Ginnasium. Neuromarketing meets gin design
A gym for gin packaging, but above all, the first case study in neuromarketing for gin design.
It is from this idea that Ginnasium took shape, a project that brought together UPM Raflatac, So.ve.mec, Luxoro, Vetroelite, Vinolok, T&K, and SenseCatch—specialists in papers, printing, embellishments, bottles, closures, market research, and neuromarketing. Additionally, five design studios from different Italian regions participated to discover how to create a highly effective gin packaging project in influencing consumer choices.
Yes, because when creating packaging, it’s not enough for it to be “beautiful”: Ginnasium’s objective is to analyze the use and combination of elements that make up the design system of a gin bottle, including papers, printing techniques, embellishments, glass, and closures, to understand their impact on the emotional response of the consumer. The underlying premise of the entire study is the need to differentiate from competitors through design because not being seen is equivalent to not initiating the consideration and purchase process of the product.
Ten projects for five days
Designing a bottle of an alcoholic beverage is, in a sense, a form of mixology: the art of dosing and mixing the available ingredients to create a unique, engaging result that also expresses the communicative concept. When it comes to gin, the choice and mix of botanicals make a difference and are tied to the region of origin. This is why Ginnasium involved five design studios from central-southern Italy to tell the story of their region through two designs each. Each studio was provided with a bottle, customizable glass closures, two types of paper, and various types of embellishments, inks, and printing techniques. It was not a contest but a creative exercise in which Idem Design (Puglia), Più Blù Solutions (Lazio), Basile ADV – Resistenza (Campania), AD Positive (Sicilia), and D’Aroma Studio (Abruzzo) participated. They followed a brief that gave expressive freedom based on a few key elements: the name of the gin (Ginnasium), the premium positioning, and the absence of written information on the label that would evoke the taste of the gin or influence consumer expectations.
Materials and printing techniques
Sono nati dieci progetti diversissimi tra loro. Le etichette e i collarini, stampati da Sovemec, hanno utilizzato un ampio range di tecniche di stampa: verniciatura flexo, colori a caldo, lamine colate, serigrafia opaca/lucida e a rilievo, label on label con accoppiamento di due carte differenti, fustellature, embossing, debossing, vernici con texture sabbiate e stampa offset waterless. Le carte messe a disposizione da UPM Raflatac sono cinque, ciascuna con proprietà distintive: Forest PP Clear TC50, un film in polipropilene wood based da fonte rinnovabile; Aluflex Premium, alluminio triplo strato, con eccellenti proprietà di embossing e debossing; Cotton Black WSA, 100% carta cotone nera in pasta perfetta per supportare nobilitazioni importanti; Genesi WSA-FSC, carta bianca texturizzata estremamente versatile dall’alta resa di stampa; Jazz Ice Premium FSC, carta bianca con texture in debossing barrierata nell’impasto. Per le nobilitazioni, i designer hanno attinto dai cataloghi di colori LUXOR®/ALUFIN®, LIGHT LINE® e LUMAFIN® di Luxoro, applicati con cliché in ottone hinderer+mühlich Italia. Gli inchiostri speciali sono UV 171 UT di T&K Toka e Terragloss UV Matt Varnish G 8/606 di ACTEGA. Infine la gamma di bottiglie di Vetroelite, i modelli Manila, Capri, Antica Farmacia, Evan e Oasis, e di tappi Vinolok: Deco, Low Top, Nest, Philos e Pool, personalizzati all’occorrenza con stampe e coating colorati.
The neuromarketing study
The projects were arranged on a shelf, alternating between different regions and, consequently, different bottle shapes. They were presented to an Italian panel of non-expert gin consumers with the goal of choosing the bottle that best represented the region of origin. The study analyzed consumer behavior: the attention given to the label, the most observed areas, the reading mode. The sensations generated by the pack system in the consumer were also analyzed, from the first moment in front of the shelf to the choice and physical interaction with the bottle. The entire experience was measured using neuromarketing technologies: an Eye-Tracker to monitor visual attention, a Bio-Tracker sensor for measuring emotional engagement through skin micro-sweating, and an EEG headset to understand implicit liking. In addition to these behavioral metrics, perceived value positioning, product expectations, and choice motivations were analyzed.
Source: PrintLovers
