Inventors Invent Products - But Packaging Is What Sells Them

I just got back from speaking at the Invention Show in Pittsburgh and saw a lot of great new inventions. What I didn't see was any thought given to how the product would actually be sold at retail or even how to get it there in pristine condition .... AKA the package.

I was surprised how far many people were along in the product development process yet never considered how it was going to be marketed. In case you didn't know the package IS your silent salesperson and it will create that buzz that will make consumers pick your product up off the shelf. Without the right packaging with the right message you are NEVER going to make the consume connection. The right packaging could mean a lot of things including just getting it to your customer in one piece. But one thing is for sure according to the QVC representative: only 1 out of 5 products make it though the QVC quality process and much of the failure derives from poor packaging.

People came to the INPEX resource booth nonstop to ask their packaging questions but a lot of questions were the same. Here are two common questions with the answers in hopes this will help get you started on packaging your products to SELL.

1. How can I find a packaging vendor for small quantities or a startup budget?
The answer is to do your homework lots of it. Its basically research and finding what you like with a supplier who will work with you and the quantities you are prepared to order.

Be sure and cover this in your initial discussion before investing a lot of time and energy with a supplier that cannot provide what you need.

2. How important is the "green" movement in product packaging?
It depends. Its become a media hot button and is getting considerable mileage with retailers. Not all products can be packaged in environmentally friendly materials. In fact this type packaging is just in its infancy so investigate thoroughly why you need/want green packaging materials and what it will mean in your product packaging development.

There are many more questions to which you need answers and simple steps to work through the process of how to package your invention to sell. The answers are in the Packaging Diva's special 15 page report "Packaging Your Invention to Sell"

Here is what one attendee had to say after listening to the program:
"I learned a lot of good information about packaging. Your class opened my eyes to the importance of good packaging and how it relates to your invention's success. I could tell that you have extensive knowledge and keep up on all the trends of the industry."
The Average Inventor

Why wait till its too lateor at the very least make a nominal investment ($15) to ensure you are on the right track? Order now at

http://www.packagingbootcamp.com/index.htm

Packaging Inventions That Save Lives

Packaging News You Can Use
Tip Of The Week Issue #1278 - June 22, 2007
Publisher: JoAnn Hines
JoAnn@packagingdiva.com
http://packaginguniversity.com/
http://packagingdiva.com/
http://packagingbootcamp.com/
http://packagingcoach.com/
http://doityourselfpackaging.com
© Packaging News You Can Use
By JoAnn Hines The Packaging Diva

MESSAGE FROM THE PACKAGING DIVA:
I know you all missed me but its been crazy with family issues, business travel and upgrading to a new virtual server. But I'm back now having recently spoken at the Invention Show http://www.inventionshow.com/ in Pittsburgh and working and talking tea packaging with Virginia Price from PlanetCanit http://www.planetcanit.com at/ the World Tea Expo.

Couple of new things in my repertoire. I just finished my special 14 page report "Packaging Your Invention To Sell" email me at JoAnn@PackagingDiva.com for details.


FEATURE ARTICLE:
Packaging Inventions That Save Lives by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva

I just returned from speaking at the invention show, http://www.inventionshow.com/, on how to package your invention to sell. I saw a lot of great, innovative products that had a lot of merit. Some of them could become the next, new, "hot" consumer product. However, what struck me the most was that everyone focused on what they were developing not whether it would appeal to the consumer. They seemed to even ignore a consumer need for their product.

I watched American Inventor while I was in away and that same judgment was reinforced. People invented things that had absolutely no market potential whatsoever. Not matter how clever, catchy or innovative the packaging might be to lure the consumer into the purchase, it can't save these inventions from an unmitigated disaster.

It got me to thinking about unfulfilled or unmet needs of the consumer. These are needs that we all face -- whether we know it or not. How does the package play a role in satisfying a consumer need or creating consumer satisfaction? Look at the growth of the prepared or ready to eat market. All these new food products have been developed because the packaging allows the product to be created. Without the package, the product couldn't even exist. The consumer's lack of time is a major unfulfilled need and consumer goods companies are creating products that address that demand.

Take an everyday item such toothpaste. Where would we be without the package? Consumers never even think about why that product package was created and how it works to contain and dispense the product while keeping it sanitary. The toothpaste tube fulfilled a need.The next great wave of packaging innovation/inventions will come from problems not yet resolved or ones that haven't hit the consumer awareness button. Be aware of issues such as security and integrity of the products we buy and consume. Look at all the recent flourish of product recalls and contamination issues: pet food, peanut butter, common everyday items that could kill you or your pet. Are consumers getting worried and paying attention? You bet! Just from the pet food issue alone there has been a slow down of pet food sales and an onslaught of people making homemade pet food.

Getting back to toothpaste, have you read about the Chinese counterfeit toothpaste that is here in the US? It's quite obvious (according to what I saw in the news) that by looking at the packaging (misspellings and so on) that it's not a legitimate product (that is only obvious if you read the package, of course). The warning signals are there for the consumer to see. But what if the packaging looks normal and the product inside is contaminated? In the next wave of innovation, the package may tell us if the product is bad, contaminated or counterfeit. Seriously, the package may talk, change colors, or do a myriad of other things to inform the consumer to be wary.

A packaging company just sent me this staggering statistic. "Product tampering at the retail level is growing at more than 13 percent each year." That's scary. So, what is your packaging innovation that could nip that in the bud or prove that the product had been tampered with before the consumer purchased it? That is a huge an unmet need. It is an important one because most consumers don't recognize until it's too late. Remember the Tylenol poisonings? That created havoc, after the fact. It created a whole new category of product packaging "tamper-evident."

So think about future consumer issues. Product security is going to continue to grow. We have just seen the beginning of the consumer's awareness to it. Can you create a packaging innovation that will inspire trust and create peace of mind? Think about the untapped market potential and opportunity for the next packaging invention that can save lives.

For more ways to utilize packaging branding, innovation and marketing concepts to "connect" with your consumer contact JoAnn Hines the Packaging Diva at JoAnn@PackagingDiva.com. You can also subscribe to he complimentary newsletter "Packaging News You Can Use" at the same email address.


PACKAGING GREEN WATCH:
Consider packaging when buying foodCharleston Gazette - Charleston,WV,USAMost people have not considered the ecological implications of their choices or do not know what changes they can and should make. ...
http://wvgazette.com/section/Food+&+Dining/200705016

InnoWare, Inc. Launches 100% Compostable Containers Made of ...CSRwire.com (press release) - USA(CSRwire) ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2007--InnoWare, Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of upscale, disposable plastic food containers and ...

http://www.csrwire.com/News/8221.html

Fruit and veg worst culprits for packagingFreshinfo - London,UKThe 24-hour embargo has been designed to make people aware of the environmental costs of their actions and encourage them to cut down on plastic usage. ...
http://www.freshinfo.com/index.php?s=n&ss=nd&sid=41504

Thinking greenCadillac News - Cadillac,MI,USABuy products in bulk to save on packaging. Many health food stores have bulk bins where they sell everything from grains to cereal to cleaning products. ...
http://www.cadillacnews.com/articles/2007/04/21/news/news04.txt

Local Plastic Bag Ban? Not So Fast...WILX-TV - Lansing,MI,USAAnd packaging expert Harold Hughes of MSU's School of Packaging says there's a reason for Wilson's beliefs. "[Biodegradable plastics] are not readily ...
http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/6759627.html

Less plastic =greener planetNapa Valley Register - Napa,CA,USAUp until this latest product -- called the Original Earth Shipper from Delta Packaging, Inc. -- the only wine-shipping alternative to Styrofoam was using ...
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/04/22/news/local/iq_3920714.txt

love of Mother EarthGroovy Green - Ithaca,NY,USAOf the trash that we Americans throw away every day, 30% by weight is packaging alone. In 1993, we threw away 14 billion pounds of plastic packaging. ...
http://groovygreen.com/groove/?p=1343

Baseball, Father's Day And Packaging

Packaging News You Can Use
Tip Of The Week Issue #1277 - June 14, 2007
Publisher: JoAnn Hines JoAnn@packagingdiva.com
http://packaginguniversity.com/
http://packagingdiva.com/
http://packagingbootcamp.com/
http://packagingcoach.com/
http://doityourselfpackaging.com/

© Packaging News You Can Use
By JoAnn Hines The Packaging Diva

MESSAGE FROM THE PACKAGING DIVA:
I know you all missed me but its been crazy with family issues, business travel and upgrading to a new virtual server. But I'm back now having recently spoken at the Invention Show http://www.inventionshow.com/ in Pittsburgh and working and talking tea packaging with Virginia Price from PlanetCanit http://www.planetcanit.com%20at/ the World Tea Expo.

Couple of new things in my repertoire. I just finished my special 14 page report "Packaging Your Invention To Sell" email me at JoAnn@PackagingDiva.com for details.


FEATURE ARTICLE:
Baseball, Father's Day And Packaging
With Father's Day coming up, I have been on the lookout for innovative packages on products for dad. One of the most interesting was a head of iceberg lettuce wrapped in baseball graphics by Tanimura and Antle. I liked the concept and it made the "buy me" connection for me. With over 60,000 products in the average US supermarket I'll take any marketing advantage that works.

So, let's dissect this marketing gimmick/innovation a little more. Obviously the shape of a head of iceberg lettuce lends itself well to baseball graphics. The lettuce looks just like a baseball when over wrapped (even if it is green). It's certainly going to stand out among all of the other lettuce products. It even has a recipe printed on the package in case you are at a loss what to do with iceberg.

I think it's a clever use of branding a shape and integrating it into a Father's Day campaign. It's a good example of crossing outside your industry to create relevance to your product and brand by connecting it to a family mainstay. In fact, Tanimura and Antle want iceberg lettuce to become the official Father's Day vegetable just like other vegetables get associated with other holidays. (Green bean casserole anyone?)

Iceberg, once the leader of salad lettuce, has suffered a decline due to the proliferation of all the other lettuce products. You have to do something to it (yes, actually cut it in to wedges or break it apart into pieces) before eating. But seriously, think of all the good things that remind dad of baseball, America's favorite past time. Now spin that to get him to think about eating more salad or even think about lettuce at all.

It's creativity like this that drives business. Basic products that are on the wane can use a little innovative product packaging to give them the edge. My husband is an avid baseball fan and anything that "connects" to baseball is fair game in the merchandising world. Women might even buy it just because it is gimmicky and a conversation starter.

I like when companies try untraditional packaging methods that make the consumer take a second look. That's what it's all about any way . . . Creating enough interest that the consumer will pick up your product for a closer look and, of course, make the purchase.So prepare for next Father's Day and consider innovative product packaging that will intrigue the customer beyond the mundane. Consider the concepts and roll with it . . . baseball, Father's Day and packaging.

For more ways to utilize packaging branding, innovation and marketing concepts to "connect" with your consumer contact JoAnn Hines the Packaging Diva at JoAnn@PackagingDiva.com. You can also subscribe to he complimentary newsletter "Packaging News You Can Use" at the same email address.

PACKAGING GREEN WATCH:

Can supermarket shoppers bargain on helping the environment?Yorkshire Post Today - Leeds,Yorkshire,UK"Consumers tend towards convenience, but in so doing can work against themselves," says James Colwill from Packaging Europe. "As a general rule, ...http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2635557&SectionID=105

Glass Houses: Going Green with Media PackagingEMediaLive.com - Wilton,CT,USASustainability as it relates to packaging is about "our actions that we take on today that will affect future actions and the consequences of people's lives ...

http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=12604

Trash TalkNatural Life - Toronto,ON,CanadaLet the powers that be know you want reduced packaging that is designed for recycling. Ask for clean energy policies that lean toward reducing pollution. ...
http://www.life.ca/nl/108/trashtalk.html

PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans Introduces Environmentally Friendly CupsBusiness Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USAThe 100 percent corn-based cups are produced by Fabri-Kal and its Greenware line of packaging products. The cup line is made from American grown corn, ...
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070417005128&newsLang=en

Wal-Mart's Green GoalMotley Fool - USAReducing packaging will also reduce the need for landfill space. In total, it has been estimated that the initiative will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by ...
http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2007/04/18/wal-marts-green-goal.aspx

Earthcycle and Four Seasons Produce set to launchFreshPlaza - NetherlandsEarthcycle Packaging is pleased to announce that Four Seasons Produce Inc., one of the largest independent produce wholesalers in the United States, ...
http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=316

WPNI Launches Environment-Friendly Shopping SiteEditor & Publisher - USA... a focus on green consumerism, the female-oriented site provides information on eco-friendly products for home, beauty, technology, fashion and family. ...
http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/departments/online/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003575164

Wal-Mart Releases Initial Results Of Packaging ScorecardWebWire (press release) - Atlanta,GA,USA... said Matt Kistler, senior vice president of marketing, research, and insights for Sam’s Club and captain of Wal-Mart’s Packaging Sustainability Network. ...
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=29064


THE DIVA'S PICKS IF THE WEEK:
LUXEPACK lends its support to PENTAWARDS
Pentawards, the first worldwide competition devoted exclusively to packaging design, has just received the support of the LuxePack trade show, the reference point and global meeting point for luxury goods, which has been held in Monaco for the last 19 years and this year will also be held in New York, Sao Paulo and Shanghai.http://www.pentaward.com/

Deal Making Heats Up as Does Food and Drug ScrutinyNew York Times - United StatesThe FDA, meanwhile, is working to make the black-box warnings more prominent on packaging. CHINA PUSHES SAFETY China said late Tuesday that it was ... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/business/09five.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Nanopackaging Is Intelligent, Smart And Safe Life. New World Study ...PRLog.Org (press release) - Bucuresti,RomaniaThe sales of the nano-related packaging products have been rising from US$ 150 million in 2002 to $ 860 million in 2004 , 980 in 2006 worldwide. ...
http://www.prlog.org/10016688-nanopackaging-is-intelligent-smart-and-safe-life-new-world-study-by-hkc22-com-beijing-office.html

FPA Sustainability & Wal-Mart Packaging Scorecard WorkshopThe Flexible Packaging Assn.’s Sustainability and Wal-Mart Packaging Scorecard Workshop, set for June 19 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago, assists FPA members in helping their customers complete the Wal-Mart Sustainable Packaging Scorecard. Attendance is limited to 30 participants to allow maximum interaction.