Belgian sports drink marketer WCUP brings a new packaging concept to beverages in Europe with a 300-mL hybrid bottle made largely of flexible film. The company says the bottle structure answers sustainability demands with a carbon footprint 50% smaller than the PET container it replaces.

Murray's Chicken, New City, NY, is elevating eco-awareness to a higher level in case-ready meat by introducing a film package for fresh poultry that eliminates the use of polystyrene foam trays.

Procter & Gamble is extending its Downy Simple Pleasures brand with a new line of "fabric enhancers" marketed under the Radiance Collection subbrand. The three scents in the line are formulated with assistance from perfume houses and delivered through a proprietary technology that deposits microscopic capsules of perfume onto fabrics during the wash/rinse cycles.

Patrick Sbarra is President of New Creature, an in-store marketing and P-O-P display company that helps Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and their suppliers to "sell more stuff." Here, he discusses factors that are impacting in-store packaging decisions.

One strategy for creating a successful lifestyle brand focuses on a reinforced sense of well-being. One section of the store where this message can work well is household products, and a stellar recent example is WD-40's X-14 bathroom-cleaning products.

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.

Standup pouch considers all supply chain factors and demonstrates an understanding of the packaging life cycle.

Brachia olive oil
(marketed in Croatia)

Producer: Tridvajedan
Material: Ceramic, with inner metal funnel cap and outer wood cap
Package style: Container is shaped as an olive fruit, with a neck shaped as an olive branch
Description: Designed as both a gift and souvenir

Lifestyle brands transcend economic downturns by forging meaningful relationships with core consumers. Understand their ‘hot’ buttons to elevate your product above the clutter.

Exclusive survey points out two issues: The design brief doesn’t pack enough punch. And external creative input often is underutilized. Trust seems to be at issue.

The leading edge of healthcare product marketing is beginning to tap the power of the package as a marketing vehicle.

Coca-Cola is bringing more convenience to the beverage aisle with a resealable 500-mL aluminum can for its Burn energy drink.

Land O'Lakes is expanding distribution for its butter brand while also marketing more directly to today's smaller households by reconfiguring the packaging.

Take a look around your product category for the true leaders.

HP believes that the consumer's first interactions with a new product are so critical that the company's packaging department has a "user experience designer."

What are the differences in packaging design between the U.S. and Europe?