Think of marketing as you would think about sex. Some brands try to establish a pleasant and long relationship with their clients and others use dirty tricks to manipulate anyone into the sack with them. So while some buyers are completely satisfied with their purchases, others feel ashamed and used. This time, Bored Panda has focused on packaging, bringing you the most insulting examples of designers taking advantage of the innocent.
From a deceiving box, hiding the true size of a sandwich to a clever wrap, making a lollipop appear way better than it actually is, there should be a special place in hell for everyone who contributed to these packaging ideas. Scroll down to check out why you shouldn't trust a product you see for the first time and vote for your (least) favorite entries!
This post may include affiliate links.
What?
This Gummy Bear Cup
Typical Sale In Russia. Buy A Pack, Get A 2 Hot Dogs Free
There Are Only 3 Veggie Sausage Rolls In This Pack
That's Just Rude
My deepest honor for the designer of the package.. This is hillarious
"Gluten-Free"
This Is Why I Have Trust Issues
Nice Big Jumbo Shrimps
Those things look like plug-in rockets/fireworks.. Screw the other half, give it few turns and it flies.
The Difference Between A Small Vs Medium Orange Juice At Mcdonalds
This Deceiving Sandwich Packaging
Prolong Deliciousness
Oh The Irony
I Needed Red. Guess Which One I Grabbed At First
Unopened Box Of "64 Crayon Colors" Turns Out To Just Be Orange
This Box Of Chocolates. They Didn't Even Taste That Good!
This Olive Oil I Bought Wasn't Even Cheap
My Wife Bought Some Pencils For Our Elementary School Where We Teach English In South Korea. Then She Opened The Box
That Could Have Been A Bad Choice
What happens if someone takes 1 of each.. he sleeps peacefully white s**t*ing? :)
My Life Is A Lie
Really? I thought the only awful thing they had exported was Justin Bieber. Still and awesome country.
Load More Replies...Its IS an American company, the product is just produced in Canada. This is very typical now as well.
Canada is still in the Americas... it doesn't say a United States company, we're not the only county in the Americas after all.
Canada is American, just not the US, as the flag designed USA shape would imply.
True. Just don't put the flag on it and it is the absolute truth. Putting the flag of the USA on it was a dumb move.
Load More Replies...Yeah. It was made in Canada by an American company. What's the confusion?
It all depends on your definition of "American Company." The idea for the company could have been made in the U.S., while some production of the actual product can be done in other parts of the world.
It's because it's an American Company with bottling facilities in Canada, where it also sells its product. This isn't misleading at all.
Canada is a part of america. Not of the USA, but they are americans too.
Isn’t The Donald on this! I mean he’s all into that “make AMERICA great again!” Put somebody ON this Orange clown!
Well, the COMPANY is American. They just send the manufacturing jobs to Canada.
Actually that is an American owned company whose product is made in Canada. Lots of that going on although most will say made in China.
Canada is on the American continent so it is not completely wrong
I never noticed this before, guess I really should pay more attention.
Not a lie, its an American company that also has factories in Canada. I saw Mt Dew that was made in the Caribean. Tasted different too. Like Toyota, Japanese company, yet we make them here in Kentucky.
To be fair, Hormel makes its Canadian bacon in Minnesota. (and Thomas' makes its English muffins in Pennsylvania.)
realized how STUPID i was to think both are same countries tho. typical Indian 4 grade student. i guess the designer is still studying 4 grade
Canned in China....shaken in Detroit ....put on shelf in Hawaii .
Hate To See Waste In Packaging And Also Feel Like They Are Trying To Trick Me So I Feel Value. Please Make Bottle The Size Of Product!
Its so sad, cause they use so much plastic for no reason :(
Toss Me A Cold One, Will Ya?
This Antivirus Software My Dad Bought Is Literally An Empty Case With A Code On The Back
This Packaging
Proactiv is such a rip off company. Those two "dermatologists (if indeed they truthfully are) have sold buttloads of what basically you can find for much cheaper. If they truly wanted to help people with skin problems they could have made all that one the first few years and then made them more affordable without all this cheesy membership c**p, etc. I still think people are able to buy generic for similar results. Greed has no limits.
Density Of Pepperonis Visible Through Pizza Box Window Is An Inaccurate Representation Of Whole-Pizza Coverage
Great Taste, Not So Great Packaging
I don't know, some of these looks fake/staged to me. in US or EUR you will get your as* sued up for billions for cheating customers like this. Or - May be they mentioned it somewhere on pack and people didn't read the fine print.
Very Disappointing And Misleading Packaging
Scumbag Hillshire Farms
I got one of these by a similar company for Xmas. Their box had the block cheeses but it's still a lot of wasteful packaging for the sake of packaging. In fact the packaging is probably one of the most expensive parts and it goes in the trash! What a stupid gift! *as an aside, the family member that gave it to me has done much better in the past so no hard feelings!
They Package Oranges In Red Mesh To Make Them Appear More Orangier
Cranberry Chocolate
When You Put Mustard In Your Tea
Purposely Misleading Labels
Now Wait One God Dam Second
Annoyed Santa
The Deception Of This Wrap
Another Cover To Fill The Air Gap
The Packaging On My New Screwdriver
Bought AA Batteries For These Led Lights I Bought, Because The Front Of The Packaging Said It Takes 2 AA Batteries
Where's The Rest Of The Cheese?
So it seems Tesco is notorious for misleading people with its packaging? Shame on you, Tesco!
Lies All Around
This Deceiving 3 Pack Of Colgate
This Deceptive Packaging
Please *pay*
Why Is So Much Math Involved? It's Just A Bag Of Razors
I️ Work At Chipotle, The Brown Rice Comes In A White Bag, And The White Rice Comes In A Brown Bag
Packaging That Tricks You
I don't know how it exactly works where you live, but don"t forget that the product has a weight written on it, refer to that, not to the side of the box. If you paid for 200g, you will get 200g.
When Companies Leave Room In Packaging For No Reason
Sometimes I know they do it to increase the overall packaging area to have enough space to print all the information they want to print. Some do it for maintaining the size of all strips to same dimensions, so that they don't have to order different size boxes.
Some Very Creative Packaging From Tesco
*Shakes Package* Hmm Feels Like There's At Least A Few, Seems Worth The Price... (No, It Doesn't Say On The Box How Many)
Packaging That Tricks You
You're Kidding Me, Right? Made Me Think I Was Getting A Whole Box Of Tablets
Far From Plentiful
Look on the back, serving size & how many servings. That will tell you how many are in there before you buy.
Don't Be Fooled By Asda Packaging. Warning "Contents May Be (Considerably) Smaller Than The Box"
Holding My Cologne Up The The Light Showed That The Bottle Isn’t Nearly As Big As It Appears
This is the same case with I guess most of colognes, perfumes and after shave bottles. Always.
This Package
Thought I Was Buying A Long Tube Of Toothpaste
Honestly, Who Do They Think They're Fooling With This Waste Of Packaging?
Misleading Packaging Bullsh*t. Package: 19cm, "Lances" 10cm
This Lip Balm's Extra Packaging
The Packaging For 4 Pack Of Mens Burberry Cologne Is Criminally Misleading And A Blatant Rip Off. 19.5mls Made To Look Like 100ml With Oversized Boxes And No Description And Measurements On Outer Box
They Could Just Package 4 Or 8 At The Time, But No
5 is aesthetically pleasing to listen number. like 10, or 100 or many such numbers. 5 gives us direct connection as 5 fingers, 5 senses etc etc. Also 5 is pleasing to gods, 5 is the number of gears in the car, 5 is central most key on a phone dial pad.At this point I have no clue what I saying, I was pretending and I am out of 'pretends' :)
I Bought A Tool To Open Those Plastic Clamshell Packages, It Showed Up Today
The Way They Indented The Bottom Of The Cup Is Ridiculous
But it clearly says 150 grams on the label. What difference a cup makes?
Misleading Packaging
Box 30% Bigger Than The Ribs
How many of us can picture 14 oz versus 18 oz of various products without seeing the actual product?
You Could Fit Another Two Cookies In There, But Why Bother If The Packaging Obscures Them?
Try Having A "Good Day" After Discovering This Packaging Scam
Bought Peppermint M&M's. Inside The 281g Package Was A Slightly Smaller 280.7g Package
This Packaging Costs Me Additional 4 Biscuits
No, it cost you 6. There are 9 in a full row and 6 each in the rows with gaps.
Crayola Deceiving Packaging
I don't see the problem? It says 8 colors, and it has 8 colors and for the amount, it looks like the same amount? Is the problem that the form is different-one looks flat and rectangular and they are, in fact, long and narrow? I'm just curious.
Most Misleading Packaging Ever. Yes, Should've Read The Small Print But This Is Mean!
This Pretty But Wildly Impractical Packaging
Packaging Trickery
If the amount was a 70 piece box then there's nothing wrong with this packaging. It's a matter of shipping of course. It could be a buy 60 get 10 free boxes and it's still a shipping issue. Not all companies will change their box size for cost reasons so, they enclose what the have as a normal size they sell.
Scissors Required To Remove Scissors Packaging
What A Trick , Tricked Into Thinking Your Getting More For Your Money , Waste Of Packaging
Misleading Packaging Making It Look Like There's Equal Amounts Of Breadsticks And Nutella
Maybe so you are forced to buy a jar of Nutella if you don't have one already. (So you could dip the extra breadsticks into Nutella because the pack doesn't provide enough)
Advertised As 1000 Capsules. It's Only 200
Lo And Behold A Smaller Package
Half Of The Packaging Is Hollow Cardboard
People often rant at the European Union and its tendency to pass nanny state regulations. However, it is good to see that most of the fraudulent packagings and illegal deceits shown here would not be allowed in the EU and entitle the customer to return the goods, in some cases even to sue the vendor or manufacturer. Although some deceits are so creative that you can laugh at them, thinking about the criminal idea to cheat on people behind this makes me angry.
That's the other exteme Hans. I'll go with the "Free Enterprise" solution. Everyone who is tricked there can decide to tell everyone about the company and swear that they will NEVER purchase their products again. If enough outraged customers do this, you'd be surprised how quickly things would change. The key is to Never, Ever, allow others to use fraud and get away with it. That's better than the Nanny State Solution. Ruling elites think that is necessary, because the citizenry is too stupid to do things on their own. Long live Socialism,......right?
Load More Replies...Many of the examples are not fraud at all. Don't b***h about the packaging if the weight or quantity is clearly written on it, check what you're buying!
YOu're confusing false advertising with deceptive advertising. Why do you think they pay to double the size of the container just to fill it with air dividers? To fool people who dont want to dig for a weight on everything. Illegal, no, Immoral, up to buyer.
Load More Replies...I find it amusing that people who can write full sentences on Twitter can't read descriptions in stores. Not applicable to all of these but to quite a lot of them. And there are of course fraudulent photos and factory mistakes as well, which is again not the company's fault.
I hate how cop orations and companies get away with this. They charge the same price or more for more packaging and less product. They should be ashamed and should have legal consequences leveled against them.
Unnecessary packaging should be reported to the companies concerned by the consumer, especially when they trick you to think you're getting more by volume. Perhaps then they'll get the message and cut down on the waste.
Some of these are genuinely shady, but some are just idiots blaming the company because they're too damned lazy to read a label.
You're assuming everyone knows or should know what the average weight per gram of a hotdog should cost. Turning it over to read the weight only matters if you know that, and allot of things like quality, brand, ect, go into determining that alone.
Load More Replies...Actually, I thought a couple of these were pretty funny. Not if I had actually bought them, mind you...
I'm surprised by quite a few of these. Don't the companies want customers who buy their product more than once??
Also another few, where people seem not to read what they pay for.
Load More Replies...Gotta love europe (or at least Austria in europe) were most of those things are prohibited by law ;)
A majority of these were most likley faked. The ones that are real, like nutella, toothpaste, cologne, is just a waste of the environment. What happens when you use up the environment with your usless packaging? Can you finally be real or just find other ways to fraud? I'm not saying go vegan, but really, companies just want the money, and dont care of he furious costumers that probably wont purchase theur products again, or not even try to buy it. Word gets around, people. Sooner or later these fraud companies will go bankrupt because of this injustice!!!
"Twix Top" Packaging Fraud (bought in Germany) - photo by JJCK.COM TwixTop_Pa...7639d9.jpg
Thought this kind of packaging is not allowed. May want to check with "Verbraucherzentrale". It's also possible that it's legal since the actual weight is on the packaging and the unit price has to be on the shelf. Ask!
Load More Replies...With fragile items, like chips, the air prevents them from being crushed. They probably don't need nearly as much air as they're given though!
Load More Replies...As a packaging designer, I have to stand up for a lot of these 'frauds' are actually the content of the packaging and not the packaging itself. In most cases, a designer designs the packaging based on a brief and is not always aware of the actual content, at least not of the amount and way the product is placed in the packaging. I think it's the manifacturer that should be reckoned for any deceit.
(Although I must admit '12 mini rolls when cut in 4' is a pretty dense description to put on your packaging)
Load More Replies...Potato chips. Canned products. Crackers. There is a sweeping trend to fool the consumer with deceptive packaging. It's rampant!
and this is why I dont buy packaged things anymore. Seriously if any of you bought this my immediate reaction is going back to the store and asking for a refund, then on the comment secition write - Store needs to be held accountable for products they are selling especially if products are falsely advertised.
Some are fraudulent and some are from factories who employ drunks to manage quality control..
It's kind of the opposite of this article that was advertised as 35+ examples and then it turns out to have 80!
A few of these are outright fraudulent but most of these products state the weight, volume, or quantity on the packaging. In the companies' efforts to present their products in a pleasing way and/or convey enough information on the label the packages have to be bigger for the view panes, contain more dead space, and fill the dead space with something for more structural stability. Only dullards who don't understand the concept of caveat emptor can truly get angry at these packaging practices.
The definition of evil in packaging. Check and mate. 13394181_1...4d11e4.png
The orange bag for the oranges misses another misleading detail. Many if not most oranges nowadays are dyed a more vibrant orange before they are packaged.
Nothing deceptive or misleading about #5. Front states; "gluten free" & "organic". The ingredient list shows "gluten free flour" & what it is comprised of, as well as indicates it's organic ingredients. It states that the facility it uses also produces products with wheat (gluten), which is fine. And they state they do not pay stupid prices to certify that they are gluten free or organic, which are expensive joke certifications.
People often rant at the European Union and its tendency to pass nanny state regulations. However, it is good to see that most of the fraudulent packagings and illegal deceits shown here would not be allowed in the EU and entitle the customer to return the goods, in some cases even to sue the vendor or manufacturer. Although some deceits are so creative that you can laugh at them, thinking about the criminal idea to cheat on people behind this makes me angry.
That's the other exteme Hans. I'll go with the "Free Enterprise" solution. Everyone who is tricked there can decide to tell everyone about the company and swear that they will NEVER purchase their products again. If enough outraged customers do this, you'd be surprised how quickly things would change. The key is to Never, Ever, allow others to use fraud and get away with it. That's better than the Nanny State Solution. Ruling elites think that is necessary, because the citizenry is too stupid to do things on their own. Long live Socialism,......right?
Load More Replies...Many of the examples are not fraud at all. Don't b***h about the packaging if the weight or quantity is clearly written on it, check what you're buying!
YOu're confusing false advertising with deceptive advertising. Why do you think they pay to double the size of the container just to fill it with air dividers? To fool people who dont want to dig for a weight on everything. Illegal, no, Immoral, up to buyer.
Load More Replies...I find it amusing that people who can write full sentences on Twitter can't read descriptions in stores. Not applicable to all of these but to quite a lot of them. And there are of course fraudulent photos and factory mistakes as well, which is again not the company's fault.
I hate how cop orations and companies get away with this. They charge the same price or more for more packaging and less product. They should be ashamed and should have legal consequences leveled against them.
Unnecessary packaging should be reported to the companies concerned by the consumer, especially when they trick you to think you're getting more by volume. Perhaps then they'll get the message and cut down on the waste.
Some of these are genuinely shady, but some are just idiots blaming the company because they're too damned lazy to read a label.
You're assuming everyone knows or should know what the average weight per gram of a hotdog should cost. Turning it over to read the weight only matters if you know that, and allot of things like quality, brand, ect, go into determining that alone.
Load More Replies...Actually, I thought a couple of these were pretty funny. Not if I had actually bought them, mind you...
I'm surprised by quite a few of these. Don't the companies want customers who buy their product more than once??
Also another few, where people seem not to read what they pay for.
Load More Replies...Gotta love europe (or at least Austria in europe) were most of those things are prohibited by law ;)
A majority of these were most likley faked. The ones that are real, like nutella, toothpaste, cologne, is just a waste of the environment. What happens when you use up the environment with your usless packaging? Can you finally be real or just find other ways to fraud? I'm not saying go vegan, but really, companies just want the money, and dont care of he furious costumers that probably wont purchase theur products again, or not even try to buy it. Word gets around, people. Sooner or later these fraud companies will go bankrupt because of this injustice!!!
"Twix Top" Packaging Fraud (bought in Germany) - photo by JJCK.COM TwixTop_Pa...7639d9.jpg
Thought this kind of packaging is not allowed. May want to check with "Verbraucherzentrale". It's also possible that it's legal since the actual weight is on the packaging and the unit price has to be on the shelf. Ask!
Load More Replies...With fragile items, like chips, the air prevents them from being crushed. They probably don't need nearly as much air as they're given though!
Load More Replies...As a packaging designer, I have to stand up for a lot of these 'frauds' are actually the content of the packaging and not the packaging itself. In most cases, a designer designs the packaging based on a brief and is not always aware of the actual content, at least not of the amount and way the product is placed in the packaging. I think it's the manifacturer that should be reckoned for any deceit.
(Although I must admit '12 mini rolls when cut in 4' is a pretty dense description to put on your packaging)
Load More Replies...Potato chips. Canned products. Crackers. There is a sweeping trend to fool the consumer with deceptive packaging. It's rampant!
and this is why I dont buy packaged things anymore. Seriously if any of you bought this my immediate reaction is going back to the store and asking for a refund, then on the comment secition write - Store needs to be held accountable for products they are selling especially if products are falsely advertised.
Some are fraudulent and some are from factories who employ drunks to manage quality control..
It's kind of the opposite of this article that was advertised as 35+ examples and then it turns out to have 80!
A few of these are outright fraudulent but most of these products state the weight, volume, or quantity on the packaging. In the companies' efforts to present their products in a pleasing way and/or convey enough information on the label the packages have to be bigger for the view panes, contain more dead space, and fill the dead space with something for more structural stability. Only dullards who don't understand the concept of caveat emptor can truly get angry at these packaging practices.
The definition of evil in packaging. Check and mate. 13394181_1...4d11e4.png
The orange bag for the oranges misses another misleading detail. Many if not most oranges nowadays are dyed a more vibrant orange before they are packaged.
Nothing deceptive or misleading about #5. Front states; "gluten free" & "organic". The ingredient list shows "gluten free flour" & what it is comprised of, as well as indicates it's organic ingredients. It states that the facility it uses also produces products with wheat (gluten), which is fine. And they state they do not pay stupid prices to certify that they are gluten free or organic, which are expensive joke certifications.