Shelf Impact! and Dragon Rouge, an international brand and design consultancy, are continuing an exclusive packaging innovation survey, a quarterly barometer of the most innovative packaging design introductions.
Each quarter, Shelf Impact! readers will be invited to evaluate a cross-representation of launched product innovations from several major industry segments (beverage, food, HBA, household, and OTC).
Once evaluated, the quarterly ratings will be compiled and presented at the end of the year in a chart, accompanied by complete analysis. This information will establish key metrics to measure the success of new ideas and launches in the world of design and innovation and compare them with the results in 2009.
GSK takes a shine to filmless, 'green' holography
A new carton for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare's 6-oz AquaFresh White & Shine toothpaste shimmers with a subtle holographic rainbow effect with a heavy emphasis on green considerations. New printing technology makes the carton easy to recycle—something that most holographic packages cannot claim. A metallic coating eliminates the laminated layer of metallized polyester typically associated with holographic effects and also produces a smooth, shiny surface that glimmers with rainbow bands.
Boxes protect candies' aroma, flavor
Fazer Confectionary, Helsinki, Finland, carefully chooses packaging approaches that protect the delicate flavor and aroma of its products. For its Karl Fazer flagship chocolates, the company uses a special coated fiber paperboard. The candies are packed without individual wrappings inside the cartons, so the box guards against odor or taint transference from or through the carton's packaging material. The middle layer of the paperboard consists of bleached chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp to assure the sensory properties the chocolates need.
Corn starch tub provides shelf, distribution efficiencies
A stackable, square HDPE container provides efficiency on-shelf and in distribution, as well as in production for Argo Corn Starch. A major plus for the symmetric container is that it doesn't need to be oriented on a packaging line, which saved millions of dollars for the line because the containers permit easy handling by a pre-owned depalletizer. In the consumer's home, the convenience benefits continue with a wide-mouth neck that makes scooping easy.
A fiber-based food pack first
Atria Fresh ready-to-serve meals leverage new technology in fiber-based packaging that gives marketers the capability to introduce new shapes and user-friendly functions into fiber-based packaging—with pack surfaces that provide exceptional graphic quality and introduce tactile surfaces. A strengthened rim ensures that even the most challenging packaging forms hold together and are effectively sealed to protect product quality and guard against leaks.
Microwave package brings serving ease to Dipping Chocolate
A microwavable, clear polypropylene tub holds 6 oz of Dipping Chocolate wafers and eliminates the step of using a separate dish for melting the chocolate. Consumers remove the lid on the Dipping Chocolate package to expose the chocolate pieces, heat the contents in a microwave oven for 30 seconds, stir the chocolate, repeat those steps as needed, and serve. The label on the lid shows succulent photography of dipped strawberries.
Wine case delivers ready-to-serve use and storage
Hardys Nottage Hill is serving up wine in the U.K. in a FreshCase that puts a new wrinkle on boxed wine. The lightweight, recyclable 2.25-L bag-in-box container contains the equivalent of three bottles of wine while requiring storage of space the equivalent of one bottle. The square-round package consists of four parts. The middle section of the container appears to be a decorated composite board, enclosed by top and bottom plastic ends. Inside the container is a one-piece bag-and-tap system that contains and dispenses the wine. The container keeps wine fresh for up to six weeks.
Godiva gold box
Godiva trimmed more than 30% of the costs of printing wraps and gift boxes by changing from an expensive, imported specialty paper to printing using a special foil metallic-coated paper that delivers the same results. The process also shortens material-delivery lead times by weeks, the coating protects graphics and colors from scuffing and other blemishes, and the packaging materials provide sustainability benefits.
Glass helps winery build a restaurant brand
Jackson Family Wines combines a glass bottle with high-end printing to signal the premium craftsmanship in its Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon variety. The label's signature graphic of a silver-color palm tree is screen-printed using inks containing platinum flakes. These flakes shine in low-light settings in high-end restaurants. The image is heat-applied onto the bottle surface and is scuff-resistant, yet also provides excellent registration to give the palm leaves very high definition. The bottle is 1 inch taller than typical 750-mL wine bottles, with a slight taper at the shoulder, to elevate quality perceptions.
Safer baby bottles display design flair
One hallmark of leading-edge brands is an understanding that the package is the product. In infant care products, Key Baby LLC demonstrates such an understanding with its Well Baby line of baby bottles, sippy cups, nipples, pacifiers, and accessories. The products not only have a distinctive shape but also are made with a new copolyester resin, as well as glass. From a safety perspective, these materials give parents peace of mind, as the bottles are BPA-free, clear, durable, and good for the environment.
On-pack technology puts consumers in touch with salads
Kroger's new line of its own fresh salads includes new on-pack technology that enables customers to learn where the produce was grown as part of the retailer's "Quality You Can Trace" program. Each bag carries a 16-digit code that shoppers can enter at HarvestMark.com to lean more about the salad's origin, packaging location, ingredients, and date and time the product was packed. Customers also can offer feedback on the product. This technology keeps more of the bag “clean” so consumers can see the produce through the film
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Minute Maid design turns fruit into art
Graphic and structural design, based on in-store and other research involving consumers, refreshes and contemporizes Coca-Cola's Minute Maid juice brand. The company studied shopper behavior at fruit markets and created a design that makes the fruit the hero with exceptionally detailed imagery, letter-nesting in the brand name, and fruit imagery that conjures up thoughts of a fruit market. The cartons' subtly rounded rectangle corners complete the look, and a green "horizon line" atop the logo reinforces perceptions of a totally natural product.
Steam technology enhances frozen-seafood packs
Orca Bay's 10-oz flexible-film packs of frozen seafood introduce a proprietary cook-in-steam system with film made of laminated PET construction and proprietary steam-channel technology. When the fish is heated in the microwave, the pressure builds, eventually rupturing the seal on one side of the package through which the steam is vented. In a second approach, the film is a custom-laminated PET and polypropylene structure, with a steam strip area. The film includes micro-pores that enable steam to escape from the package throughout the cooking process.
Shaker pack eases grass seeding
Foster Turf Products has introduced a flexible-film package for its Patch Perfect brand that makes the distribution of grass seed easier and more environmentally friendly for do-it-yourself gardeners. The stand-up pouch replaces a heavier-weight, rigid HDPE plastic package, incorporates easy-carry handles, uses proprietary dispensing technology, and features reclosable zippers to help consumers avoid direct contact with the chemically treated, fertilized grass seed.
New mobile-phone package uses 45% less plastic
T-Mobile has advanced the sustainability level of packaging for its pay-as-you-go phone. The blister pack has been reconfigured using environmentally friendly blister cards and a PET blister to reduce plastic use by 45% and cut the use of transport materials by 40%. Meanwhile, the new package increased production rates by 20% and gave the brand a package that lets consumers see the product as they make their purchase decision. The blister pack also is tamper-resistant.
Boxed set reflects singer's passions
A time capsule of Neil Young's musical and personal journeys from 1963 to 1972, packaging for the Neil Young Archives, Volume 1 sets the stage for hours musical and reading enjoyment that engages consumers with the feeling they are getting to know the entertainer close-up. The elaborate boxed set, in its complete version, contains multiple CDs, DVDs, bluerays, and a replica of Young's revealing personal journal. The package inside and out is durable and eco-friendly. The outer box and CD carriers inside the container are SBS board and corrugated partitions. The graphics are printed on an environmentally friendly paper. The journal cover is a faux embossed leather. The look and feel of leather are achieved by screen-printing on a synthetic material, with embossing.
