Categories that national brands tend to bypass for marketing support could open the doors to product and package innovation from store brands, Nielsen exec says.

If you're looking for places to observe packaging innovation in 2010, some of the best aisles to watch in the store might be those that national brands tend to ignore when budgeting high-profile marketing support.

These are categories that The Nielsen Company defines as "low- and medium-marketed," Lisa Rider, vice president retail marketing U.S. for Nielsen, told an audience at the recent Private Label Manufacturers Association show.

Store-brand product share and dollar share are both higher in categories where national brands focus less marketing support, according to Rider's remarks, which are summarized on StoreBrandsDecisions.com.

For these and other reasons, the stage is set for unprecedented competition between national brands and private-label products. Read Packaging World/Shelf Impact!'s December Forecast and report on 7-Eleven's private-label strategy for complete details on what to expect in 2010.