Wal-Mart Is Not The Only One With A Packaging Scorecard

Packaging News You Can Use
by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva
Tip Of The Week
Issue #1302 - July 18, 2008
http://packagingdiva.com/
http://packaginguniversity.com/
http://packagingbootcamp.com/
http://packagingcoach.com/
http://doityourselfpackaging.com/
http://packagingyourinvention.com/


From The Desk Of The Diva:

CHRISTMAS IN JULY?

Many of you are starting to prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

As you know, I am a big fan of using public relations and publicity to grow your business. It sure has helped my business grow!

But public relations can be expensive. So why not do it yourself?

My friend Margie Zable Fisher has just updated her popular Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit. The third edition contains 13 pitch examples you can use, case studies, how to create a Unique Selling Proposition, media interview tips, how to create and implement Special Events, online P.R. including blog and Web site P.R., how to handle a crisis, and much more.

To get a free chapter of her Kit, which explains how to create a Press Kit, visit
http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=2486979.


Feature Commentary:

Wal-Mart Is Not The Only One With A Packaging Scorecard by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva

Recently I'm coming across a variety of new packaging trends or terms and it got me to thinking about how informed the average person is about product packaging. I know you are all busy doing your jobs and it takes a lot of time to keep current of what is new in product packaging or what may influence your products success. It's hard for me to keep up on a daily basis and that is all that I do for my clients.

Perhaps as a way to ascertain what is hot and what is not you should create your own "packaging scorecard" as way to measure how tuned you are to the latest in the consumer perceptions of product packaging and how it could impact whether your product will sell or NOT!

Consumers are very fickle about "packaging" issues. In fact many times they don't even understand the role of the product packaging itself. Lets take all the hue and cry over green product packaging. You would think consumers are clamoring for more environmentally responsible packaging. But just this morning I read that despite what we read about the desire for more "green" packaging the beauty industry reports that 25 % of French women and 20 % of British want recyclable beauty packaging, US women just 12%. Slightly higher than that magic 10% of greenies that are already in that space anyway.

So, should this be an issue in your packaging scorecard?
Depends upon what your niche is. In any case its a movement to watch and be aware of so I'd add it to your list.

Can you name at least 3 more current packaging trends?
Last week I wrote you about Twitter and how its becoming increasingly important. Twitter is mostly about "social media" but then those are the leading edge people that are on top of the trends. I have included a few of my recent "tweets" which I think you might find relevant to your personal packaging scorecard.

A Few Tweets From JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva:

Interviewed for this but not directly quoted (some of the insights are mine). Forget the Environment Say the 'Never Greens' http://is.gd/UKK

Creating gold out of packaging garbage. This company has a great idea. http://is.gd/URd

Has the Sierra Club sold out to Clorox? Packaging bottles are recyclable and bear the Sierra Club's name and logo. http://is.gd/VNS

With all the hype about the new iphone did you think about the packaging? Apple files iPod, iPhone retail packaging patent. http://is.gd/W4x

More on shrinking consumer product packaging while prices remain the same. http://is.gd/WTQ

I see at least 2 trends here you should be concerned about.

Can you give a definition to this term repurposed packaging? It is pretty self explanatory. But what is the name of the packaging company that is getting all the media mileage in doing this?

In case you didn't know its Terracycle Terracycle.net. They are not the only ones doing this. There is all kinds of cool stuff being made but some real "dogs" too. Just because you can reuse old packaging and make into new products doesn't necessarily mean someone will buy it. People have sent me a lot weird stuff.

What about "shrinking" consumer product packaging? Will companies reducing the size of the product and keeping the price the same create a groundswell of consumer outrage. The media think so. If I were you I would add this to my scorecard. There is a lot being written about it. If I were a smart marketer I'd figure out a way to add "more" to my product for the price rather than less.

Value for your money is a trend and its not going away. Just look at the growth of private label at the expense of branded products. This definitely would be on my scorecard.

The point is that you can take a few packaging trends and consumer hot buttons and create your own packaging scorecard. It will help you track how close you are tuned into the latest consumer issues.

Just remember the scorecard is not static. It needs to change as issues evolve or are resolved. A few minutes a week is all it takes to stay on top of the needs and issues of your core customer. Or you can follow me on Twitter at http//twitter.com/packagingdiva and I'll be doing the lions share of the work for you.

You can also give me a buzz at 678-594-6872. I'm tapped in to the latest packaging news. I can help you assess why or not you should consider changing your product packaging. At the very least I can tell you what your competition is doing.

If you are just chumming the "packaging" waters then be sure and visit and one of my web sites for lots of information and advice. It pays to do your homework first.