Packaging News You Can Use

Just wanted to share a story with you that I shared this weekend at a local craft fair with a chocolate maker:
 
Years ago, probably 45 years ago,(when I was 5) I used to go to a very exclusive country club with my aunt and uncle, they owned race horses so we were probably hanging out with a horsey crowd.
 
To this day I still remember him handing me a box, of what looked like candy (chocolate confectionaire) Godiva?  Well it wasn’t Godiva, it was horse manure shaped in balls, put into the little candy trays, wrapped in a gold foil shrink wrapped box and handed out to these “horsey folks” as a gifty promotional item to promote this particular race horse.
 
 
From that day on, (must’ve left an indelible impression) cause I would always remember, that with the right packaging you could package crap, (literally) and it would sell!

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I got lots of requests for the rest of Wendy’s report from the Sustainable Packaging Forum. You can still request my Wal-Mart packaging news file too by emailing me. This just in from Mike at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice  ”I thought you might be interested in our press release about Wal-Mart’s new packaging scorecard.  (You can get this in my Wal-Mart file.) In addition, I thought you might also be interested in our funny new cartoon about PVC hazards at http://www.pvcfree.org/”
 
Want to get some visibility with thousands of other packaging professionals? Let me know if you are attending a show or conference and would like to write a short report for my readers.
 
Speaking of conferences be sure and check this out. 

How To Package A Product In 3 Hours

Seriously, I just spent days condensing 30 years of experience into How To Package A Product In 3 Hours for the Packaging Boot Camp workshop. I’m fried! It’s hard to condense all the material into the essence of what works and what doesn’t. I know I have been doing this for 30+ years, but to beak it down to the basics is tough.

It’s a morass of information out there and what you don’t know CAN get you into trouble. (Just look at all the stories that deal with packaging in the news.) In fact, your product may never see it to the retail shelf if you haven’t done your homework.

People contact me all the time when they are in trouble. Most of the time it is after the fact and they want me to give them the quick fix to their packaging woes. Well, it doesn’t work that way. Packaging is a complicated intricate issue.  Understanding it requires time and consideration. It’s not just about getting the product there; it’s also about getting the product to SELL.

That’s where the packaging comes into play. Packaging is a complex equation. It IS the sales person. It IS your brand. It IS your company and if you haven’t given it the consideration it deserves it will fail or most certainly not live up to its expectations.

So don’t make packaging your last thought — make it your first. Find out more about how you can win with packaging and attend the Packaging Boot Camp. At the very least, satisfy your curiosity and  check it out at http://www.packagingbootcamp.com

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SO — did my last note about Wal-Mart’s points system (score card) announcement from the Sustainable Packaging Forum make you take-notice? If it didn’t — you weren’t paying attention. When the elephant in the room decides to get up and move, everyone needs to pay attention. The new points system means both buyers and vendors alike will be  judged on how they measure-up to goals Wal-Mart is establishing or itself for both near and long term change. Like the elephant, Wal-Mart’s moves are not always going to be pretty, and some will be crushed by them. Is it nice? No. Is it needed? Oh. my yes. In the ever more rapid drive to the bottom, to meet the “Lowest Price Guarantee”, vendors cut corners and leverage every advantage possible. Though all perfectly legal (in the country they are
leveraged in) many of these advantages offer short-term profits but create greater  long-term costs — usually for the environment and health/well-being of workers and their communities.

To get the rest of Wendy’s report email me at PackagingDiva@aol.com.

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Last weeks QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Should I move my email address form AOL? brought thses responses:
 
Where you have your e-mail is a personal choice.  I do not feel it “devalues” the work that you do.  Would a “hotmail” or a “yahoo” e-mail address increase the value of your commentary?
 
If one makes a “decision” as to the value of information provided solely based upon their e-mail address, perhaps that individual needs to reassess their own set of values.
 
Keep doing what you do. - J. Samuel

If you were I.B.M. or Walmart, yes: use a @walmart.com … but the AOL address is more personal — it gives your readers the feeling of more intimate access, as if you are “just one of us.” Not to mention AIM (instant message) with which I first made contact. Continued success, B. Reid
 
Any further thoughts?

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