Brand Packaging articles from March 2008

Brand Packaging archives from March 2008

Look ahead, but look around, too.
March 1, 2008... Despite the fact that I live in the frozen tundra, otherwise known as Chicago, this is actually my favorite time of year. Laid out in front of me are the year's plans, and still fresh in my mind are the memories of the year past. As an editor,...

UK rethinks milk.(NEXT + NOW)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE POUCH. After successfully testing the concept last summer, UK retailer Waitrose is going national with a flexible milk pouch for Calon Wen organic milk. The format, dubbed the eco pak, is said to use 75 percent...

A box that hangs around.(NEXT + NOW)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Each year, digital design firm Charlex sends out thousands of gift boxes and, each year, it works to minimize the environmental impact of the packaging. To house its most recent crop of gifts, the company worked...

Where do consumers prefer to receive their product information?(NEXT + NOW)
March 1, 2008... THE GOOD NEWS: A Deloitte and Touche survey found more than 50 percent of consumers (50.3%) saying they prefer to receive product information on packaging. THE OPPORTUNITY: The same survey found less than one-third of consumers (29...

Heard!(NEXT + NOW)
March 1, 2008... "Instead of thinking of the retail shelf as the last point in our products' journey... we've inverted our thinking. We're now starting at the shelf and rethinking all our processes and strategies upstream." --Muhtar Kent, president and...

Brands to watch: bold packaging has five upstarts taking flight.(Cover story)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These guys get it. Packaging differentiates. It connects with consumers. And it tells your brand story like no other medium can. Though they were short on big budgets, these independent brands had the vision to come...

Vitality of the pack: a new framework to maximize the multifaceted nature of packaging.(GETTING IT RIGHT)
March 1, 2008... Packaging plays an important role in the lives of consumers, business and the planet. It's called upon to protect, preserve, present and deliver the product; to delight the consumer; and ultimately, to do no harm to the world we live in. So how...

Is your brand the real deal? Brand authenticity emerges as a new marketing imperative.(BRAND STRATEGY)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a world gone fake, consumers' desire for the genuine article has acquired new urgency. Reacting to the endless parade of Botox-ed celebrities, drug-enhanced athletes, double-talking CEOs and prevaricating...

Lighting the way to a better consumer experience: for the first time in nearly a decade, Osram Sylvania takes a good look at its brand packaging.(BRAND NEW)
March 1, 2008... * The story: The automotive aftermarket category is a particularly competitive place, with store shelves packed with a dizzying array of options. Osram Sylvania's packaging had not seen a significant graphics change in nearly a decade, and with...

Scrumptious sauces in 60 seconds.(MATERIALS UPDATE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Royco's line of sauces and gravies offers consumers the convenience and functionality of a heat-and-serve pouch--just pop it in the microwave for 60 seconds. The shaped retortable package includes a heat-free handle...

Tea for one.(MATERIALS UPDATE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Tea is rivaling coffee in popularity, and consumers are looking for on-the-go solutions for their new favorite hot beverage. Sugart's iTea single-serving wand features a built-in mechanical filter system and perforated holes designed for the...

Water in a pouch, for the pooch.(MATERIALS UPDATE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING)(Ampac Flexibles, inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Wetbone is reportedly the first "water in a pouch" product for pets. The 16oz bone-shaped resealable standup pouch features two compartments: a reservoir for enriched water at the bottom and a drinking bowl on top. The design includes channels...

Old world, with a modern twist.(MATERIALS UPDATE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Daniele's new Delizia President's Prosciutto packaging combines proprietary label technology with high performance barrier films to make its case. Designed for the consumer, retailer and food processor, the package...

Rotisserie chicken saves time.(MATERIALS UPDATE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING)
March 1, 2008... The Hot N Handy Rotisserie Chicken pouch is a flexible all-in-one package that offers consumers convenience features from the store to the fridge. A built-in handle makes carrying the feast home, or to a party, a snap; a resealable zipper and...

Perfect for a picnic.(MATERIALS UPDATE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We've seen wine in cans, wine in boxes, and now South Africa's Arniston Bay offers its Chenin Blanc Chardonnay in a flexible on-the-go pouch. The 1.5L standup pouch has built-in handles for easy transport to the...

Safeguarding trade dress requires more than 'lawyering up'.(BRAND PROTECTION)
March 1, 2008... You look down the store aisle, and you smile. Your new product stands out on the shelf. You've spent an awful lot of time and money defining the proposition, creating a distinct look and feel and honing the message for it. Your brand is...

'Healthy' packaging means healthy sales: health and wellness sell, and packaging helps, but it's important to have a clear message.(ORGANIC AND NATURAL FOODS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If there's anything most food and beverage marketers agree on, it's that health and wellness are big influences for consumers. And if there's anything they splinter on, it's how best to cater to those influences. ...

Gatorade celebrates Giants online.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)(www.gatorade.com)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... For the first time, Gatorade introduced a limited edition bottle for sale exclusively on its web site, www.gatorade.com; the label commemorates the newly crowned Super Bowl champions. "We're proud to offer this first-ever celebratory bottle to...

A more mature brand of rum.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kilo Kai, a spiced rum from Apostrophe Brands, is targeting consumers looking for a "mature" rum. Its logo, for instance, takes a category cliche (a pirate's skull and crossbones) and reinterprets it as an ownable,...

Method uses less plastic in refill pouches.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Method had been selling 34oz refills for its liquid hand soaps in clear pouches that show off the colorful product, but the brand has just replaced them with opaque versions that aid readability. The flexible pouch uses 83 percent less plastic...

Suncare packaging for outdoor extremes.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Seattle-based K2 Sports has been rolling out its K2 Endurance line of sun care products designed to perform for outdoor sports enthusiasts in all climates and at all altitudes. The K2 Sunblock (pictured) comes in...

Meet Fred. He's water.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)
March 1, 2008... With a name like Fred, it's hard to believe this brand is hip. But it is. The natural spring water was the idea of friends at an ad agency who gave the concept an ordinary name--Fred--to stake a position as the "anti-water" water brand....

Packaging with a twist.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Boulder, Colo., brand of biodegradable sponges and cleaning cloths, Twist introduced its latest product, the Naked Sponge, at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Diego. The dye-free, 100 percent cellulose sponge is...

Have a Coke, and a smile.(GERMANY)
March 1, 2008... With consumers more conscious then ever about stretching their food dollar (and not their waistline), Coke has incorporated a resealable feature into its ever-popular 330mL can. Consumers remove a tamper-evident adhesive label to access a...

Spaghetti hoops as haute cuisine?(UNITED KINGDOM)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... One of the strongest attributes of good design is that it can elevate the everyday to an art form. Nowhere is that more apparent than in U.K. retailer Waitrose's line of canned vegetables and pasta: each food staple (beans, veggies and pasta)...

A smooth move toward sustainability.(UNITED KINGDOM)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As of January of 2008, all of innocent drinks' fruit smoothie recipes are packaged in 100 percent recycled PET bottles. To celebrate the milestone, innocent's logo will change color and shape to resemble the...

Cross-category inspiration.(UNITED KINGDOM)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Persil Non-Bio Liquigel Fabric Wash has taken a page from wine packaging for its innovative 7.5L pack. The bag-in-box package is designed to sit on the edge of a counter top or cupboard and is dispensed through a twist-button tap dispenser...

Clean home, green planet.(NEW ZEALAND)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... B_E_E's smart green household cleaning products combine aesthetic, functional and ethical excellence with an aspirational attitude toward life and the planet. Developed and produced in New Zealand for the world, B_E_E products use the most...

Low alcohol beer for the active set.(VENEZUELA)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Venezuelan beer brand Polar has introduced Zero, a low alcohol content beer targeted toward active, social men and women that want a refreshing beer but don't need full alcohol content for enjoyment. Polar selected a...

Following up.(Graphic Packaging has introduced technology, dubbed Snap2C)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... When used to its full potential, packaging refers back to the brand and leverages its chief assets. It also has the power to become the most important customer touchpoint--making the brand tangible by placing it in customers' hands. More and...