Packaging News You Can Use

CPG’s (consumer products) are under attack as consumer battle economic woes. If you have noticed many of the 1st tier brands are being moved to less attractive shelf space due to the advent of private label brands for most retailers.

Almost every retailer now has its own brand and it used to be on a very limited scale. Now they are branching out as consumer demand more variety at an attractive price even venturing into private label categories such as liquor. Not just copying existing brands as private label did in the past.

It is an interesting conundrum as retailers struggle for shelf space just what should a private label look like. Some are going basic like Wal-Mart’s “Great Value” brand

Via MyPrivateBrand.com

Or Target’s packaging rebrand from its signature Bulls Eye to

Personally, this goes too far towards generic private label.

Lest you think all private label packaging is ugly or just plain mundane look at

these.

Recent Examples:

Via mypbrand.com

Costco introduces Kirkland Signature Private Brand premium tequila. Kirkland Signature Añejo Tequila, is available in select Costco warehouses in states that allow retail liquor sales.

In this product image provided by Sam’s Club, a bottle of Rue 33, the company’s private label vodka, is shown. Discount chain Sam’s Club, a subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is venturing into the spirits world, launching Rue 33 this month in more than 240 stores. (AP Photo/Sam’s Club)

So regardless what your private label packaging looks like, consumers are on the hunt for value brands and it will be at the expense of the premium and CPG brands. So think creatively about private label just don’t consider it as a second tier brand

Packaging Phrases To Watch For In 2010:

• Private Label
• Generic
• Economical
• Value Packaging
• Wal-Mart
• Target
• Branding
• Marketing
• Rebranding

Tags: branding, Economical, Generic, marketing, Private Label, Rebranding, Target, Value Packaging, Wal-Mart

Ever wonder about all those icons, symbols and slogans on your packaging?  What they really mean. As companies struggle to craft winning messages they are creating their own symbols and icons many of which are meaningless. So no wonder the consumer is confused about the validity of these claims. Since so many of these are coming out of the eco and organic arena I’m focusing primarily on them.

One of my personal favorites: “Packaging Made From Wind Power” seriously that’s nice but with all this on the package who can make an informed decision.

I’m in the business and I know what these statements mean but do you and do you really care? There’s only so much space to craft your message and it better be the right one for your core audience.

Part of the problem is who’s watching the marketers concocting these statements and what do they mean? Many of them do have legitimacy and supporting organizations. But there is no one regulating umbrella organization so companies are free to make their own branding statements and are competing with one another.

Recent Examples

Every body knows what this means on a package

The Universal Recycling Symbol

But self certifying “green” claims like this one?

What is a “Greenlist” anyway? Can anybody get on it?

Ensure every element on your product packaging is meaningful to your consumer. Don’t overload your primary marketing space with meaningless phrases and symbols unless the message is integral to your mission and your brand. Just because its a cool and clever looking icon or symbol doesn’t mean it will influence the consumer one way or the other to buy. One caveat some of symbols must by law be on your packaging. Just be careful how and where you place them to maximize thier impact and not overload the consumer brain.

Packaging Phrases To Watch For In 2010

• Certification Symbols
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
• USDA Organic
• Carbon Neutral
• Recycling Symbol
• Frustration-Free Certification
• Self-certification
• Greenwashing
• Branding
• Marketing
• Advertising

Tags: Advertising, branding, Carbon Neutral Recycling Symbol, Certification Symbols, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Frustration-Free Certification, greenwashing, marketing, packaging trends, Self-certification, USDA Organic

The average consumer doesn’t have a clue what it takes to bring a product to market for them to use or consume. They just see packaging as a waste. So when it comes to buzz phrases like “carbon footprint they become wholeheartedly embraces without and understanding of what goes on behind the scenes.

This can encompass every thing from “locality” to understanding the true manufacturing costs such as “carbon footprint” or transportation miles. Many consumers are willing to make educated and informed decisions about what they purchase and from where.  So let’s tell the true store about what it takes to live our current lifestyles and explain more thoroughly what these phrase mean.

Recent Examples

Tesco already displays “carbon reduction” labels as part of their packaging on certain products. New “green” food labels will show how much carbon was produced in the manufacture and transportation of food.

Another concept is a wrapper somewhat similar to a barcode that gives you the actual statistics and a printed receipt that spells mileage out exactly. These numbers can be somewhat scary but in a global economy not all that uncommon. If fact many economy’s are built around alternative shipping seasons such as Chilean produce shipped to the US during our winter. (It’s their summer)

This is a conceptual idea only not in actual use.

Far Foods (way too far according to this)

Use the fact that your products are grown locally as a marketing and branding tool like theses examples that cover a broad range of locally grown products identified by a specific geographic area.

When buying close to home counts in the consumers eyes.

Of course if you have plenty of money to spend you can launch a branding campaign like FritoLay supporting its potato chips as a “locally” grown brand. You scan a special code on the packaging and find out where your potatoes were actually grown. Check out how it works with their chip tracker tool @ http://www.fritolay.com/lays/chip-tracker.html

Grown locally, transportation miles, carbon footprint and food miles will continue to be a hot issue as people become more aware of using resources more effectively. Make sure they understand the correct and true role of product packaging in bringing products to the consumer not juts clever buzz phrases and media hype.

Packaging Phrases And News To Watch For in 2010:

• Transportation Miles
• Carbon Footprint
• Carbon Reduction Labels
• Locality
• Locavore
• Food Miles
• Ethical Consumption
• Cradle-To-Cradle
• Environmental Footprint
• Sustainable Consumption

Tags: carbon footprint, Carbon Reduction Labels, Cradle-To-Cradle, Environmental Footprint, Ethical Consumption, food miles, Locality, Locavore, Sustainable Consumption, Transportation Miles

Gone are the days of packages sitting prettily on the shelf. There is too much competition so companies are looking for unique ways to engage the consumer. Much of this revolves around interactive packaging and social media where consumers are engaged through secondary actions. Smart or intelligent packages that help you make an informed decision or at the very least point you in the right direction. The mobile consumer is the target of much of these packaging innovations.

This field is in its infancy but statistics bear out that this type of package marketing is the wave of the future and is only limited by marketer’s imagination.

Recent Examples:

Augmented Reality

Via Notcot.com

Together with a camera and display screen, the software lets LEGO packaging reveal its contents fully-assembled within live 3D animated scenes.

2d Barcodes Engaging the Consumers In New Ways

Cheetos mobile site is Spanish

The Frito-Lay subsidiary in Mexico called Sabritas used a 2D bar code on special Halloween version of Cheetos packages to engage consumers.

Application can automatically launch a specific mobile Web site and deliver downloadable content.

Packaging Redesign Through Utilizing Social Media

Via Mashable.com

Here’s a new twist. VitaminWater used Facebook to build this brand and its flavor? What else could it be called but “Connect.”

I see new packaging videos everyday on YouTube too. Either explaining the packaging or making fun of it and in some cases engaging you in a decision.

One caution about these innovation packaging technologies, consumers are already overloaded as you will see in a future trend. There is only so much input a consumer can digest given the fact they already see thousands of marketing messages a day.

Packaging Phrases To Watch For In 2010:

• Augmented Reality
• 2D Barcodes
• Social Media
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Smart Packaging
• Intelligent Packaging
• Nanotechnology
• YouTube

Tags: Biodegradable, Bioplastics, Bioresins, Compostable, eco friendly, Extended Producer Responsibility, greenwashing, Precycling, Recyclable, Repurposed, sustainable

Packaging accounts for 30-35% of the waste stream and consumers are concerned what to do about it. They are demanding less packaging and that serves a secondary purpose or can be recycled or reused.

Many even want to just leave it at the store and retailers such as Tesco are accommodating them with bins at the front of the store. The growth of eco friendly or green packaging is outstripping conventional materials. A recent study says that growth for sustainable packaging will double. It seems that every company is seeking a “greener” packaging alternative and new products and new ideas are surfacing everyday.

Consider the 6/R’s in environmentally friendly package design in future package development.

Refill: Have a container that can be easily refilled with products using a lot less packaging material.

eco refill® Up to 85% less plastic*!!…Sounds unbelievable right?

Reduce: That is use less packaging where possible.

Via PopSop.com

From Glass To This Flexible Pouch Saving 97%. Further conversion to a secondary product like this example below.

Recycle: Partner with a company that will turn used packaging into something else.

Example: Teracycle

Reuse: By products in packaging that can be used over and over again.

Example: Refillable water bottles.

Eliminating any type of packaging from the waste stream. That is until the bottle breaks

Renew: Consider using packaging from the renewal natural resources.

Example Cargo Plant Love (plantable container)

Paper impregnated with seeds that you plant.

Repurpose: Design the packaging with another purpose in mind after it has been consumed.

Example: Packaging that turns into other useful products.

This entire unit is self contained within the packaging.

Whatever option you choose ensure your packaging aligns with your core eco message. Because of increashed “greenwashing” scrutiny be prepared to validate your green packaging claim.

Packaging Phrases To Watch For In 2010:

• Recyclable
• Compostable
• Sustainable
• Biodegradable
• Bioplastics
• Bioresins
• Greenwashing
• Repurposed
• Precycling
• Eco-friendly
• Extended Producer Responsibility

Tags: Biodegradable, Bioplastics, Bioresins, Compostable, eco friendly, Extended Producer Responsibility, greenwashing, Precycling, Recyclable, Repurposed, sustainable