The verbal and visual components of package design Ruth Rettie Senior Lecturer in Marketing and International Marketing, Kingston University, Kingston, Surrey, UK Carol Brewer Marketing Executive, Notting Hill Housing Trust, London, UK Keywords Packaging, Product management, Product design Abstract It is estimated that 73 percent of purchase decisions are made at point of sale. In scanning packs at point of sale, perception is rapid, and quick recognition is important for inclusion in the decision process. Under conditions of rapid perception, there is an advantage for verbal stimuli perceived from the right-hand side, and for non-verbal stimuli perceived from the left-hand side. This advantage probably derives from the laterality of the brain, with word processing generally being handled by the left hemisphere, while the right hemisphere generally processes pictorial matter. This asymmetry of perception implies that to maximise recall, words should be on the right-hand sides of packs, pictures should be on the left. We tested this, using a tachistoscope to measure difference in recall. The results confirm the asymmetry of perception of elements of packaging. Introduction Marketing often involves rapid communication; for example, watching a television commercial, driving past a poster, scanning packs in a supermarket, flipping through printed material. Any factors that improve or reduce the success of communication in our ``over-communicated society'' (Ries and Trout, 1986) are of considerable importance, and this research explores the optimisation of pack recall through the positioning of the elements in pack design. Recent research by the Henley Centre (Frontiers, 1996) estimates that 73 percent of purchase decisions are made at point of sale; the design of packaging must play a key role at point of sale. The pack design is the ``salesman on the shelf'' (Pilditch, 1972), it should ensure that a brand stands out, is recognised, and is included in the products under consideration (Connolly and Davison, 1996). However, there is scant literature and a lack of empirical research (Bloch, 1995). Research in psychology on brain laterality, shows that perception is not symmetrical; for instance, words are recalled better if they are perceived from the right-hand side of the individual, while pictorial or non-verbal cues are more successful if coming from the left-hand side. Under conditions of rapid perception, e.g. scanning packs while walking along the aisle in a supermarket, this differential perception and the positioning of the elements in a pack design may make the difference between identifying and missing the item concerned. The objective of this paper is to relate the concept of brain laterality to pack design; we explore the relationship between the positioning of copy and pictures on different sides of a pack, and the recall of those elements. Brain laterality or hemispheric laterality refers to the asymmetry of the brain. Although the left and right sides of the brain are physically symmetrical they The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www.emerald-library.com Rapid communication Brain laterality 56 JOURNAL OF PRODUCT & BRAND MANAGEMENT, VOL. 9 NO. 1 2000, pp. 56-70, # MCB UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1061-0421 An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this article