How to Create a Memorable Brand Experience with PR Box Design

Turning the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

Okay, yes, pretty packaging can be nice to look at… but in today’s influencer marketing landscape, when creators are receiving hundreds of packages weekly, being able to stand out with memorable PR box design is more important than ever.

In a world full of discarded PR packages that never see the light of social media, be the PR box design that turns heads, delivers engagement and sales, and transforms product seeding into real conversions. Listed below are four ways brands can turn ordinary PR packages into an experience that creators and their audiences will remember.

Making Creators Feel Seen

Because influencer marketing is built on relationships, personalization should be at the very center of PR strategy. 

When creators receive countless products weekly, it is not hard to imagine how a generic box could get lost among everything else in their mailbox, inbox, calendar, or life. Personalization is a great way to show creators that the brand took the time to better understand who they are and what kind of content they make and, in turn, provide an experience that feels a little more special and unique. 

First, it is important to think about whether a creator is the right fit for the brand and whether the PR box would be relevant to the content they make.

Sharing unrelated products that don’t matter to their audience can offer potentially no return for the brand and, if simply discarded, even be a waste of spending. For example, if a creator’s branding involves posting affordable beauty hacks, a luxury PR package may not make the most sense. However, if a creator often posts about their daily wellness rituals and habits, a curated wellness box containing the brand’s products could be perfect.

Personalizing PR packages also does not have to mean an entirely different package for each creator, but can include simple tweaks and details that make the PR box design feel more intentional. These custom boxes can include hand-written notes that mention a creator’s recent post; shades, scents, and flavors that they enjoy; and monogrammed products that fit their personal lifestyle.

Placing Creators in the Story

Next comes the experience of unboxing itself, rooted in a combination of design and storytelling. Effective pr box design balances brand storytelling with shareability, and the box should be visually appealing enough for influencers and media to want to feature it.

To differentiate a brand’s PR package from the hundreds of other packages a creator receives to earn a place on their social media channels, the PR box should create an engaging experience, not just for the creator but for their audiences to enjoy, too. The unboxing should take the creator on a journey that tells them the story behind the product or collection and, essentially, why it matters to their target audience.

An easy way to think about combining storytelling with experiential design is: the story is what the creator discovers and the experience is how they discover it. Customized packaging also encourages sharing on social media and can enhance brand visibility and engagement. 69% of consumers trust influencers over brand messaging, which is why shareable unboxings matter.

Instead of simply presenting the creator with a product sitting in a box on a bed of tissue paper, the packaging can guide the creator and their audience through a campaign story as they open it. Creating impactful PR box design by reflecting the themes and visuals of the campaign into the actual materials, layout, and products of the PR package allows the products to become more than just products but a part of the brand story, while custom PR boxes can create buzz for new products.

Experiential marketing comes into play to connect the different products and elements of a PR box to the brand story.

As a creator begins to open a package, each step of the unboxing experience provides an opportunity for a moment of discovery. Shopify recommends using packaging elements such as branded inserts, stickers, and tissue paper as add-ons to create a memorable unboxing.

To create an even more interactive experience, brands can add games, personalized playlists, and QR codes to landing pages, and also use elements such as textures, product scents, and sounds to engage the senses. Luxury tactile finishes can also elevate the unboxing into a more premium experience.

Take Huda Beauty's Ice Cream Maker PR package unboxings that showed up on feeds earlier this year. Featuring their new matte lip mousse collection, Huda Beauty sent branded ice cream makers to beauty influencers to promote their latest drop. Framed like event-themed packaging, it helped generate excitement and urgency around the launch while functioning like a playful media kit.

The ice cream maker connected a sense of playfulness to the signature creaminess of the lip mousse collection, giving creators a natural opportunity for content. They could unbox the package, use the ice cream maker, and connect the experience back to the new products. Instead of simply telling creators about the launch, Huda Beauty gave creators something memorable to discover and share with their audiences.

Making the Story Sustainable

Lastly, great PR box design does not necessarily need to be filled to the brim and overflowing with product. When it comes to PR packages, less is usually more.

Thoughtful curation of products, branded merchandise, and package design often add to the overall unboxing experience by being intentional and strategic, instead of sending boxes filled with excessive packaging and unnecessary promo products that often become wasteful.

Branded merchandise can be a great product to add to PR box design if it serves a purpose for the creator, connects to the brand story, and can be reused. Packaging and products that can be repurposed for a second life can be a valuable tool that allows creators to continue using the brand's merchandise even past the shelf life of the campaign, and potentially find visibility in future posts.

Shopify lists additional sustainable solutions, such as using the right size of packaging to reduce the amount of plastic, filler, and foam used.

Takeaways

Learning how to design an impactful PR box means creating more than just attractive packaging. Through personalization, storytelling, experience-forward marketing, and sustainable practices, brands can create memorable PR boxes that resonate with creators and encourage them to share the experience with their audiences. Custom PR boxes can also be tailored to fit different product sizes and campaign concepts, allowing brands to turn their packaging into an extension of the overall brand experience and brand image.

Although a PR box may only be opened once, a thoughtful and creative unboxing experience can leave a lasting impression that continues to reflect positively on the brand. Ready to create a PR box that creators will remember? Start brainstorming ways to personalize your packaging, bring your campaign story to life, and create an experience worth sharing.

🪽 Written by Sagurika Ujjual