Comunicación silenciosa: estudio comparativo internacional de envases de juguetes

Abstract

El envase ha sido considerado un comunicador silencioso. Para los juguetes sin inversión publicitaria en otros medios, el envase representa un elemento clave en la comunicación con el consumidor. Tras una revisión de la literatura se identifican tres dimensiones básicas de estudio -forma, función y comunicación- configuradas por 24 variables. Las preguntas de investigación formuladas son: ¿Qué aspectos formales caracterizan los envases de juguetes? ¿Qué utilidades presentan? ¿Existe un tratamiento diferenciado del envase en las distintas categorías de juguetes? ¿Se identifican diferencias entre los envases según el origen del fabricante? Se investiga el contenido de 301 envases de juguetes de 82 fabricantes (70% internacionales) y se realizan dos análisis: descriptivo y caracterizante. Se concluye que formalmente son bastante convencionales y, sin embargo, contienen conceptos novedosos de producto, resultando paradójico. Funcionalmente, cubren satisfactoriamente las necesidades de contención, protección, transporte y almacenamiento aunque se desaprovecha como elemento comunicativo creador de experiencias emocionales. La gestión estratégica del envase en el sector de juguetes es potencialmente mejorable.

Packaging has been considered by Marketing experts as a silent sales agent. Specially, for those toys without advertising support, packaging represents the key element to communicate with the end consumer. After revising all published articles about this matter, we found three dimensions to be considered: formal, functional, and communicational, all them aggregating a number of 24 different considerations. The questions we have formulated are as follows: Which are the formal aspects we can consistently find in the Toy industry packaging? Which are the utilities found in those Toy packaging? Is there a particular treatment of packaging depending on the Toy category? Can we find packaging peculiarities considering the origin of the manufacturer? We have investigated 301 different packaging coming from 82 different manufacturers (70% of those manufacturers were not spanish manufacturers) and we have made a deep analysis considering both, structure and characteristics. We conclude that formally, packaging is quite similar and conventional but they have some very special products inside and this is not what this should be. Under the point of view of functionality, packaging are good enough to cover, protect, transport and warehouse the products, but they do not take advantage of the potential communication and emotional influence on the end consumer. We conclude that the strategic treatment of packaging inside Toy industry is something that could be improved.