In This Issue

Kodak becomes a disruptive force in ink-jet cartridges If your objective is shelf distinction in your category, do what competing brands don't.

Approach sustainability with a healthy dose of perspective 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.

Package Gallery

INTELLIGENCE ON DESIGN The modern retail-packaging conundrum By Ted Mininni, President, Design Force Inc.

What is the role of product packaging, given the fast-changing face of retailing and consumer demand now?

Retailers have undergone a marketing transformation. They are now in the business of building brands. Their own. Retailers' focus is on aligning their merchandise mixes: private label as well as national brands, and the shopping experiences they provide as distinct and unique; a reflection of strategically developed branding in alignment with consumer perceptions.

Tip: Consumers are increasingly exercising control in fashioning their own experiences. Retailers that deliver the kinds of experiences consumers are seeking will win in the marketplace.

What kinds of experiences do consumers respond to best? We've uncovered principle consumer drivers in our research. These include: creation of greater perceived brand value vs. competitors' brands; clearly delineated brand differences, with uncomplicated, direct packaging communication; perceived lifestyle fit; upscale, more luxury-oriented branding for consumers who have, or aspire to have, more status; and the delivery of enjoyment assets.

Tip: We humans respond to brands that deliver enjoyment or fulfill emotional desires. Brand assets that can be leveraged in packaging to give consumers pleasure and enjoyment are powerful purchase motivators—and also repeat purchase motivators. Endeavor to uncover them.

Packaging for national brands has to be tweaked for various retail channels. When packaging products for Wal-Mart supercenters or club stores, the focus is on a price-to-value ratio. Large pack and multi-pack offerings benefit from the strong use of color and graphics in palletized, no-frills packaging. Small pack sizes, quality imagery, and communication are geared to sell brand value rather than price for supermarket and drug chains. Consumers in these environments are increasingly information hungry.

Tip: Within categories, what unique consumer cues can be leveraged on packaging to make connections with them, avoiding the dreaded commodity trap in the process?

At the other end of the spectrum, upscale and specialty retailers such as Fortunoff, REI, and Williams-Sonoma sell lifestyle and luxury branded products to consumers. In these environments, consumers invest emotionally both in the shopping experience and in the retail brand itself.

Tip: Customer-centric service has to be offered at an uncompromising, high level to seal the deal and the brand image for these retailers' customers. Click here for the full article. Join the conversation: You're invited to weigh in by sharing your own experiences and insights on retail packaging issues with Shelf Impact! readers at george@packworld.com.

Kodak becomes a disruptive force in ink-jet cartridges

If your objective is shelf distinction in your category, do what competing brands don't. It's OK to break the rules, and Kodak does just that by packaging ink-jet print cartridges in standup pouches rather than in the folding cartons and thermoformed containers that dominate the category.

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The cartridges are loaded into one of four pouch formats, each with Kodak's signature "Kodak yellow" color. The cartridges are developed for Kodak's new Easy-Share All-in-One printers.

"We couldn't bring this new print cartridge to the retail aisle in a package that looked like everyone else's. The package had to be disruptive," Shannon Monroe, Kodak's Worldwide Consumables Product Marketing Manager, tells Packaging World Editor Pat Reynolds.

The multi-layer, Doyen-style pouches are from Printpack, which also reverse-prints the graphics flexographically in up to six colors on an outer layer of polyester.

A project of this magnitude at Kodak, one of North America's most recognizable brands, required a collaborative effort with the brand, marketing, and packaging functions. The team began visiting stores to understand how its products would be displayed. That information provided clues to the package footprint available to designers. The result was packaging designed for shelf, rack, or pusher-arm display.

The packages are color-coded to identify black- and color-ink cartridges. Read the full article, and discover how Kodak is able to price its cartridges at about 50% less than competing brands.

STRATEGICALLY SPEAKING Approach sustainability with a healthy dose of perspective By Jim George, Editor

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. In particular, they say they would part with packaging that eases storage and stacking at home and packs used for cooking or that double as resealable containers.

It's reasonable to question whether most consumers are sincerely that noble. Would kids willingly relinquish yogurt in a squeeze tube? Would busy mom happily part with plastic trays that keep her family's prepared dinners warm on the way home from the grocery store? Is grandpa really prepared to bid adieu to packaging that helps him take the correct dosage of his medications? These and other convenience packages surfaced out of consumer demand and they reflect how we live—they help us save time and instill trust that we are using the product correctly.

That's not to say consumer packaged goods companies can't provide consumer convenience while also taking incremental steps toward reducing or eliminating packaging where feasible, or using more environmentally friendly materials. Indeed, they can and they should strive to do so. But, a healthy dose of perspective is needed. That was aptly pointed out in Jacksonville, FL, last week during a lively discussion on sustainability best practices at the first of our Shelf Impact! Package Design Workshops. The point was this: Simply changing packaging materials, for example, might present the perception of being greener, but the benefits of using more earth-friendly materials can be outweighed if the sacrifices include higher fuel emissions, energy usage, and the like.

In other words, avoid sacrificing convenience simply for appearance sake, but also resist "greenwashing" your consumer with false claims about environmentally friendly packaging. An acceptable balance might be to find ways to produce convenience packaging that also optimizes materials and production processes in ways that are kindest to Mother Earth.

I welcome your comments. Please call me at 630/897-7158 or contact me by e-mail.