Peter Harrop sees enormous potential for smart packaging in brand enhancement. As Chairman of IDTechEx, a firm that provides independent analysis on development and application of RFID and smart packaging, Harrop has been following industry trends for the past six years.

Harrop advises marketers to think about “more than simply using the package for its ages-old function of displaying a product, instructing you about it, and protecting it.”

A good example, he says, are “widgets,” the pressurized capsules in beer cans that release nitrogen-induced microbubbles when the can is opened. The bubbles create a head of foam to mimic freshly poured draft brew.

Harrop cites two other examples:

• Mortein Insect Seeking Fly Spray. The electrostatically charged spray works without batteries to home in on flies, and the graphic anchoring the front of the metal can signals this benefit.

• TBS Saturday Night College Football. A voice chip on a pizza carton promotes TBS football games when the carton is opened.

Pharmaceuticals/OTC is especially ripe for opportunities in smart packaging, Harrop believes. The need for smart packaging is great due largely to the growing number of older consumers. Tip: With their physical limitations, older consumers sometimes need help in complying with a drug regimen.

By Rick Lingle, Technical Editor