Packaging Consumer Technical Insights Manager, Port Sunlight, UK
I'm so excited to be working in packaging. It's a hot topic at the moment, especially in connection with sustainability. But beyond this, I believe it's got huge potential to really sell our products. Packaging's often taken for granted, but it's a powerful communication tool in itself, and it sets the stage for the product to perform on. I want to make sure this potential is fully exploited.
I work in the laundry category, and my main responsibility is to help the business make better packaging for consumers. Essentially, we do this by conducting research into consumers' attitudes and perceptions – which reaches thousands of people around the world.
We then build the learnings into our packaging development activities so that we can produce packs that consumers find attractive, functional and a pleasure to use.
My role is based within the Consumer Technical Insights team, which contributes essential insights on consumers' needs and wants into product innovation at every stage of the product experience.
But packaging is my primary focus, and it's a fascinating area. For instance, people often find it hard to articulate their thoughts and feelings about packaging – as their reactions are happening on a subconscious level.
So they can say if something's glaringly wrong: if they can't open a pack or find it difficult to use, for example. But when it comes to more subtle things, like the appeal of different colours and shapes, they can find it hard to express what they feel.
The challenge for me, then, is to find creative ways of uncovering these insights, and not just rely on people's verbal responses.
To work in this area requires empathy and an open mind: you can't make any assumptions about the way consumers feel and think. They can always surprise you with their responses, no matter how well you think you know them!
There is a great sense of teamwork here, and it's something I love – not just in my team, but at Unilever as a whole. This is a company that really looks after you, and as long as you take control of your workload, it's easy enough to maintain a good work–life balance.
