- 30th April 2019
The power of luxury packaging in the influencer age
Sales trends are affected by all kinds of factors, but one of the most powerful and enduring is the celebrity endorsement. Whether it’s a top chef recommending their favourite restaurant or an actress hitting the red carpet in a gown from a brand new designer, celebrities have always had the power to shape trends.
In the modern age, however, these endorsements are increasingly from dedicated influencers: social media “celebrities” who have acquired thousands, or even millions, of followers online.
As talent agent SJ Nooth-Cooper explains in this article from the BBC, an influencer is someone who “has some influence which they can monetise. And they have a USP. So whether it's beauty, fashion, cooking, mental health, being a chef, they can use that to make a business out of it.”
While fame can be a key factor in the rise to influencer status (many often begin their careers on reality TV), it’s not a prerequisite. Some of the most successful influencers, including Huda Kattan, James Charles and Zoe Sugg, are entirely self-made, having started out online and slowly built up a follower base of millions.
In an attempt to access these millions, brands are now spending money that would have previously gone into magazine adverts on targeting influencers. One popular – and cost-effective – way to get your product onto an influencer’s radar (and therefore get it broadcast to their followers) is to send a free gift, otherwise known as an “influencer kit”.
Of course, in an increasingly competitive market where bloggers and YouTubers are inundated with freebies on a daily basis, it can be hard to make your product stand out. That’s where luxury packaging can make all the difference.
Influencer kits from MW Luxury
At MW Luxury we have years of experience crafting bespoke and limited edition luxury packs for global brands. Recently, we’ve been asked to apply our expertise to the influencer kit – a gift set in a custom-made pack designed to promote a specific product amongst influencers.
In addition to holding the main product, influencer kits often feature additional items and interactive sensory features built into the pack. When designed and manufactured to a high standard, a luxury pack can give an influencer kit the edge it needs to stand out.
Typically, these kits are manufactured in small runs (1-500 pieces), and require a tight turnaround time to fit with launch dates, new trends, and holiday periods such as Christmas.
In recent months we’ve worked with a number of different brands, including Rituals, Estée Lauder and Rimmel, to develop and manufacture packs for their influencer kits. With Rimmel, we produced half-moon boxes with glitter finishes for their Wonder’Swipe eyeliners, and metallic rose gold structured boxes for their Wonder’Luxe Volume Mascara.
When working on influencer kits, the MW team typically assists with developing the design, putting together a brief that ticks the box for budget, functionality and aesthetic value. Most importantly, we deliver on time, no matter how tight the turnaround – our project for Rituals saw us manufacturing and delivering 40 ridged boxes with special papers in just four weeks.
If you’re a brand looking to expand your reach through influencer kits, get in touch with MW Luxury today to find out how we can help.
