April 24, 2008
Opening ceremonies: Where has that magical moment of wonder gone?
Women's network's insights prompt snack-bag changes
Lexus promo mailer has the high-end touch

April 24, 2008
Kraft accelerates momentum for sustainable packaging
Green your goal? Conference to discuss leading-edge approaches
Cereal canister extends freshness, reduces shelf footprint

April 10, 2008
The modern retail packaging conundrum
Approach sustainability with a healthy dose of perspective
Label makes child's play of juice's target audience

March 27, 2008
Shrink-sleeve strengthens Elmer's face-lift
High-impact sleeves sell the realism for frozen treats
Home-meal replacement packs go green

March 13, 2008
Inside Wal-Mart, Sam's Club: Successfully balancing branding and sustainability
Failure to test can be costly
U.K. grocer goes 'green' with milk bags

February 21, 2008
Food, beverage packages say goodbye to excess
FUSE : Ideas for elevating the packaging of your brand
Decorative shrink labels sell tea's taste

February 7, 2008
Color means...
Break the rules by thinking in new dimensions
Bottled plant food's delivery system cultivates convenience

January 24, 2008
Research: Sustainability is beginning to drive shopping decisions
FUSE : Ideas for elevating the packaging of your brand
Bottled fruit drinks are on the mark

January 10, 2008
The evolution of natural as a lifestyle choice
Coming to a city near you: Shelf Impact!'s workshops on trends and package design
Microsoft gets dual benefits in new pack

December 14, 2007
Cooking up a recipe for innovation? Serve it up in manageable steps
Kids’, moms’ needs on center stage
As trends emerge, are you thinking innovatively?

December 3, 2007
South African, French vintners shake things up
Global Package Gallery: a designer’s review
Field Guide makes sense of sustainable packaging

November 8, 2007
¿Que pasa, USA?
Household cleaners prove less is more
Check touchpoints—and check them twice

October 25, 2007
Smart packaging—lessons in enhanced functionality
Retailer brands growing solidly in additional categories
OTC brand’s packaging provides soothing relief in topical lotions

October 11, 2007
Healthcare brand ailing? Give it a shot of design
High-visibility theft-prevention packaging: A love/hate relationship
Link brand believability, belonging, and packaging

September 27, 2007
Color, graphics put Dial's RGX on masculinity's softer side
Coming to you more often, in a modified format
Unlocking core brand assets in packaging...and doing it with emotion.

September 13, 2007
Honeywell packs organize mom's car
Color's messages is Proof keynote topic
Tell me a story – in five seconds

August 23, 2007
Simoniz line adds distinction, clarity to auto aftermarket products
Proof topics: Special-edition, cost effective packaging
A good ‘harvesting’ can create winning brands

August 9, 2007
Color, graphics put Dial's RGX on masculinity's softer side
Coming to you more often, in a modified format
Unlocking core brand assets in packaging...and doing it with emotion.

July. 2007
Anti-counterfeiting strategies taking shape
Proof conference to spotlight trends influencing packaging
Visual Fusions capture the essence of the “Herbal Girl”
Product customization takes geographic twist

June. 2007
Coming out of the turn…Distillery’s Derby-themed bottles
Turning design-impact perceptions into reality
Which Comes first – structural or graphic branding?
Design managers weigh in on executive suite, design firms

May. 2007
Shape, graphics tag-team to introduce Pringles sub-brand
Your brand’s future may depend on connecting with Gen Y
The ice boxes cometh with repackaged carity
Push or pull?

April. 2007
Masterfoods director talks turkey about innovation
The Power of a label: Regional customization
Packaging Summit mature as integrated event
Cosmetic gift sets show multiple personalities

March. 2007
Restoring trust in the brand
Pump brings Innovation to dish soap
Almonds in a can: Pizzazz and product safety
Barrier film enhances protection for sausage snack

February. 2007
Convenience is king in food packaging
BIPD conference: Synergizing strategy, design, and innovation
New bird food bags take flight at wagner's
Coors comes in to the cold, Cold Wrap bottles help brewer deliver cold refreshment

January. 2007
Uno cartons communicate deli-quality pizza in store
Sustaining the ‘design economy’
Morton seasons dowdy category’s profile
BIPD conference: Synergizing strategy, design, and innovation

November. 2006
The Need for Speed
The humble pouch goes decidedly upscale
Eclipse goal: Build consumption with stationary pack
Unpublished The Value of celebrity endorsements

October. 2006
Readers share experiences of inventiveness, resourcefulness, and persistence
Visual association-- through a 2-year-old's eyes
Packaging sells the lifestyle proposition
Disney line gives Kroger kid-focused store brand

September. 2006
Purity story brings 100% sales increase
Seeing green amid the blue numbers
Tried and true is alive and kickin'
Perception huge in beverage packaging

August. 2006
Challenge your team to think about what your packaging could be
Cereal pounch of the furture may be ‘Gr-r-reat!’
Unpublished Jekyll & Hyde glass bottles dazzle on-premise market
Tequila bottle as art piece

July. 2006
Maxell adds dimension to CD-R, DVD disks at Wal-Mart
'Proof' conference to present innovative market research
Men's products, in-home salon kits grooming facial-care sales
Costco packaging goes eco-friendly

June. 2006
Convenience packaging pushing premium wine sales
Breaking down the creative 'silos' between marketing and design
Mining possibilities in a media-fragmented world
Dissolvable supplement strips in portable packs

May. 2006
Lord live milk! New screw caps add value to cartons
A toolbox for testing human utility in packaging
Scotts uses packaging to instruct on applying fertilizer responsibly.
Persuading consumers who don't listen

Apr. 2006
Untapped opportunity: Convenience snack packs in Europe
Packaging can educate in growing dental ancillaries products
Foster's Maximizes aluminum bottle's marketing clout
'Test tube' sells protein drink's benefits message

Mar. 2006
The next convenience packaging surge:personal care?
Tissues In a ‘cup’—and a 40% premium
The road to protecting your creative designs and brand equity
A blend of personalities

Jan./Feb. 2006
What challenges loom for you?
Prestone dresses for auto protection
Updated look boosts Ty-D-Bol’s sales
Grab-and-go meats to drive growth in barrier film use

Dec. 2005
Microbrew label maximizes marketing pop, production efficiencies
The age of unthinkable partnerships
Aseptic carton targets ‘pseudo-chefs’
Black & Decker finds ‘billboard’ extension through P-O-P

Nov. 2005
Forecast: Color, effects to intensify on shelf
Let’s go bust some clutter
Seafood tray redirects microwave power
Marinade design exudes New York

Oct. 2005
World Kitchen’s ‘try me’ package extends brand
Designing for people with arthritis
Closure crowns distinctive bottle shape
The value of consumer research

Sep. 2005
Structure, graphics sell convenience message
Combination label upgrades Betty Crocker line
Lid provides structural support for bundled jars
Branding, á la mode; cosmetics marketers say French sells

Aug. 2005
A-B goes upscale in aluminum bottle
Clear jars spark veggie sales
Kits making cold cereal more portable
Maximizing brand manager time at trade shows

Jul. 2005
New CD, DVD packs in Europe
Shapely PET bottle fills niche in tea
Chapin moves an ‘industrial’ brand into home décor
Stunning olive oil package would make Cleopatra proud

Jun. 2005
Retort pouch conveys freshness in mushrooms
Mattel simplifies game-selection process
Marketing to Brand China
Conference focus: R&D’s role in package design

May. 2005
Aromatherapy as marketing tool
Custom pouch adds glamour
When money doesn’t talk
Achieving consumer-driven packaging innovation

Apr. 2005
Microwavable aseptic pack enhances sauce
Seagram’s Coolers go 21st Century
Research: Paperboard exudes potential
The path to building ‘visual brand positioning’

Mar. 2005
Lowe’s issues bilingual packaging mandate
Treat club store pallets like primary packages
Unlocking a brand’s critical assets
Young, feminine and hip

Feb. 2005
The right innovation can redirect a category
4 oz more at no extra cost
The value of resisting complacency
April conference targets marketers, package designers

Jan. 2005
Packaging icons help drive brand sales
Package visuals create a new category
Guys, gadgets, play value
Sleeve label ties snack kit together

A number of "attitude" beverages have been entering the market lately, and a new one demonstrates the power of the bottle and label working together. Melbourne, Australia-based Hazardous Fluids Pty. Ltd. is rolling out Sportsdrink + Bodily Fluids in the U.S. as an isotonic supplement drink designed for athletes participating in motor and power sports.

"If you've ever searched a cluttered cabinet for one elusive spice and felt as if you are conducting an archeological dig, then you're ready for 'spice enlightenment,'" say Katie Luber and Sara Engram, self-proclaimed "cardaMoms" and Founders of TSP Spices Inc., Atlanta, GA.

A closer look at the newest trends in today's packaging.

If you want to operate at the forefront of sustainable packaging, the Greener By Design conference will offer you the strategies, tools, and markets to get there. The conference, hosted by Global Executive Companies, will be June 12-13, 2008, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, VA.

New packages coming on the market demonstrate that the move toward incorporating sustainability goals is accelerating. Kraft Foods is one company working to reduce the environmental impact of its packaging materials.

In Germany, design's distinctive appeal on a glass bottle has given Bonn-based "true fruits" fruit juices a 72% market share among fruit smoothie drinks sold at gas station convenience stores.

The 250-mL bottles are marked by printed lines that act as visual indicators of the percentage of individual fruit portions contained within. The design emphasizes the clarity of the glass.

"The bottle is an important part of the product," says Marco Knauf, General Manager of true fruits. "It underlines the quality of the content and stands out strongly from the packaging monotony on the store shelves."

O-I designed and developed the flint glass bottle, which uses Applied Ceramic Labeling decoration for the ingredient amount lines and graphics. It's topped by a twist-off metal closure.

Suggested retail price is about $3.50 to $4.25.

The Global Package Gallery wants your package designs!

White-coated aluminum cans provide the canvas for labels with glitzy graffiti graphics that introduce AriZona Beverages' All City NRG green-tea-based, pomegranate-juice-flavored energy drinks.

When LypSyl, a 100-year-old Swedish lip-balm brand, debuted in the U.S., Lornamead Inc. tweaked product formulations and rolled out enticing and functional packaging.

Packages that intuitively inform consumers about the products they contain have an edge in boosting brand sales. A key tactic these packages share is the ability to focus on a single message.

If fresh research is to be believed, more than 50% of U.S. consumers claim they would surrender all forms of convenience packaging if doing so would benefit the environment.

If your objective is shelf distinction in your category, do what competing brands don't.

What is the role of product packaging, given the fast-changing face of retailing and consumer demand now?

Here's a clever design in pouched microwavable heat-and-serve sauces and gravies. Royco sauces, from Master Foods, a division of Mars, in South Africa, are packaged in retorted pouches. Before microwave heating, the consumer snips the pouch corner for venting and pouring.

Home-meal replacement moves a notch higher in Sweden with environmentally friendly trays on ready-made meals from Gunnar Dafgard AB. Billy's Lasagne chilled meals come in molded wood-pulp packaging.

Well-executed packaging graphics can "sell the taste." In the highly competitive chilled-foods aisle, f'REAL! Foods, Orinda, CA, achieved this objective when switching from preprinted cups to shrink sleeves for its 10-oz serving of frozen dairy products sold at convenience stores. The family line uses polyvinyl chloride sleeves, provided by Fort Dearborn, gravure-printed in nine colors to maximize visual impact through the glass doors of cooler cases.

Innovation, sustainability, and global issues will be among the focuses of the fourth annual Packaging Summit Expo and Conference.

In the hardware business, Elmer's Wood Glue is No. 1 in market share. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Elmer's Products Inc., Columbus, OH, decided the brand needed to look more contemporary to support its reputation as a reliable product.

With reports stating that Europeans recycle only 7% of the estimated nine billion plastic milk bottles they purchase each year, sustainability efforts are gaining a foothold. One U.K. supermarket chain is doing its part to advance the "green" movement.

Know your consumer—and even those who aren't your consumers. That has been a recurring theme among branding and marketing professionals whose thoughts have graced Shelf Impact!