BEYOND THE FRAGRANCE: CULTURAL STORYTELLING, SACRED-IMAGE SENSITIVITY, AND CONSUMER RESPONSES TO INCENSE PACKAGING—A MIXED-METHODS STUDY OF CYCLE PURE AGARBATTI IN INDIA

Abstract

What happens when a heritage incense brand uses cultural stories on packaging that consumers will ultimately discard? This mixed-methods study examines how consumers and cultural stakeholders respond to proposed culture-led packaging for Cycle Pure Agarbatti in India. The research combines a reported overall survey sample of 160 respondents with four regional focus-group cohorts and depth interviews involving consumers, ritual practitioners, temple priests and an academic informant. Survey responses indicate broad initial interest in regionally themed packs, storytelling and limited editions, alongside stated willingness among some respondents to pay a modest premium. The qualitative accounts complicate this enthusiasm. Participants distinguish routine household purchases from gifting occasions and repeatedly emphasize fragrance quality, affordability, authentic representation and the handling of sacred imagery after use. The most consequential tension arises when reverential images are placed on disposable cartons. Integrating both strands, the paper proposes a Cultural Representation–Responsibility–Response framework for designing and testing culturally responsible packaging. Findings are exploratory: varying item-level response counts, non-representative sampling and qualitative summaries limit statistical generalization. The study contributes a context-sensitive account of cultural packaging in an everyday worship-adjacent product category and identifies practical questions for responsible brand experimentation.