I love the story of the Krispy Kreme box. You have probably not given the box much thought, but perhaps you will after reading this post.
The first chapter of any good packaging story begins with defining the product attributes you want your packaging to communicate. For Krispy Kreme it was fresh, fun, and cherishable.
They accomplished fresh by intentionally making the sidewalls of the packaging thin. This was counterintuitive. Most products that are sold warm are packaged in thick-walled packaging to trap the heat (think pizza box). The folks at KK wanted their customers to be able to smell the doughnuts and feel the warmth coming off the box. The sensation of freshness was more important than actually keeping the doughnuts fresh.
Putting polka dots on the box was done to communicate fun. There is nothing serious about polka dots. No one wears a polka dot anything to a funeral.
So how do you accomplish cherishable?’ This one is a little tougher. It required them to study how people handle precious things. What they discovered was that regardless of the size of the object, people tend to hold valuable things with both hands. So they designed a box that has to be carried with two hands. People actually receive a box of KK doughnuts much like they would an infant. There is no way to be nonchalant about how you hold a box of KK doughnuts.
Okay, I promise I am through talking about Oreos and Krispy Kreme. I will move on to something less fattening. That should not be too difficult.
