Hey Hot Potatoes,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Hot Potato Newsletter! Spring is here folks and I've just emerged from hibernation like a hedgehog who hasn't seen daylight for about 9 months. I am buzzing to be out and how good does it feel when your commute starts and ends in daylight? It’s the small things eh!

For those of you still reading my newsletters, you will know Hot Potato is currently my side gig. If you missed my article introducing myself a little while back, in my day-to-day I work in the world of branded packaging. It's funny, if someone would've told me 10 years ago I'd be in this world, I wouldn't have believed you! But what a journey it's been – connecting with some seriously cool brands and hospitality legends along the way.

Where exactly? I work at Brand Your, where we work with a range of different brands in the hospitality space, providing all their branded takeaway packaging. I love the brands we work with but also the value we add with their branded packaging and seeing the impact we can have on their business.

In today's newsletter, I'm dishing out my hard-earned expertise on why branded packaging is your secret weapon, practical steps to level up your packaging game, and showing off some of my absolute favourite examples that are crushing it right now. Let's dive in!

In today’s newsletter: Packaging With Purpose: Brand Your Way to Success

Read Time: Approx 4-5 mins

Why is branded packaging important.

Source: Business Dasher

Branded packaging shouldn’t be overlooked, here's why it's absolutely essential:

1. Extends your brand outside your shop: Branded packaging is a seriously powerful marketing tool that drives exposure of your brand. Picture this: someone walking down Oxford Street with your eye-catching bag, or that Instagram moment when someone snaps your coffee cup for their Story. Instant visibility! The numbers don't lie – a significant 81% of customers have bought something new purely because the packaging caught their eye.

2. Perceived value: When customers spot your branded packaging, they're mentally adding value to your worth! It communicates quality and attention to detail in seconds. Around 72% of consumers admit packaging design influences their buying decisions. Translation? You can charge more when your packaging game is strong!

3. Builds loyalty: That moment when someone recognises your distinctive packaging from across the street? That's the emotional connection we're talking about! Add a QR code linking to your loyalty program, and you've got yourself a direct path to repeat customers. It's not just a box or bag – it's the start of a relationship between your brand and your customers.

4. Maintains brand consistency: For you multi-site owners and franchise brands – branded packaging is your brand consistency champion! Whether customers visit your Shoreditch location or your Birmingham flagship, that consistent packaging experience ties everything together perfectly. Every touchpoint matters, and your packaging helps maintain your brand recognition.

There clearly are big benefits in using branded packaging. If you don't currently invest in branded packaging, why not start small and slowly build it out? It's a channel you shouldn't overlook!

Practical steps to improve yours.

When I'm chatting with brands day in, day out about their packaging, these are my go-to golden nuggets of advice that'll transform your branded packaging game:

1. Three is the magic number: I always believe branded packaging should be done in a phased approach. Start with just 2 or 3 absolute HERO products... if you're a bakery, think cups, bags and boxes as your holy trinity; they're high-visibility items your customers use constantly! Let's be real - budgets matter, and building your brand is a marathon, not a sprint. Small steps, big impact!

2. Less is more: When it comes to artworks and messaging on your packaging, keep it simple. You don't always have a huge print area to work with, so you want to be as clever as possible. One or two bright colours, your logo and maybe your social handles or a message, no more than that!

3. Impactful products: You want to invest in products that give you the best ROI! At Brand Your, our top-selling trio is branded bags, greaseproof and cups - and for good reason! Bags and cups are walking billboards for your brand, while greaseproof is the Swiss Army knife of packaging - wrap your sandwich or line your tray, it does it all!

4. Leverage your story or uniqueness: At the end of the day, branded packaging should be an extension of your brand, use it as an opportunity to share something that's unique about you… it could be an outline of your shop, a message from the founder or a QR code to your loyalty programme. Be creative!

If you ever want any advice on how to improve your packaging or simply want to bounce some ideas around, I'm always open to a chat!

Brands who are nailing their branded packaging (in my opinion).

Get Baked have shaken up the dessert world by storm. Now unless you've been living under a rock these last few years, Rich and the team have grown wildly popular with their unique desserts including their Bertha slice, a behemoth slice of cake, that's got people talking. Their packaging which houses their desserts is also top notch… boxes, bags and greaseproof, in bright and simple colours, it's a big yes from me!

WatchHouse Coffee is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. There's just something about the whole experience which is a level above when you walk into one of their shops. From the interior to the coffee and their packaging, it all has a premium feel. I love their sleek design, font and minimalist approach to their packaging. Whether it's their retail products or takeaway packaging, it's incredibly distinguishable and it just gives off a real quality feel!

Last on my list is the Filipino sensation that is Panadera Bakery. Having started their journey as a humble bakery in Kentish Town, they have become recognised as one of the best bakeries in London, particularly for their sandos. After recently overhauling their brand, their new branding and packaging is slick and playful. Their boxes perfectly house their sandwiches, and the simple two-color scheme looks clean across all their packaging, including their bags. As I highlighted earlier, less is more when it comes to packaging!

Today I’ve hopefully given you a bit of insight into the importance of branded packaging and some ideas on how to improve yours. What’s one change you can make to upgrade yours?

Now, in the next edition of our newsletter, we're going to explore something pretty topical at the moment: rising costs in the sector. Let's not beat around the bush—the current landscape isn't easy. However, fear not! We're serving up a range of clever hacks and money-saving strategies to help you weather this financial storm. We'll share some ideas that'll help keep your business thriving while others are feeling the heat.

Ready to tackle rising costs with our hot-off-the-press strategies? Subscribe now to have our comprehensive guide delivered straight to your inbox in our next edition!

Bon appétit,

Max Shipman, Founder, Hot Potato

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