21. Marketing II: Find the right packaging

Marketing is based on the insight that people’s reaction to a new product/idea is most often determined by the packaging rather than the content in and of itself. In other words, advertising experts have realised a long time ago that people respond far more strongly to the associations of a product rather than the product itself, and therefore advertisements aim to sell associations, meanings, an image, and the identity that comes with it. The implications for those trying to communicate policy ideas are significant. Not least it highlights the need to know your audience, in order to find the right packaging so that the idea can be taken note of and remembered. This also applies to communication with large groups. For example, the idea of social marketing within HIV/AIDS programmes is meant to be closely connected to the importance of developing target group profiles and an understanding of which associations are most effective in reaching this particular group.

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