Three Reasons Why Limited Edition Packaging Always Works – Improve your branding

April 18, 2017 |

Each holiday season, Starbucks rolls out its bright red holiday cups with beautiful snowflake, snowmen and reindeer designs. For many, these limited edition holiday cups signal the start of the Christmas season as they evoke warm memories. The special cups also get the Starbucks brand trending on social media as latte lovers flock online to post images of their special cups using the hashtag #starbcuksredcup.

Limited edition packaging sparks excitement which is why major companies from Nike to Starbucks are employing the limited-edition packaging marketing strategy. Here are the main advantages of creating limited edition packaging:

Limited-edition cans create a sense of exclusivity and prestige, which drives sales.

Limited edition packaging cans create a sense of exclusivity and prestige, which drives sales.

For the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s soup can artwork, Campbell’s released four limited-edition cans with the artist’s famous images and all 1.5 million special cans sold out in mere days. According to MBAKnol.com “A limited edition marketing strategy carries a sense of immediacy and exclusivity as the products would only be available for a short time and/or in limited numbers.” Thus, creating a limited edition product can give your product prestige.

1. Limited-edition designs add extra value to products because they become collector’s items (especially when they have a unique design).

dragon For example, when Nike released a new signature shoe with Kobe Bryant during the year of the dragon they created a red box that resembled the head of a dragon and sported the same colours as the unique shoes. This design was fantastic because it mirrored the shoes inside and let consumers get a peek at what the shoes looked like without even opening the box.

This limited edition design was a top-seller and topped several top design lists.

puma

The limited-edition packaging strategy works excellently for clothing companies, especially shoemakers. Similarly, when Puma launched its Luxury Edition Puma King shoe, it created a futuristic black and gold box constructed of premium materials like mirrored acrylic and laser etched aluminum. The result, seen below was a box fit for a king. Puma created just 999 boxes and not only the shoe but the boxes became collector’s items.

Each year the major fashion publications like Vogue make feature articles about limited-edition designs and getting featured in of those stories could in turn increase the shelf-life of your product.

2. Special edition packaging can solidify a long-term connection with your customers.

Each holiday season companies create special holiday-themed designs because holiday packaging creates an emotional connection with consumers. There’s a reason Lindor’s red chocolate boxes are synonymous with Christmas—because it reminds people of opening up presents under the tree. When customers see special holiday packaging year after year, those emotional connections to products are solidified, and they are more inclined to repurchase that product.

3. Limited-edition packaging brings excitement to an old product.

pepsi Pepsi has been around for ages, but in 2012, its cans sold out thanks to a special edition Michael Jackson can. The can created a few years after the pop star’s death featured an image of Michael Jackson dancing one of his signature moves. The can attracted both young people (who are typical soda drinkers) and an older crowd who grew up listening to his music. The bold design struck a chord with multiple generations and paid off big as even those who weren’t regular soda drinkers coveted the collectible can.