Friday, September 19, 2008

How To Recession Proof Your Packaging

Packaging News You Can Use
by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva
Tip Of The Week
Issue #1307 - September 19, 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:

Want to connect with me on a more personal level?
600 + people follow me at http://twitter.com/PackagingDiva
Or 1200 + follow me on LinkedIn @ http://linkedin.com/packagingdiva
20,000+ read Packaging News You Can Use and my columns are syndicated around the globe.


PACKAGING AND MARKETING EVENT:

Join JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva @ Avery Dennison;'s Second Annual Behind The Label Conference October 14th

To Register please contact Laura Clark at 440-534-4919 or Laura.Clark@averydennison.com

Keynote Address: State Of The Packaging Industry: Mega Packaging Trends And Insights

Information overload. We see over 3,000 advertising messages a day. It takes about 2.6 seconds to make a purchasing decision at retail. So why would anyone buy your product over the competition?

That's where the unique role of 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 join us and the Packaging Diva as she explores successful product packaging and branding including case histories and examples of what works and what doesn't in the realm of successful product packaging.

During this workshop she will enlighten you as to how to "connect" your product to your consumer though the right packaging with the right message.

If you work in any of the following departments you NEED to attend this special session.
Market Research
Consumer Insights
Category Management
Consumer Planning
Package Design/Development
Packaging Graphics
Packaging Engineers
Brand/Product Management
Marketing
Creative Services
Industrial/Structural Packaging Engineers
Creative/Art Direction
Global Branding/Design
Retailers
Packaging Suppliers
New Business Development


PACKAGING 101:

Tired of searching the web for packaging information? Me too! That's why I pulled all my packaging resources and packaging expertise together in one place. It took me thousands of hours to compile just the information you need to get started packaging your product. In the case of you packaging pros this is a great refresher course. Simply put The Do It Yourself Packaging Workbook is a packaging guide you can't be without.

So all you entrepreneurs, inventors, small businesses, WHAM's and packaging professionals take a peek at http://doityourselfpackaging.com/or you may ask for a copy of the Table Of Contents. If you are still not sure think about what you will save in your time and effort to find out how to package your products all for a nominal price.

It's at least worth a look.


FEATURE COMMENTARY:

How To Recession Proof Your Packaging by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva


The news says everyone is worried about the economy and consumers are spending less. Is this causing your product sales to decline? Typically consumers cut back spending during hard economic times. So how can you counteract product doldrums when the economy is in a recession or a slowdown?

The first thing to understand is that consumer still "buy" things. For example 70% of all packaging is food related and people still have to eat. They just buy in different ways. They may cut out fast food or restaurant purchases in favor of home prepared meals. But they still want to purchase the same conditions. In the case of fast food easy to prepare, reheat or ready to eat. Wal-Mart's fresh take home pizza is a good example of fulfilling a need. In my case in place of a restaurant trip its rotisserie chicken that is ready to go with dozens of applications for meal prep. But I still want convenience too and limited meal prep.

To understand how to recession proof your packaging you need to learn to recognize what buying signals will motivate your customer to purchase your products. They still want to spend money they just want to do it cost effectively and to reap some value for their purchases. Or they just may want to treat themselves to something special as a way of feeling better.

Here are a few ways you can influence the consumer purchasing decision though product packaging.

Even though overall purchasing might be down people are still willing to experiment. As a good example they might cancel a planned vacation. Can you products be used to simulate a "vacation" at home? Products could be oriented toward having a lifestyle experience without ever leaving home. You could package that experience as an alternative to a vacation. Words like have a luxurious spa experience in your own home or vacation at home with our X. It's all in how you connect the experience with the desired outcome on your product packaging.

Despite the economy luxury product sales are increasing too. People are willing to spend money to treat themselves or to make a personal statement. What do you package that can be considered luxurious and a special treat for someone? Is your product packaging glitzy and unique? A good example is the number of companies incorporating Swavorksi crystals into their product packaging or using ultra sophisticated, elegant glass bottles instead of plastic. Other products include people purchasing something unique, different and expensive to make their own branding statement. In this case price is not an object its the "feeling good" outcome that counts.

On the other side of the coin is the switch from branded products to private label usually with considerable cost savings. Almost every retailer now has its own private label line of products. Can you private label your product for an untapped market opportunity? Literally anything can be private labeled. It's one of the fastest growing market sectors. As consumers look for ways of saving money they are willing to experiment with new brands. Private label packaging is now as sophisticated an branded goods. The interesting fact is once they switch and are satisfied they are generally never go back to the branded counterpart. So what can you private label with your packaging?

Another way to capture the consumer is to provide more value. Numerous articles have recently been written about the "shrinking package" on products yet selling at the same price. As I have said when asked, smart marketers would figure out how to offer more value not less. So in McDonald's lingo supersize me. Give me more for my money not less. Call this out on your packaging 10% more for the same price, value pack or even our packaging is NOT smaller. Your customer will be watching what you do and might be buying from someone who is.

I'd like to got back to rotisserie chicken again. This week I bought a chicken at Publix. I was shocked how much smaller it was as a usually much larger chicken but still selling at the same price ( just like the packaging shrink). I was an unhappy customer for two reasons. I like the chicken from Kroger much better (the store is equally close). Krogers' chicken comes in a resealable ziplock bag that makes it incredibly easy to store while Publics chicken comes in a paper bag which tears easily and isn't airtight making me take an extra step to repackage. Even better Kroger runs the member special with rotisserie chicken at a lower price frequently. That's what I mean about connecting with your core customer: On the same packaged product Kroger is offering value and convenience Publix is not.

Lastly think about repurposing your packaging. This is somewhat similar to "value" in packaging but in this case people will retain your packaging, refill it or use it for something else. Think about how you can give double the reasons for purchasing something by letting your consumer know. You get twice the bang for your buck as you can capture the environmental movement too. Words like our product is reusable, refillable or collectible, or even don't throw it away.

To recession proof your product packaging its all about listing to the consumer. They WILL buy, if you package the right message at the right price with the right value, recession or not.

Keeping updated on the latest packaging issues and trends is easy. That's what I do keep abreast of packaging trends technology and innovation so you don't have too. Its all in my weekly newsletter Packaging News You Can Use. You may get a complimentary subscription to Packaging News You Can Use at PackagingDiva.com

Friday, September 12, 2008

Packaging Yourself As A Brand

Packaging News You Can Use
by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva
Tip Of The Week
Issue #1306 - September 12, 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:

The feature article is a little different this week. As you all know I'm a big fan of networking. Most recently I've been establishing myself in the social networking arena. I'm always getting asked how do you know so many people? The answer is that I continually work to build my personal brand. That's the reason for my somewhat different post this week that I thought I would share with you.

Connect with me On LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/in/packagingdiva
Or follow me on TWITTER at PackagingDiva
You can also invite me to be your friend on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=647157849



PACKAGING AND MARKETING EVENT:
Join JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva @ Avery Dennison's Second Annual Behind The Label Conference October 14th

To Register please contact Laura Clark at 440-534-4919 or Laura.Clark@averydennison.com

Keynote Address: State Of The Packaging Industry: Trends And Insights

Information overload. We see over 3,000 advertising messages a day. It takes about 2.6 seconds to make a purchasing decision at retail. So why would anyone buy your product over the competition?

That's where the unique role of 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 join us and the Packaging Diva as she explores successful product packaging and branding including case histories and examples of what works and what doesn't in the realm of successful product packaging.

During this workshop she will enlighten you as to how to "connect" your product to your consumer though the right packaging with the right message.

If you work in any of the following departments you NEED to attend this special session.
Market Research
Consumer Insights
Category Management
Consumer Planning
Package Design/Development
Packaging Graphics
Packaging Engineers
Brand/Product Management
Marketing
Creative Services
Industrial/Structural Packaging Engineers
Creative/Art Direction
Global Branding/Design
Retailers
Packaging Suppliers
New Business Development


PACKAGING 101:

Tired of searching the web for packaging information? Me too! That's why I pulled all my packaging resources and packaging expertise together in one place. It took me thousands of hours to compile just the information you need to get started packaging your product. In the case of you packaging pros this is a great refresher course. Simply put The Do It Yourself Packaging Workbook is a packaging guide you can't be without.

So all you entrepreneurs, inventors, small businesses, WHAM's and packaging professionals take a peek at http://doityourselfpackaging.comor you may ask for a copy of the Table Of Contents. If you are still not sure think about what you will save in your time and effort to find out how to package your products all for a nominal price.
It's at least worth a look.

FEATURE COMMENTARY:

Packaging Yourself As A Brand by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva

A personal brand is the essence of who you are. The more powerful the brand the more memorable you will become. Think about brands that you can identify with. What impresses you about them and what attributes make you remember them? Brand icons didn't get that way over night and many of them have failed because they couldn't "connect" with their audience. Strong brands will stand the test of time.

After you have thought about strong compelling brands that impressed you start building your own brand statement by distilling down your essential core message: Who are you and how do you want people to identify with you? What values do you represent? When people think about you what image do you want them to visualize? Think about what sets you apart from you associates. This is about building your own image so forget the company or business in your personal brand statement.

Now that you have started thinking about your core message consider ways that you can reinforce your brand. Remember YOU are your brand, not your product or service, so this is essentially about you. Where and how can you demonstrate your brand message? When and how can you reinforce your brand?

Your brand needs to be authentic, from the heart; you can't make a brand statement believable about something you are not. When evaluating your brand message it’s important to understand your audience who are you trying to impress with you message? What do you want them to remember? You are creating your own "personal buzz" with your brand so the more you can hone in on your audience the better you can craft your message. It’s important to recognize that you can’t be all things to all people so you want to capture your target audience with your message.

Everything you do should have your brand image, whether it’s giving a speech, writing a letter or the message heard on your voice mail. The brand is a living thing, the more you utilize it the more powerful it will become. Building a brand is like using a set of building blocks. One piece doesn't make much of a structure but 20 pieces will. Think about how you can build your brand by adding pieces to enforce the totality of the structure "you." Getting outside opinions help your cause. When people think about you what assets to they remember? If it’s different than what you are tying to convey then you need to reshape your message.

Take a moment to study the brand messages of people you admire or hope to model. Using the Internet is a great place to do this. Type in the name of the person in quotation on any search engine and see what turns up. It should give you ideas on ways to craft your own message.

Think about how many places you have your name listed on a piece of paper or on the Internet. That’s where you should be building your identity.

Here a short list of places you should be making your brand shine.

Voice mail
Business cards
Stationery
Email address & SIG file
Personal web site
Press releases
Articles
Social networking sites

Personal branding packaging will help you stand apart from your competition. Whatever the circumstances your brand can only enhance your identification in the marketplace. Keep on refining and honing your brand message as you become more comfortable with whom you are and who you are trying to reach.

Keeping updated on the latest packaging issues and trends is easy. That's what I do keep abreast of packaging trends technology and innovation so you don't have too. Its all in my weekly newsletter Packaging News You Can Use. You may get a complimentary subscription to Packaging News You Can Use at PackagingDiva.com

Friday, September 05, 2008

How To Agree, Disagree And Remain Friends On Twitter: 3 Unique Perspectives

Now you might wonder what all this has to do with packaging, but the point is that the discussion errupted over the issue of green or environmentally friendly packaging. I was defending packaging as an industry and pointed out the environmental pitfalls and consumer misperceptions. The story goes on from there......

How To Agree, Disagree And Remain Friends On Twitter: 3 Unique Perspectives

This is a rather long post but well worth the read. As we all discover the benefits of social networking there are some dangers to recognize too. Please learn from our experiences and incorporate our mistakes into your own social networking repertoire. We hope you will share this will colleagues and fellow Twitters and feel free to tweet us your thoughts and feelings.

JoAnn PackagingDiva's perspective on how to agree, disagree and remain friends on Twitter.

Regina, Michelle and I learned a lesson this week: Some things you just can't discuss on Twitter. It started innocently enough two colleagues with like minded interests discussing a common topic the environment. It seems like such an easy issue to cover with pithy insightful comments but we soon learned it was more difficult to express our opinions with clarity than we first thought. To make matters worse third parties were weighing in with additional commentary on our dialog so following the conversation thread became quite convoluted.

As I'm sure you are all aware anything to do with the environment is a very complicated and touchy issue. As we tweeted innocently our dialogue escalated and became "touchy" before we even realized that each was misunderstanding the others thought processes and intentions. Fortunately we are both savvy people and recognized that we couldn't resolve our discussions or explain our thinking in 140 characters allowed on Twitter.

We agreed amicably to move the discussion to a different forum more private and that allows for more one on one interaction as well as unlimited expression of ones thoughts.

I love Twitter, I use it faithfully every day, its garnered me friends and gotten me business too. But it has its limits as we found out today. Twitter is fun, exciting and very intense. If it's serious discussion you want you need a different forum. The important thing is to recognize that now all issues are "Twitter worthy." Either they are too complicated, too involved or too private to tweet about at length. A hot button issue like the environment is very emotional to everyone so If I had to do it over I would not delve so far into the topic.

Lessons learned:
Don't monopolize the bandwidth with your private discussions;
Think before you tweet on topics that are sensitive;
Always keep the door open no matter how heated the discussion might become;
When discussions become too intense move them to a different forum;
Lastly think before you tweet where your discussion thread might ultimately lead.

You are tweeting with purpose so agree, disagree but always remain friends with your Twitter buddies.

Happy Twittering from your Twitter friends saravsoap, drflower and packagingdiva.

Happy Packaging!
JoAnn Hines
Packaging Diva
All Packaging All Of The Time

I package people, products and services. Get started in the right direction by visiting any one of my web sites for free advice, articles or just plain help. You can ask a question to a packaging expert too, list your packaging request, subscribe to my complimentary newsletter Packaging News You Can Use or just visit my web site to ask me your packaging question. I *will* find your perfect packaging solution!

Personal Web site: http://packagingdiva.com/
Corporate Web site: http://packaginguniversity.com/
Packaging Help: http://packagingcoach.com/


Michelle sarvasoap's perspective on how to agree, disagree and remain friends on Twitter

We're all using Twitter to achieve our goals. Camaraderie, networking, and promotion are the top three for me. From my perspective, camaraderie must come first. If we don't have that, how are the other two even possible?

We all come from different backgrounds, believe in different things, have different areas of expertise as well as inexperience. But we all are working diligently--much of our work utterly invisible to the Twittersphere--on things we only have 140 characters to "plug". Tweets need to pack a punch in order to get noticed.

I'm a meditation instructor and yoga therapist; as such, I watch my thoughts a lot. This was a fabulous opportunity to see how my mind, emotions, and nervous system got involved in the unfolding events. With such enticing tweets flying by, there was plenty of room for me to insert my own interpretation into whatever I read! And I did indeed react quite negatively a few times. Ultimately I took my ball and stomped home!

sarvasoap NOW I am crawling back under my minority freak rock. Oh this stuff frustrates me. Off to focus my energies in a healthy way. The environment is a topic of deep passion for many people, myself included. Nonetheless, when we're only fed bites of someone else's entire experience, more information is needed before we try to engage in truly meaningful interaction. This isn't a time to react. It's a time to RESPOND.

In situations like today's, I'm reminded of the early discussions of Netiquette. Perhaps Twitter needs its own rules of conduct.

Here are my ideas:
1. As JoAnn and Regina say, take it off Twitter. Exchange email addresses or find another means of interaction.
2. Stop for a second: Is the tweet really the meat of the topic, or is it a "news headline" DESIGNED to get a reaction from you?
3. Know yourself. Are you having a bad day? Reactionary to the topic at hand? Then cool off first.
4. Don't publicly tweet anything you wouldn't say to that person's face at a dinner party.
5. Don't publicly tweet anything you wouldn't want to receive yourself.
6. Make sure you have all the facts before you respond. Remember these are just snippets, not the full story.
7. If you tweet publicly about a heated topic, ask, "will this benefit the greater good or just scratch an itch I have?"
8. Keep your goal in mind. Why are you tweeting? While Regina feels she may have butted in, I personally was happy to see someone else jump in and add to the conversation. I was appreciative of her apology but found it unnecessary.

My response to her was,
sarvasoap @drflower no apology needed. No hard feelings. Passionate topic, not same as argument to me. Betters all of us. And, really, if we're here jointly sharing what we learned, isn't that true? We're all better for it. Thank you, Regina and JoAnn, for an enlightening afternoon, and for your friendship, which wouldn't have happened if not for Twitter!
Michelle Gilbert
Sarva Natural Artisan Soaps
info@sarvasoap.com
http://www.sarvasoap.com/
http://sarvasoap.wordpress.com/


Regina drflower's perspective on how to agree, disagree and remain friends on Twitter

It's NOT always simple to get your point across in 140 characters per post. Especially when the stakes are high. We are talking about our environment. Keeping cool every sec on this issue is just plain tough! Here is what was said:

sarvasoap Have ordered samples of new packaging materials, looking forward to trying them out. Recycled and fair trade.

packagingdiva @sarvasoap keep me posted on what U think. One of the topics I'll be covering @ the Avery Dennison marketing seminar is the reality of Green

drflower @packagingdiva hey Avery- the green train is leaving, you gonna jump on? http://www.greentrainglobal.org/

packagingdiva @drflower I checked out "green" train. Major misunderstanding about the role packaging has to play in society and the environment & what ...

sarvasoap @packagingdiva say more re: the uninformed green train.

drflower @packagingdiva I'm with @sarvasoap please elaborate :)

packagingdiva @drflower GT says fancy, flashy packaging is designed to do little more than grab your attention, is also expensive. Read http://is.gd/1orS

sarvasoap re: Packaging. I'm not an expert OBVS, but there are people who care more about green than about glitz. The minority, but they are out there

drflower @packagingdiva I don't want a true debate here on twitter regarding green packaging b/c I'm NOT in the know. I'm a soaper. BUT...

drflower @packagingdiva I'm also a frustrated parent opening toys for my kid-sigh at the many boxes/bags from a bulk Sam's prod. item ie granola bars

drflower @packagingdiva It's not clear cut to be sure but getting folks to think about packaging - You DO! greentrain needs YOU! ;-)

packagingdiva Having so much fun with Twitter survey almost forgot Packaging Tip Of the Day: Don't package "green" unless it integrates with your brand.

packagingdiva @drflower @sarvasoap the debate is not whether U should use environmentally friendly materials its about the truth of the eco pkg itself.

drflower @packagingdiva "truth of the eco pkg itself" - not quite with you unless you mean I give a damn about our earth therefore I package green!

packagingdiva Retweeting @sarvasoap: @packagingdiva are you out to get me??? ;-) Just helping you to make informed packaging decisions green or not.

drflower @packagingdiva goodness NO - not out to get you at all! but not understanding clearly...

packagingdiva @drflower example to explain - did you know making corn based plastic uses more energy than oil based? Is that an environmental win overall?

drflower @packagingdiva I've gone back thru tweets to the beginning of this thread. I mentioned greentrain in the midst of your convo with sarvasoap

drflower we have differing opinions on green packaging, I'm more than ok with agreeing to disagree. Your sources on green pkging have been a big help

drflower @packagingdiva @sarvasoap perhaps we've found a spot where twitter isn't the best communication method. please accept my apologies

packagingdiva @drflower The packaging part is vey complicated and its more than just saying packaging is green. That's the message I was trying to convey

drflower @packagingdiva corn based plastic is technically very difficult to compost/biodegrade also..i'm aware and DO read your links.

packagingdiva @drflower Apology accepted though not necessary. I agree its vey hard to discuss something in 140 that takes hours to explain. DM email plz.

drflower I know the lines are messy with green packaging. Same is true of safe cosmetics vs. all the fees for FDA testing. NOT simple subjects...

I really like JoAnn's point of "Think before you tweet on topics that are sensitive." JoAnn (Packaging Diva), Michelle (Sarvasoap) and I (drflower) went down a slippery slope on the topic of environmental packaging. When you look at the posts chronologically, I actually butted in when JoAnn was offering help to Michelle(sarvasoap) regarding green packaging and her upcoming seminar with Avery Denison. I hope that JoAnn and Michelle will forgive that. It's really easy to do on twitter.

As a joke that didn't come off as expected, I took that opportunity to mention the green train which has the purpose of promoting environmental awareness. JoAnn was really trying to point out that some "green" marketing products are not in fact as green as they seem. She's posted many an article from twitter saying just that. I personally have learned many important facts from her posts regarding environment and upmost about packaging. I even mentioned that twitter was not the place to have a debate but continued on with my points. Perhaps twitter isn't a bad place to start a debate but the trick is knowing when to take it elsewhere. Respect of your fellow "tweets" IS important. Perhaps they didn't want to hear all the banter between JoAnn and I.

Can you unfollow a person for a short time?
Who says you can't spend time on twitter or any other means of communication to talk about the issues that matter?

My concern with Twitter is that I truly believe that JoAnn and I agree on this specific issue MORE than it even seems in our "twitter debate". How do we show that? Say move to another tool like facebook where you see each post one after the other allowing for longer than 140 characters?

Social networking might give us an avenue to hash these thoughts "touchy" or otherwise and actually get to the meat of the matter. If we can do that, solutions will be right behind!

Thank you JoAnn and Michelle for your friendship. It happened from our Twitter network. Thank you Twitter!

Dr. Flower's Essentials, Inc.
A Natural Handmade Soap line
404-915-5686
sales@dr-flower.com