• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 21, 2021

At a time when conventional advertising-based marketing may be wearing out, getting blocked, or just lost in a rising sea of advertising noise, product and packaging designers are stepping up to create a much more engaging and expansive brand experience. That was the hot take during the Design Lions debrief at today’s Cannes Lions festival online, according to jury President Pum Lefebure, Chief Creative Officer of Design Army.

Speaking in terms of general trends, Lefebure said one of the most distinctive trends is “packvertising,” a Madison Avenue mashup of packaging and advertising, in which the package design essentially connotes the brand message.

She cited direct-to-consumer brand United Sodas of America’s “anti-design” packaging, which stripped away conventional elements such as logos, ingredients, nutritional info, etc., in favor of evocative colors that helped the brand differentiate and stand out from the pack.

"This brand took advantage of direct-to-consumer branding. They simplified everything," she said, noting that the color purple was used to stand in for and represent the flavor of grape.