Is Your Packaging In The Pink?

Packaging News You Can Use
Tip Of The Week Issue #1282 - October 5, 2007
JoAnn@packagingdiva.com
http://packaginguniversity.com/
http://packagingdiva.com/
http://packagingbootcamp.com/
http://packagingcoach.com/
http://doityourselfpackaging.com/


MESSAGE FROM THE PACKAGING DIVA

Miss ME? I JUST LAUNCHED PackagingYourInvention.com so that has been my objective for the last two weeks. I've been interviewed on the phone too. Check these out.

Chicago Tribune
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/shopping_ellen_warren/2007/09/your-mother-tol.html

Entrepreneur Magazine
http://entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2007/october/184354.html

Consider this:Your packaging is as important as your patent....Inventors invent products, but it is the packaging that is going to sell them. The average consumer spends less than three seconds making up their minds whether or not to buy a product. Consequently, you need to influence that purchasing decision. The best way to do that is with the right packaging. The right package is your "silent salesperson" and it will create the buzz that will compel consumers to pick your product off the shelf or place an order from the Internet.

Packaging is your finest and most cost effective option to persuading consumers to pick up your invention and take a closer look. Be aware that packaging an invention or a product is complicated. One mistake and you could be back to square one -- not only will the consumer not buy your product it may not even see the retailer’s shelf. Everyday I hear horror stories about product packaging that failed at retail or never made the grade to make it to the shelf. Recently, a QVC representative told me that only one out of five products make it through the QVC quality process. She indicated that much of the failure is derived from poor packaging.

When that happens, unfortunately, you have wasted a lot of money in the process. The average product invests $7,000 in package design and development before the launch. So, it pays to do it right the first time and understand the obstacles before they become insurmountable.

So what's an inventor who knows nothing about packaging or even where to start supposed to do? I have created just the resource for you, "Packaging Your Invention." You can find packaging insider tips, technologies and packaging innovations to help you get started at http://packagingyourinvention.com/. There is plenty of free advice to point you in the right direction.

Why should you listen to me? I have more than 30 years of extensive experience in packaging. When I spoke at the Invention Show, a listener had this to say about my program on "Packaging Your Invention To Sell." "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

So don't wait until it is so late that you are going off in the wrong direction with your product packaging. When you think about your patent, think about your packaging too. The most important thing to remember is that without a package you cannot have an invention in the market place and without the right packaging your invention will never sell. Your packaging is as important as your patent


FEATURE ARTICLE:
Is Your Packaging In The Pink? by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva

I'm sure you are aware of the fact that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. It’s interesting to see how much awareness the consumer goods companies have taken in this as a marketing ploy since I started writing about cause marketing packages a couple of years ago.

This week, I received no less than five press releases about pink product packaging coinciding with the Susan Komen Race For The Cure and breast cancer awareness month. It ran from cereal to pasta. Heck, General Mills is partnering with Ellen DeGeneres to support the Race for the Cure this year and last year NASCAR was in the pink.

This is a far cry from the marketers a few years ago. As it turns out, many new companies are jumping on the "cause marketing" bandwagon in conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by offering products in pink packages.


Right now breast cancer is the most popular female issue used in "cause" marketing. It is closely identified with marketing to women, the 80+% purchaser and decision maker of all consumer goods categories. So companies are thinking that pink is a win-win with female audiences. Yoplait, as well as Campbells Soup, has been supporting breast cancer for a number of years .

But let’s look at this a little more closely. It is important to recognize the fact that not all women are swayed by supporting a cause in their purchasing decision. It’s more complicated than just slapping a new (pink) label on the package or putting products in pink boxes. You have to connect with her in a meaningful way too. If she is not convinced about the validity of the product, then putting it in a pink package will not sway her either.

I am not sure how much each CPG company is donating to the cause but this presents a great opportunity for "cause marketing" through product packaging. You can capitalize through product packaging on other causes too. In fact, you can create ongoing cause marketing campaigns throughout the year with a little creative license.

I just received a release from Miller High Life for their Blaze Orange beer can supporting the cause for "hunting." Just kidding, but seriously everything is fair game (tee hee, no pun intended)

A word of caution be sure and consider this. There are two sides to this issue; 1) Companies that really believe in supporting the cause for which they are endorsing who develop pink products in the case of supporting breast cancer, AND 2) Companies who are use a cause as a marketing gimmick to sell more product. In this case, many people question the amount of money that is actually donated. Is it insignificant compared to the profits made during a special cause marketing campaign? I think the issue revolves around the words "a portion of the profits" and that varies from company to company.

But whatever your opinion -- whether you are induced to make a purchase or to support a cause -- packaging for cause marketing is here to stay. The question is can you make it profitable for your company to support this endeavor. Will your customer, the ultimate decision maker, look at your company in a favorable light or be turned off because they think you are out there to make a quick buck just because it’s a popular initiative at the moment? So think pink or not, be sure and understand how and why pink product packaging might impact the bottom line.


Need to understand the latest packaging trends and how they will impact consumer product purchasing? Visit the Packaging Diva website http://packagingdiva.com/ or contact the Packaging Diva by phone 1-678-594-6872 or via email at PackagingDiva@aol.com

Packaging Green Watch:
Blog
Blog:Two Cents: 20227 : Is the changing climate changing you?San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USABy eating less meat and driving less, I'm at 6, but because of ancient sunlight being in vurtually everything there is -- product/process/packaging -- it's ...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=13&entry_id=20227

Still green, but no longer greySupplyManagement.com - London,UKGone are the days when recycled paper was fit only for egg cartons and cereal packaging. Antony Barton - examines its development as a major business ...
http://www.supplymanagement.co.uk/EDIT/Featured_articles_item.asp?id=16732

Zumbiel Packaging Chooses Renewable Energy for its New Beverage ...packagePrinting (press release) - Philadelphia,PA,USARenewable power is the latest example of Zumbiel's commitment and leadership in the areas of environmental stewardship and sustainable packaging. ...
http://www.packageprinting.com/story/story.bsp?sid=76870&var=story

Items on store shelves are following the latest green trendThe Southern - Carbondale,IL,USACertainly more paper products are following the "greening" trend by prominently labeling recycled content percentages on packaging. ...
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2007/09/22/business/21586971.txt

retailers push packagers to think "greenReuters - USABio-based packaging products are also becoming increasingly popular and being used in surprising places. International Paper for instance manufactures ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2834263820070904?src=090407_1334_DOUBLEFEATURE_vital_months_in_iraq

THE DIVA'S PACKAGING PICKS OF THE WEEK:
I predicted this a while ago
Product packaging works harder, gets weirderBlogging Stocks - USASome household product manufacturers are looking to make their once utlitarian packaging so pleasing that people may be willing to display it in their homes ...
http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/11/product-packaging-works-harder-gets-weirder/

And interesting twist
CBS promotes fall lineup on food packagingCrain's New York Business - New York,NY,USA"We get people when they are least expecting messages about entertainment, but they are very receptive to them." The promotion involves the printing and ...
http://www.newyorkbusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070907/FREE/70907011/1040

Remember my article 100 calorie snacks smart or stupid?
Consumers Pay Hefty Premium for Air, Packaging in 100-Calorie PacksCenter for Science in the Public Interest - Washington,DC,USA"Manufacturers get the best of both worlds--they make more money, and they look like they're helping people control their weight. But consumers could save ...
http://cspinet.org/new/200708141.html

More bottled water woes
On the anti-bottled-water bandwagonLos Angeles Times - CA,USAThe company is investigating other environmentally friendly packaging alternatives, a spokeswoman said. Coca-Cola Co. has redesigned bottles for its Dasani ...http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/admark/la-fi-water14aug14,1,4661430.story?coll=la-headlines-business-advert&ctrack=1&cset=true


JoAnnPackaging DivaAll Packaging All The Time

JUST LAUNCHED
Packaging Your Invention http://PackagingYourInvention.com

JoAnn Hines (The Packaging Diva) work is featured in Package Design magazine, Shelf Impact, Webpackaging and many other packaging portals and magazines. In the month of July her packaging commentary was used in Ad Age, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and The Wall Street Journal. She is recognized as one 50 most influential packaging leaders in the 20th Century and is the founder of Women In Packaging http://www.womneinpackaging.org/.

Hear her commentary on packaging and manufacturing at http://www.podcasternews.com/programs/87/better-process-podcast/4067/there-are-many-many-issues-about-packaging/