The days when packages were expected to provide only protective functions in connection with a better possibility of handling have been over for many years. Current packages assumed the role of shop assistants with some of their functions (informative, marking) already long ago. At present they are frequently used also as an advertising medium (marketing-promotional or psychologically-aesthetic function). Due to hard competition it is necessary for packages to be able not only to address customers with their appearance, but they must convince them about an immediate (or slightly postponed in terms of time) purchase. Besides the rules of the marketing mix, current package developers and especially graphic artists must be able to work with the well-known AIDA rule.
In this case the matter concerns the manner of gradual, stepped and effective impacts of promotion or advertising of certain products through packages. It is just the package that must be able to draw ATTENTION (A - Attention) through its entire concepts, with regard to information about the product, then it should raise the INTEREST (I – Interest) in the product at customers so that they will have a DESIRE (D – Desire) to own that product or they will even long for such ownership, and so that this desire can promptly become a challenge for ACTION (A – Action), i.e. a challenge leading to the purchase of the product, to filing a purchase order etc. Especially the current Z generation (people who were born from the mid 1990s to now), however, expects still more from the AIDA rule, and therefore marketing experts complete the well-known rule still with the fifth level, which is S – SATISFACTION. In this case the matter does not concern just a simple satisfaction, but also further recommendations of the product, including creation of the evaluation scale, qualitative comparative lists etc. In any case it is necessary to pay appropriate attention to packages because complementary aspects, such as user-friendly or unfriendly opening system, high-quality or poor-quality print on the package or material quality rating can be seen quite often in evaluations provided by respondents.