes that held the colorant, developer, and conditioner were virtually seamless, fit in the hand perfectly, and were made of a soft, non-threatening plastic instead of the common, unforgiving aluminum. Did this change made a difference in the product quality? No. But it was something different. 

Was the fact that it was different than the rest comforting, exciting, terrifying?

This product was obviously marketed to a younger generation. The "environmentally-whatever" approach is a big step for the twenty-and-thirty-somethings wanting to make that small switch because they believe it's better for their bodies. The bold colors on black is anything but vintage. Even the typeface used on the packaging is new-school. It was the Verdana to every other product's Times New Roman. So does it work? Yes. Because the young people don't want what their mothers used.



Feel free to give me your input in the comments section. What catches your eye in Walgreens and why? Would you rather stick to old-faithful, or try new things?