September 25, 2008
Packaging concept for granola
Wal-Mart consultant: Retailers' new in-store strategies will impact packaging
Sylvania's enlightened redesign overhauls 270 items, embraces sustainability

September 11, 2008
Sophisticated labels flex marketing muscle: two examples
Consider facial coding for understanding consumer experiences
Paint cans are easier on the environment

August 21, 2008
Bottle as art grows Mountain Dew's market share
Research: 'Lack of time' stifling branding and packaging innovation
Hubs propel GSK as OTC design innovator

August 7, 2008
Compact infuses style and sophistication
Savvy brands quietly toning down the aisle 'noise'
Marketer makes a 'bee' line for versatile honey packaging

July 24, 2008
Measuring success on the front lines of sustainability
Labels spoof candidates, support cancer research
Redesign elevates whisky brand above commodity

July 10, 2008
A 25% premium through design? P&G hopes to clean up in dish detergent
A co-packer's perspective: Design with downstream in mind
Krafting a better salad-dressing bottle

June 26, 2008
WD-40 finds the emotional bull's-eye in bathroom cleaners
Fabric-care brand links fashion with fine fragrances
Bottle's sidewall made of film

June 12, 2008
U.S. vs. Europe: The design challenge
Harnessing your brand's leadership potential
Shrink labels pump up brand's billboard

May 29, 2008
Six rules for maximizing impact at club stores
Bottle shape signals sophistication in glass
Brown-box wines, with sustainability benefits

May 15, 2008
Opening ceremonies: Where has that magical moment of wonder gone?
Women's network's insights prompt snack-bag changes
Lexus promo mailer has the high-end touch

April 24, 2008
Kraft accelerates momentum for sustainable packaging
Green your goal? Conference to discuss leading-edge approaches
Cereal canister extends freshness, reduces shelf footprint

April 10, 2008
The modern retail packaging conundrum
Approach sustainability with a healthy dose of perspective
Label makes child's play of juice's target audience

March 27, 2008
Shrink-sleeve strengthens Elmer's face-lift
High-impact sleeves sell the realism for frozen treats
Home-meal replacement packs go green

March 13, 2008
Inside Wal-Mart, Sam's Club: Successfully balancing branding and sustainability
Failure to test can be costly
U.K. grocer goes 'green' with milk bags

February 21, 2008
Food, beverage packages say goodbye to excess
FUSE : Ideas for elevating the packaging of your brand
Decorative shrink labels sell tea's taste

February 7, 2008
Color means...
Break the rules by thinking in new dimensions
Bottled plant food's delivery system cultivates convenience

January 24, 2008
Research: Sustainability is beginning to drive shopping decisions
FUSE : Ideas for elevating the packaging of your brand
Bottled fruit drinks are on the mark

January 10, 2008
The evolution of natural as a lifestyle choice
Coming to a city near you: Shelf Impact!'s workshops on trends and package design
Microsoft gets dual benefits in new pack

December 14, 2007
Cooking up a recipe for innovation? Serve it up in manageable steps
Kids’, moms’ needs on center stage
As trends emerge, are you thinking innovatively?

December 3, 2007
South African, French vintners shake things up
Global Package Gallery: a designer’s review
Field Guide makes sense of sustainable packaging

November 8, 2007
¿Que pasa, USA?
Household cleaners prove less is more
Check touchpoints—and check them twice

October 25, 2007
Smart packaging—lessons in enhanced functionality
Retailer brands growing solidly in additional categories
OTC brand’s packaging provides soothing relief in topical lotions

October 11, 2007
Healthcare brand ailing? Give it a shot of design
High-visibility theft-prevention packaging: A love/hate relationship
Link brand believability, belonging, and packaging

September 27, 2007
Color, graphics put Dial's RGX on masculinity's softer side
Coming to you more often, in a modified format
Unlocking core brand assets in packaging...and doing it with emotion.

September 13, 2007
Honeywell packs organize mom's car
Color's messages is Proof keynote topic
Tell me a story – in five seconds

August 23, 2007
Simoniz line adds distinction, clarity to auto aftermarket products
Proof topics: Special-edition, cost effective packaging
A good ‘harvesting’ can create winning brands

August 9, 2007
Color, graphics put Dial's RGX on masculinity's softer side
Coming to you more often, in a modified format
Unlocking core brand assets in packaging...and doing it with emotion.

July. 2007
Anti-counterfeiting strategies taking shape
Proof conference to spotlight trends influencing packaging
Visual Fusions capture the essence of the “Herbal Girl”
Product customization takes geographic twist

June. 2007
Coming out of the turn…Distillery’s Derby-themed bottles
Turning design-impact perceptions into reality
Which Comes first – structural or graphic branding?
Design managers weigh in on executive suite, design firms

May. 2007
Shape, graphics tag-team to introduce Pringles sub-brand
Your brand’s future may depend on connecting with Gen Y
The ice boxes cometh with repackaged carity
Push or pull?

April. 2007
Masterfoods director talks turkey about innovation
The Power of a label: Regional customization
Packaging Summit mature as integrated event
Cosmetic gift sets show multiple personalities

March. 2007
Restoring trust in the brand
Pump brings Innovation to dish soap
Almonds in a can: Pizzazz and product safety
Barrier film enhances protection for sausage snack

February. 2007
Convenience is king in food packaging
BIPD conference: Synergizing strategy, design, and innovation
New bird food bags take flight at wagner's
Coors comes in to the cold, Cold Wrap bottles help brewer deliver cold refreshment

January. 2007
Uno cartons communicate deli-quality pizza in store
Sustaining the ‘design economy’
Morton seasons dowdy category’s profile
BIPD conference: Synergizing strategy, design, and innovation

November. 2006
The Need for Speed
The humble pouch goes decidedly upscale
Eclipse goal: Build consumption with stationary pack
Unpublished The Value of celebrity endorsements

October. 2006
Readers share experiences of inventiveness, resourcefulness, and persistence
Visual association-- through a 2-year-old's eyes
Packaging sells the lifestyle proposition
Disney line gives Kroger kid-focused store brand

September. 2006
Purity story brings 100% sales increase
Seeing green amid the blue numbers
Tried and true is alive and kickin'
Perception huge in beverage packaging

August. 2006
Challenge your team to think about what your packaging could be
Cereal pounch of the furture may be ‘Gr-r-reat!’
Unpublished Jekyll & Hyde glass bottles dazzle on-premise market
Tequila bottle as art piece

July. 2006
Maxell adds dimension to CD-R, DVD disks at Wal-Mart
'Proof' conference to present innovative market research
Men's products, in-home salon kits grooming facial-care sales
Costco packaging goes eco-friendly

June. 2006
Convenience packaging pushing premium wine sales
Breaking down the creative 'silos' between marketing and design
Mining possibilities in a media-fragmented world
Dissolvable supplement strips in portable packs

May. 2006
Lord live milk! New screw caps add value to cartons
A toolbox for testing human utility in packaging
Scotts uses packaging to instruct on applying fertilizer responsibly.
Persuading consumers who don't listen

Apr. 2006
Untapped opportunity: Convenience snack packs in Europe
Packaging can educate in growing dental ancillaries products
Foster's Maximizes aluminum bottle's marketing clout
'Test tube' sells protein drink's benefits message

Mar. 2006
The next convenience packaging surge:personal care?
Tissues In a ‘cup’—and a 40% premium
The road to protecting your creative designs and brand equity
A blend of personalities

Jan./Feb. 2006
What challenges loom for you?
Prestone dresses for auto protection
Updated look boosts Ty-D-Bol’s sales
Grab-and-go meats to drive growth in barrier film use

Dec. 2005
Microbrew label maximizes marketing pop, production efficiencies
The age of unthinkable partnerships
Aseptic carton targets ‘pseudo-chefs’
Black & Decker finds ‘billboard’ extension through P-O-P

Nov. 2005
Forecast: Color, effects to intensify on shelf
Let’s go bust some clutter
Seafood tray redirects microwave power
Marinade design exudes New York

Oct. 2005
World Kitchen’s ‘try me’ package extends brand
Designing for people with arthritis
Closure crowns distinctive bottle shape
The value of consumer research

Sep. 2005
Structure, graphics sell convenience message
Combination label upgrades Betty Crocker line
Lid provides structural support for bundled jars
Branding, á la mode; cosmetics marketers say French sells

Aug. 2005
A-B goes upscale in aluminum bottle
Clear jars spark veggie sales
Kits making cold cereal more portable
Maximizing brand manager time at trade shows

Jul. 2005
New CD, DVD packs in Europe
Shapely PET bottle fills niche in tea
Chapin moves an ‘industrial’ brand into home décor
Stunning olive oil package would make Cleopatra proud

Jun. 2005
Retort pouch conveys freshness in mushrooms
Mattel simplifies game-selection process
Marketing to Brand China
Conference focus: R&D’s role in package design

May. 2005
Aromatherapy as marketing tool
Custom pouch adds glamour
When money doesn’t talk
Achieving consumer-driven packaging innovation

Apr. 2005
Microwavable aseptic pack enhances sauce
Seagram’s Coolers go 21st Century
Research: Paperboard exudes potential
The path to building ‘visual brand positioning’

Mar. 2005
Lowe’s issues bilingual packaging mandate
Treat club store pallets like primary packages
Unlocking a brand’s critical assets
Young, feminine and hip

Feb. 2005
The right innovation can redirect a category
4 oz more at no extra cost
The value of resisting complacency
April conference targets marketers, package designers

Jan. 2005
Packaging icons help drive brand sales
Package visuals create a new category
Guys, gadgets, play value
Sleeve label ties snack kit together

Finesse completes a packaging overhaul that transforms consumer insights into new structural and graphic cues.

Grether’s Pastilles
(relaunched in the U.S., Europe, and Asia in 2008)

Material: Tinplate shaped as a pocket pack
Manufacturer: Doetsch Grether Ltd.
Description: Marketed as hard, medicated throat and voice lozenges, Grether’s Pastilles are still produced in Switzerland using carefully selected natural ingredients in accordance with the original British recipe dating back to the 18th Century. In addition to their functional effect, the lozenges also have a distinctive taste and a fruity aroma. A 3.75-oz tin of lozenges, on one Internet site, had a retail price of $8.99 (U.S. dollars).

Alustra Skin-Bleaching Agent (USA)

Summary: A distinctive and classic package appearance connects with the upscale female audience in marketing this skin-lightening product distributed in the United States.

Consumers embrace ‘functionally tactile’ packages, and matte finishes evolve into more potent options that signal product value.

Among the tactile packaging options for value-added products are “masterbatches.”

Second-quarter results point to need to think beyond established category paradigms.

Consumers need a break from the myriad of competing product claims that have left them dazed, confused, and cynical.

In the past few weeks I have heard marketing directors from three different large consumer packaged goods companies begin a strategic brand identity design discussion with the warning, “My brand needs significant enhancement, but don’t to go too crazy.

Shelf Impact!'s one-day Package Design Workshops have resumed in 2009 with their popular fast-paced, roll-up-your-sleeves interactive format in an intimate setting.

If your body-care product uses earth-friendly packaging, and your creative team is considering how to position your brand, consider a green message.

Kids are drawn to food packaging that provides fun in addition to containing the product.

"Clumping" sugar long has been an issue for at-home bakers. Imperial Sugar Co., Sugar Land, TX, believes it has eliminated that frustration with Redi-Measure Light Brown Sugar in premeasured pouches.

Twinings, a beverage marketer in the U.K., had the objective of finding a sustainable and compostable packaging film to wrap its Everyday tea product.

When times get tough, consumer product companies pull back. They delay new product rollouts and product innovations. They cut back on advertising and marketing expenditures. But is it wise to completely stop spending on brand-building initiatives because of the economy?

When some consumers told Procter & Gamble that it was challenging to open the company's Prilosec OTC peel-push primary pack, P&G responded with a push-through pack that provides easier opening, as well as economic and sustainability benefits, including reducing packaging material by 800,000 lb annually. All this is accomplished without trade-offs in safety and efficacy.

When it comes to greener packaging, "consumers get it," says Elin Raymond, President of The Sage Group, Inc. In late January, Raymond presented the results of a study on consumers' beliefs and behaviors surrounding sustainable packaging at the Michigan State University School of Packaging's second annual Packaging Executives Forum.

To help brand owners maximize success on the retail shelf, the Packaging Machinery and Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) will launch The Brand Zone at Pack Expo Las Vegas Oct. 5 to 7, 2009, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Covering more than 60,000 sq ft, The Brand Zone will spotlight packaging technologies that can help innovation executives, brand managers, marketers, and package designers launch new products, refresh existing brands, and improve sustainability scores.

Exhibits will include The Showcase of Packaging Innovations, sponsored by The Dow Chemical Co.

For information, call PMMI’s Show Department at 703/243-8555.

Greener Package.com, edited by Summit Publishing Co., the company that publishes Shelf Impact!, introduces its 2009 Greener Package Awards Competition. You are invited to submit your package designs for consideration.

More consumers are eating meals at home more often. As a result, frozen foods are thriving. How does a newcomer brand fit in to this crowded category?

An innovative twin-pack of cereal and milk in a single-serve container, from Kozy Shack, Hicksville, NY, raises the bar on nutritious, ready-to-eat meals.