I recently had the misfortune to endure yet another dreaded annual doctor’s visit. In the exam room, I sat on the uncomfortable exam room bench awaiting a knock on the door to indicate the doctor’s arrival. To rid my mind of the inevitable pokes, prods and looks of consternation to come, I became absorbed in my surroundings.
I noticed many medical devices – blood pressure monitors, diagnostic instruments, microscopes and disposable syringes to name a few – neatly packaged and placed around the room.
Packaging is undoubtedly important in the B2C world as evidenced by Martin Jelsema’s recent commentary, “Packaging Your Brand: Do You Give it the Attention it Deserves?” Less obvious, but just as important, is packaging for physicians and healthcare systems. The messaging that healthcare packaging needs to convey is simply different.
Healthcare packaging may not need to reach mass audiences and spur impulse-buys akin to that of the B2C world. Instead, it needs convey a sense of ‘a quality product within’. Healthcare packaging should be built on more than customer acquisition; it should also convey a sense of credibility and efficacy through packaging integrity, which will reinforce customer brand loyalty. In a June 2008 article from Healthcare Packaging magazine, Pat Reynolds stated that:
“…poorly designed packaging may make it easier than ever for someone
to compromise your brands.”
