In This Issue

A brand manager's investment in the brand experience One of the hallmarks of a successful brand is a distinctive look and feel that is consistently applied across all marketing efforts, to the point that an unmistakable presence develops and stirs consumer emotions.

Procrastination today could create tomorrow's peril Innovate or die. We're all familiar with that directive, but how many of us are following it in these challenging economic conditions?

Package Gallery

Cat food-carrier spiked sales but presented new challenges

By Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World

Last year, St. Louis-based Nestlé Purina PetCare held a two-month promotion to increase consumption of its Fancy Feast gourmet wet cat food and its new Friskies Party Mix cat treats. The vehicle for the promotion,

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held regionally in 79 Pet Supplies Plus stores, was a custom-made carrying case created by Display Boys.

"When we began working with Display Boys, we knew that we wanted some type of a carrier for Fancy Feast and something that could be mixed and matched by the consumer," relates Heather Greene, Account Executive at Nestlé Purina PetCare. "So we didn't really have a definitive look in mind, but we kind of knew the concept that we were going after."

With this vision in mind, Display Boys set about creating a solution that was "as simple, straightforward, and cost-effective as possible," says Display Boys Co-Founder and President Darin Rasmussen.

The result was an attractive, 30-can carrying case made from chipboard that could hang flat on a store fixture attached to the gondola display at the point-of-purchase and then be easily erected by consumers for filling in the store with their favorite Fancy Feast product assortment.

Says Greene, "We were trying to get consumers to buy more cans. That's why we wanted the carrier to hold around 30 cans. Thirty cans is roughly equal to the number of days in a month, so the carrier would provide the consumer with a month's worth of products in one purchase trip."

Besides acting as a convenient carrying case, the package also was designed to double as a gravity-feed dispenser in the consumer's home. A perforated, tear-away panel across the bottom of the carrier allowed consumers to view the available food varieties and easily remove the 3-oz cans.

Greene says the dispensing function solved consumers' challenges with stacking the food cans in the pantry and having them topple over and roll around.

Display Boys created artwork for the case in collaboration with the Fancy Feast brand group. The design aligns with Fancy Feast's gourmet, premium positioning. Offset-printed in five-color process plus a gloss varnish, the graphics included the Fancy Feast logo prominently displayed, along with the image of the brand's mascot, a white cat—both against a white background.

The Fancy Feast promotion was conducted September and October 2008 in three Pet Supplies Plus franchises in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. During the promotion, sales of the 3-oz cans increased 28% in September and 73% in October.

Though consumers liked the carrying case, the case was cumbersome at checkout. Because a higher-priced Fancy Feast product, Elegant Medleys, comes in the same 3-oz can, cashiers had to empty the entire carrying case at checkout to ensure that consumers had loaded the case with the right variety.

"With the exception of the checkout challenge," says Rasmussen, the carrying case "made a lot of sense."

Intelligence on Design Package structure: A brand manager's investment in the brand experience By Will Burke, CEO and Creative Director, Brand Engine

One of the hallmarks of a successful brand is a distinctive look and feel that is consistently applied across all marketing efforts, to the point that an unmistakable presence develops and stirs consumer emotions. The result is a more differentiated and memorable brand experience, which is a valuable commodity in a competitive market.

As a consumer product's most tangible asset, the package is a powerful ambassador of the brand, and the package structure in particular is an important opportunity to reinforce the brand story and company values in the mind of the consumer, ultimately growing your business.

A distinctive structural shape can attract attention and provide differentiation. However, if it is unsupported by a meaningful brand story, a wildly different package structure only looks forced at best and hypocritical at worst. Now more than ever, consumers respond negatively to packaging for packaging's sake and do not tolerate wastefulness.

Although no longer physically limited, the form and function of a structure should still follow naturally from the product and story behind the brand. They should enhance the consumer experience of the product in such a way that the structure becomes an inseparable part of the brand. This is an important step in the establishment of a proprietary package structure.

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Consider Kimberly-Clark's recent release of fruit-wedge-shaped tissue boxes for Kleenex tissue. Generations of consumers have been accustomed to seeing tissues in square or rectangular boxes with little more than colors and patterns printed on the boxes to enliven or differentiate them—a functional but emotionless form. With the flexibility of current printing and assembly methods, Kimberly-Clark modified the structure and injected whimsy into the cartons, freeing them from the six-sided limits of their "stuffy" predecessors. This structural freedom allowed Kleenex to change the perspective on what is otherwise a mundane product, target a younger consumer, create a unique offering that resists quick copycats, and stimulate incremental sales.

It is critical that a package structure support the brand values, as an environmentally friendly product in a wasteful package tells a conflicting story that is likely to turn potential customers away.

In addition, senior management should be informed how a carefully planned new or refined package structure can produce returns that include increased sales, greater differentiation from competitors on shelf, and even increased packaging efficiencies that will enhance profitability ...Read more

Thinking in 360° Procrastination today could create tomorrow's peril By Jim George, Editor

Innovate or die. We're all familiar with that directive, but how many of us are following it in these challenging economic conditions?

I'm hearing anecdotally about companies that effectively have put innovation on hold. They promise that as soon as "things turn around," they'll resume their investment in resources for innovation. But by then, will their brand have become irrelevant? Will it be too late for any packaging innovation to make a meaningful difference?

If this scenario describes your department or your company, consider this: Some thought leaders in creativity and effective corporate planning say procrastination today is certain to leave you playing catch-up when economic conditions improve. And, mistakes often are made or corners are cut in the rush to make up lost time, often resulting in just another new product that fails.

If you're waiting for an economic turnaround and your brand competes against companies such as Procter & Gamble and Kraft, understand that they are pushing forward with innovation. Both companies are embracing open-innovation initiatives that emphasize continuous strategic thinking and encourage external input. You can read more about that in an article written by Phil McKiernan, a Senior Partner at Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions.

Innovation doesn't have to shake the earth to be effective. It can be as simple as selecting a better cap to eliminate dribble-down on a maple syrup container, as outlined in an article in this newsletter.

What is needed to keep the engine that is innovation humming in times like these? Packaging World Editor Pat Reynolds points to one line of thought, quoting economist Alan Beaulieu's speech at the Packaging Machinery and Manufacturers Institute's recent Executive Leadership Council meeting.

"Management is what's called for when we are not in a recession, when everything is going well," Beaulieu said. "In times like these, inspired leadership is called for."