As the packaging and displays that designers create move downstream toward the store shelf, they are increasingly stopping off at a contract packager's facility for pack-out.

If you're a brand manager or package designer, you can play an important role in creating packaging that achieves branding objectives and also uses less packaging materials or incorporates reusable or recyclable materials. So says Amy Zettlemoyer-Lazar, Sam's Club Director of Packaging.

I recently struck up a conversation with a manager at a company that helps some major U.S. marketers produce consumer packaged products. Steps for integrating sustainability initiatives are wonderful, this manager said, but they quickly can break down in the "silo" mentality that's still prevalent at so many companies today.

One bottle shape, more than any other, has managed to not only differentiate itself from the pack but also to cross category boundaries to represent purity in products as diverse as dish soaps, high-end whiskeys, and perfumes. Remarkable!

A new book breaks through the clutter to offer practical strategies, tactics, and resources to jump-start your sustainable packaging program. Included are case histories and interviews with leading corporations that have adopted environmental stewardship programs.

Providing sensory perception to increase brand differentiation and add a touch of luxury to traditionally packaged products, Sleever Intl. has launched a line of faux leather-relief shrink labels. These labels join the trend of packages creating distinction through tactile surfaces that enable shoppers to “feel the quality.”

“Touchpoints” is a term that’s become popular in marketing and packaging jargon, and I’ve discussed it previously in this space. There are two definitions. In marketing vernacular, touchpoints describe each occasion a brand marketer communicates a brand message to a consumer.

While its Peter Pan brand of peanut butter was on hiatus because of a voluntary product recall due to salmonella contamination, ConAgra Foods, Omaha, NE, used the time to make plant renovations to restore product safety. In addition, the company relaunched Peter Pan with a packaging makeover intended to help restore the brand’s former luster.

The package includes a new jar shape, a wider mouth opening, and added graphic elements on the label, including yellow lettering over a gradient blue swoosh that boldly states “New Look!”
“The label colors have been enhanced with more ‘pop,’” says ConAgra’s Stephanie Moritz. “We also took the opportunity to include on the right side of the label an icon that depicts our 100% satisfaction guarantee.”

Packaging improvements include a more tapered jar for easier handling and a wider mouth that enables consumers to scoop peanut butter more easily from the container.

Initially, the Creamy and Crunchy varieties are available, packaged in 18-, 28-, and 40-oz PET jars. Other varieties will be available in early 2008.

The promise of smart packaging has always been impressive. Now, at last, some pretty intriguing commercial applications are starting to surface. There's More. Click to continue reading "Smart packaging—lessons in enhanced functionality"

The bottle and label work together in positioning the Aloe Breeze beverage line from Phoenix Beverage Co., Phoenix, AZ, as “the first USDA-certified organic drink line that harnesses the power of super-nutrient aloe vera and infuses it with exotic, naturally flavored waters.”

“Manifesting brand essence through packaging is powerful at retail,” declares Ron Pence, Pepsi Senior Marketing Manager for packaging innovation. The Pepsi brand reflects youth and vitality, and those virtues shine through on its new 20-oz bottle for the U.S. market.

You said…

In June, Shelf Impact! asked you this question: “Does your design process integrate graphic branding with structural functionality, or do you consider aesthetics of secondary importance?”

Successfully integrating structural and graphic branding has proved challenging for many product manufacturers. “Do we start with graphics branding and then create a structure around it, or do we create a structure and then start the graphics exploration afterward?” This question is commonly asked at the beginning of the creative process.

In our survey conducted last month, Shelf Impact! asked readers whether you think about production-line issues during package design. Not surprisingly, most of you said absolutely.

Suave’s redesign shows that cost savings don’t have to compromise consumer wants.

Last month, we also asked for your thoughts on this question: Do new packages tend to originate through the supply chain (push) or through consumer/retailer demand (pull)? Why, and has the point of origin changed from five years ago? Your answers were split about evenly between push and pull. Here are some of your responses.

The package is becoming essential in marketing, and a good brief invites critical thinking earlier from those with packaging savvy.

Many of you had interesting answers to another question we asked: What do you think about when justifying whether a different package structure makes sense for the product you are working on?

Do you want to become a more nimble and cost-effective marketer by outsourcing your package development function? If so, a new conference, CP 07: Succeeding With Contract Packaging, will give you plenty of ideas for when and how to make contract packaging work for you—from major product manufacturers to small, virtual marketers.

Are Universal Design principles incorporated into your brand's package developed process?

The 12th annual Fuse: Brand Identity & Package Design conference will offer brand stewards and package designers the newest tools and information for mastering the art and science of package design and communications.

Scott Carnie, General Manager of Costco’s East Coast Packaging operations, is the driving force behind a lot of packaging that’s unique to Costco’s shelves. He is open-minded when it comes to getting ideas.

Rapid changes in packaging formats are essential today. A new report provides winning strategies that get marketing
and operations working together.

Sustainability is fast becoming a hot area of focus for many consumer packaged goods companies. One of every two respondents to a Shelf Impact! survey in June and July 2006 indicated their package-development process now includes sustainability initiatives--typically using biodegradable and recyclable materials, and reducing the amount of packaging used.

In September, Shelf Impact! also asked readers the following question. From a packaging perspective, how do you define the term “innovative”? Fifty-two readers responded, and here is what some of you had to say:

Niche marketers are introducing a variety of new beverages in part because of a supply chain that supports their needs. One of them, MD Drinks, Santa Monica, CA, has introduced Urban Detox, a science-based, all-natural functional beverage marketed as a remedy for hangovers in stores on the West Coast and in the Southwest. Urban Detox is a subbrand under the Function umbrella.

In June, Shelf Impact! asked readers this question: “From a creative perspective, what is the reason, most often, that new packaging initiatives fail?”

Consumers’ cereal packaging needs (and those of frustrated bag-in-box cereal eaters everywhere) are about to be realized with the sleeve-in-pouch (SIP) package design. The brainchild of Hosokawa Yoko, the SIP design emulates the cube of a carton, offers the easy-open/reclosure attributes of a zipper, and capitalizes on the efficiencies of in-line form-fill-seal manufacturing.

Here's a worthwhile exercise: Ask yourself and your package design team, "What If?" The challenge is to use great packaging ideas being introduced elsewhere not as a template for your own projects, but as inspiration for what could be for your packaged products. If you had no budget and no limitations, how would you engage shoppers and create shelf space that really grabs a consumer and makes an impact? Here is a list of "What Ifs" to ponder:

Dyna-Tabs, LLC plans to use convenient plastic packs of dissolvable strips to introduce more than 50 items that tap into wellness trends.

Are you responsible for managing the packaging research and development process in your organization? If so, you may gain invaluable insights to help you do your job better by attending the seventh annual Market Research and Development for Package Design conference Sept. 21-23, 2005, at the W Chicago City Center in Chicago.

The conference host is the Institute for International Research, and Shelf Impact! is a media partner.

Speakers will include Isabelle McDonnel, Senior Brand Manager, Diageo; Greg Zimmer, Oral Care Designer, Procter & Gamble; and Jeffrey Conrad, Vice President, Licensing, American Greetings.

Shelf Impact! Editor Jim George will moderate the panel discussion “ Packaging Integration Across the Value Chain:

Q: You can get a good visual representation of a package in 3-D rapid prototypes, but it's difficult to engage the cosumer completely in how the package will actually feel. What can be done to create this feel?

A: Technology has a way to go before it can accurately replicate feel. However, a few companies can produce physical prototypes with an accurate look and feel.
In addition, software solutions can help engineering, creative, and marketing departments collaborate more effectively on both 2-D and 3-D concept artwork and packaging, making prototyping more effective. They can enable real-time viewing of large files, providing a full suite of collaborative tools for faster and more accurate feedback and approvals.