Brand Packaging articles from September 2003

Brand Packaging archives from September 2003

Make it a habit ... 7-fold.
September 1, 2003... Since you're reading this column and publication, I can safely assume that you want your packaging to work harder on the store shelf and grow your bottom line. How can you achieve "Packaging That Sells?" Here are my "7 Habits of Highly...

'Episodic' packaging: can Japan's answers work in the U.S.? U.S. marketers are learning to evolve brands to meet consumers' changing wants and needs, and demand for choice. Japan is ahead of the curve.
September 1, 2003... One of today's pressing product development challenges is this: How can you remain relevant in consumers' minds? Two factors complicate this challenge further. SKUs are proliferating in nearly every category, driving more intense...

Evolve, but weigh trend relevance: be on the lookout for opportunities for 'episodic packaging,' but know your target consumers' core expectations.
September 1, 2003... As our culture's tastes evolve, a venture into episodic packaging shouldn't be a knee-jerk response to competitors. Brand self-awareness is freedom, and the key to properly weighing trend relevance as the trends emerge. Collect consumer...

Plastic bottle systems extend shelf life.(Emerging Technology)
September 1, 2003... Today, two plastics dominate food and beverage bottle-making: high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyester. Variants include multilayer, coated and active adjuncts such as oxygen scavengers. In-or off-line bottle-making systems are...

Demystifing 'relational design': great packages go beyond presence and differentiation. They also consider store 'environment.' Think about proximity and lighting.
September 1, 2003... Retail stores are getting bigger. While consumers have gained more product choices, marketers face greater challenges in getting brands noticed on the shelf. How to succeed in this new environment? To start, your strategy must go beyond a...

Packaging with special effects helps new brands get noticed: even with promotion, your upstart brand may be unknown to many consumers. Use visual tricks to grab attention on the store shelf.
September 1, 2003... How can you get consumers to notice your new package on the shelf when it's sitting in a store with tens of thousands of SKUs? Here's one way to build brand awareness. Use a special effect--holography, lenticular or other visual trick--on your...

Branding in the produce aisle.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Ag-Mart Produce switched from a standard paper label to a holographic label for pints of Santa Sweets brand grape tomatoes. "We wanted this quality product to stand out in the produce section," says Robert Meade, Ag-Mart's Vice President of...

'Pyramid power' weak on repeat sales: snack mix came in an unusual shape carton that attracted attention. But the package carried a high price tag and was hard to carry.(Marketing Misfires)
September 1, 2003... Ever since outsiders discovered the mysteries of ancient Egypt, the pyramids, as well as the shape they represent, have held a special fascination for people around the world. But while this triangular shape holds an exceptional allure, you...

A new beginning for a film star.
September 1, 2003... UCB Films--innovator, partner and market leader in the manufacture of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) and cellulose packaging films--was recently joined with its sister division, UCB Chemicals, and the newly acquired resins, additives...

Motor-oil bottle avoids mess.(Outside the Box)
September 1, 2003... Under-the-hood maintenance on a modern vehicle has been relegated to the occasional "topping-off" of oil, windshield wash and brake fluid. Automakers have designed--not merely engineered--these areas of interaction, so everyone from...

Gourmetfood marketer's recipe: elegance in 'open-and-serve' prouducts: a glitzy label brings Robert Rothschild Farm 30% higher sales. The company's packaging meets the operations threshold, too.
September 1, 2003... Can the right label bring a 30 percent increase in sales in a category such as gourmet food, where glitzy packaging is the norm? That's the case at Robert Rothschild Farm, where sales in the wake of its objective of being, in the words of...

Packaging sweetens brand image of premium chocolates: chocolatiers say 'gourmet' and 'style' with alluring containers that range from simple-and-elegant to glittering-and-deluxe.
September 1, 2003... With competition among high-end chocolatiers heating up, packaging is becoming a decisive marketing tool. Packaging materials, shapes, textures and decorating techniques are taking on more of the job of communicating premium...

Contoured aerosol can protects againts knocknoffs: WD-40 Co.'s 50th anniversary package draws attention in an impulse category and aims to thwart counterfeiters in China.
September 1, 2003... Many competitors have tried and failed to knock WD-40 Co. off its leadership perch in specialty lubricants. A new asymmetrically shaped aerosol can--commemorating WD-40 Co.'s 50th anniversary--protects against knockoffs from counterfeiters. ...

Digital workflow systems save time, reduce costs: Scotts halves package review time with electronic routing system. Digital assets repository makes image retrieval a snap, saves $200,000.
September 1, 2003... Two digital workflow systems are helping Scotts, a maker of lawn and garden products, to streamline its package design and promotional activities. One system--electronic routing and approval--shortens package review time. The other...

Market-driven innovations: packages make convenience center-stage with plug-in air freshener fan and dental floss dispenser on toothpaste tube.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Market-Driven Innovations comes to you in cooperation with Productscan[R] Online, an online, new-product tracking service from Marketing Intelligence Service Ltd., Naples, N.Y. Available at www.productscan.com, the service is a...

Winds of innovation blowing in air freshener aisle.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Consumer convinience through structural design is "hot," and S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., Racine, Wis., adds to the trend by bringing innovation to the air freshener aisle. Glade PlugIns Scented Oil Fan departs from aerosol spray cans and...

Name, bottle shape, graphics reflect vodka brand's essence.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Visual one-upmanship has been evident for several years in vodka packaging, and Shakers Original American Vodka, from Infinite Spirits, Nape, Calif., continues the trend. The frosted glass bottle displays a beveled contour near the neck,...

Floss compartment enhances toothpaste tube's value.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Making flossing a habit gets easier with Aquafresh Floss "N' Cap Toothpaste. A 6-ounce tube of toothpaste comes with a finger-latch dispenser containing 20 yards of mint-waxed dental floss. The plastic dispenser attaches to the closure on...

Licensed branding packs punch on candy dish.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The licensed-product parade gains momentum in candy products under an agreement between R.M. Palmer Co., West Reading, Pa., and NASCAR. The partnership presents a limited edition candy dish containing Palmer NASCAR Double Crisp Candy Cars....

Lighters get in the game with sports-theme grips.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Sports-themed grips provide the marketing hook for Scripto Sports Textured Grip Lighters, from Scripto-Tokai Corp. The grips bear the textures of a golf ball, basketball, baseball, football or soccer ball. Suggested retail price is...

Easy nut to crack? It's all in the label.(Market Data)
September 1, 2003... The label is perhaps the most dynamic marketing tool on any package, and it's hard to identify a category where labeling breeds fiercer competition than in snack nuts. Research in 2002 found that some nuts are extremely high in omega-3...

Following up on developing trends.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Often, after we print an article in BRANDPACKAGING, we receive added information on a trend we've identified. Here is more on a recent trend. NICHE PRODUCT A FRESH APPROACH IN DISINFECTANT AISLE We reported in our August 2003 issue on...