Brand Packaging articles from May 2008

Brand Packaging archives from May 2008

Paving the way.
May 1, 2008... This week, as we were putting the finishing touches on our third annual BRANDINNOVATORS special issue, a press release announcing the retirement of one of our first honorees crossed my desk. Claudia Kotchka, vice president of design and...

Pepsi explains benefits of recycling.(NEXT+NOW)
May 1, 2008... Pepsi is telling the story of how used cans gain new life through recycling. Messages like "Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours" will appear on seven billion cans of Pepsi and Diet Pepsi by the end...

Trash talking package design.(NEXT+NOW)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Former MTV intern Justin Gignac was in a heated argument over the importance of package design. To drive his point home, he packaged something no one in their right mind would ever buy: New York City garbage. Filling...

Altoids a curiously strong ... token.(NEXT+NOW)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Brand marketers covet "iconic" status for their packaging. And kudos to the team at Altoids, who can claim that honor now that Hasbro has designated an Altoids tin as a token in the latest installment of Monopoly,...

Glass baby bottles in demand.(NEXT+NOW)
May 1, 2008... O-I has resumed production of glass baby bottles, after 20 years, at a plant in Charlotte, Mich.; Saint-Gobain Containers is reviewing drawings from its archives to spark ideas for new glass baby bottle concepts; and Vitro Packaging is adding...

Vintage Starbucks (but not the original).(NEXT+NOW)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Starbucks is banking on the vintage appeal of its former logo to restore goodwill after what analysts describe as a series of missteps. The green-and-black icon on coffee cups has been swapped for a time with the...

BRAND INNOVATORS 08.(Cover story)
May 1, 2008... Welcome to BRANDPACKAGING's BRANDINNOVATORS 2008. Culled from nominations and our own due diligence, this diverse group includes veteran multi-national marketers and designers, and scrappy entrepreneurs who've taken their talents on the road....

Spinning garbage into gold: a twenty-something entrepreneur hits pay dirt by reusing consumer packaged goods waste.(BRAND INNOVATORS 08)
May 1, 2008... "Green companies think they can charge premium prices," says TerraCycle founder Tom Szaky. And though he could probably have an easier time of it if his own eco-conscious company followed suit, Szaky says the tendency for competitors to keep...

A touch of transformation: where empathy for buyers meets future technologies.(BRAND INNOVATORS 08)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Carol Cady, director of packaging research and development at General Mills, is determined to feel the pain points of retailers and consumers, even if it means pulling an all-nighter at the local Wal-Mart. In...

Eat your vegetables: Plum Organics opens up a new world for moms and kids.(BRAND INNOVATORS 08)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Though she is a third-generation entrepreneur, Plum Organics founder and CEO Gigi Lee Chang says she never intended to go into business for herself. But four years ago, the head of strategic planning for a top...

Dancing with success: media choreography puts Pepsi cans in the spotlight.(BRAND INNOVATORS 08)
May 1, 2008... Changing the style of an iconic brand like Pepsi is a high stakes game. But in the hands of executive Russell Weiner, who spearheaded the brand's recent restyle, the risk has paid off, creating a refreshing new take on media strategy and an...

A wealth of experience: art directors turned entrepreneurs seamlessly blend design and wellness.(BRAND INNOVATORS 08)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Garnet Teo, co-founder of Singapore's Wild Bunch & Co., learned an important lesson about packaging while working with renowned designer Milton Glaser in his New York studio. "He taught me to focus on expressing the...

Marketing with meaning: Pangea Organics founder develops product and packaging strategics with the Earth at their core.(BRAND INNOVATORS 08)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nature inspires Joshua Onysko. The founder of Pangea Organics was traveling through India, Nepal, Thailand and Tibet, taking in the natural wonders of these regions, when he began to question how their beauty would...

Striking the right balance: Campbell's global design director maintains the equities of her well-established brands but takes care to prime them for future relevance at the same time.(BRAND INNOVATORS 08)
May 1, 2008... Speak with most any brand steward, and you'll hear that one of their default career goals is to come up with an iconic package. But what if your packaging is etched in consumers' minds--what if it's already a cultural icon? "It becomes...

Breaking with tradition: lower priced, visual knock-offs of Elmer's glue were hurting sales, until a dramatic redesign breathed new life into this venerable brand.(BRAND NEW)
May 1, 2008... The story: In 1947, the first white glue was introduced to consumers. Packaged in glass bottles with popsicle-type wooden sticks attached with a rubber band, the product was marketed by Borden under the trade name "Cascorez Glue". Not long...

Leveraging qualitative research: to inspire and focus package design.(GETTING IT RIGHT)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a very broad scale of thinking, research for package design can be divided into two areas: quantitative research and qualitative research. Stripped down to the basics, quantitative research gets you to the "what",...

Wrigley gum slims down.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)
May 1, 2008... The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company gave its Extra and Wrigley's brands--Juicy Fruit, Doublemint, Big Red, Winterfresh and Wrigley's Spearmint--a new look with a slim, 15-stick envelope package that is more durable and portable than the prior...

New vintage for Coke.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Coca-Cola reached into its archives to release a limited-edition replica of its 1906 "Diamond Label" bottle in late March. The straight-sided 8.5oz bottle features diamond-shaped paper labels that, historically, were...

Self-closing jar supports luxury positioning.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Using a jar for skin care products can be messy, making it tricky to close the lid. That's why the packaging for Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules was redesigned with a mechanism that lets users nudge the lid with a...

Miller Lite.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Five years after Miller Lite last tweaked its packaging, the light beer brand has introduced a new logo for all Miller Lite bottles, cans, packaging, point-of-sale materials, signage and delivery trucks. The new logo...

Slim cereal canister from Archer Farms.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)
May 1, 2008... Target's Archer Farms store brand introduced an oblong-shaped cereal box that marks a first for the category: a reclosable lid. The corner-free box ensures ease of pouring, while the snap-shut lid preserves product freshness longer. The...

Paperboard compact anchors green makeup line.(PACKAGING THAT SELLS)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Physicians Formula has launched a patent-pending, dual-compartment compact as part of its new 42-SKU Organic Wear cosmetics line. Packaged in recycled paperboard, the mirrored compact uses 93 percent less plastic...

A new look for an old favorite.(UNITED KINGDOM)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Heinz has introduced a new look for its iconic tomato ketchup labels and packaging across Europe, the first significant new design to be introduced in more than 40 years. The new label emphasizes the message that the ketchup is "Grown, Not...

Where luxury meets green.(FRANCE)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CARE organic skin care products are the latest offering from fashion brand Stella McCartney and are inspired by McCartney's personal philosophies and commitment to protect the environment. Only 100 percent organic...

You can take it with you.(TURKEY)(D'ose chocolate chunks )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... D'ose chocolate chunks give chocoholics a stylish alternative when they don't have the time or inclination to eat a full chocolate bar. The bite-sized pieces are packaged in a round metal compact with separate "yin"-and "yang"-style...

Well-dressed fragrance packaging.(GERMANY)
May 1, 2008... Fuel for Life fragrance from global denim brand Diesel is packaged in a shallow flacon shaped bottle with casually sloping shoulders and a rounded body designed to feel good in the hand. "In a young, very playful and creative way, it...

A premium take on RTD coffee.(ITALY)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A global joint venture between The Coca-Cola Company and illycaffe will bring a line of premium ready-to-drink coffee products to Europe this spring. The products--caffe, cappuccino and latte macchiato--will be...

Margarine brand has a knack for packaging.(UNITED KINGDOM)
May 1, 2008... Unilever's Latta margarine brand is notable for its dedication to innovative packaging. Its latest effort is a double-pack concept that consists of two 100g portion packs--labeled, respectively "Knick!" and "Knack!"--joined together across a...

Green=mainstream?(FOLLOWING UP)
May 1, 2008... Retailers and brand owners have wholeheartedly embraced sustainability and are diligently applying its principles to both products and packaging. We first reported on Wal-Mart's new environmental initiatives in the April 2007 issue of...