Introduction Introduction
Packaging is now generally regarded as an essential component of our modern life style and Packaging is now generally regarded as an essential component of our modern life style and the way business is organized. Packaging is the enclosing of a physical object, typically a the way business is organized. Packaging is the enclosing of a physical object, typically a product that will be offered for sale. It is the process of preparing items of equipment for product that will be offered for sale. It is the process of preparing items of equipment for transportation and storage and which embraces preservation, identification and packaging transportation and storage and which embraces preservation, identification and packaging of products. Packing is recognized as an integral part of modern marketing operation, which of products. Packing is recognized as an integral part of modern marketing operation, which embraces all phases of activities involved in the transfer of goods and services from the embraces all phases of activities involved in the transfer of goods and services from the manufacturer to the consumer. Packaging is an important part of the branding process as it manufacturer to the consumer. Packaging is an important part of the branding process as it plays a role in communicating the image and identity of a company.
plays a role in communicating the image and identity of a company.
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How can we define Packaging?ow can we define Packaging?
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Kotler defines packaging as "all the activities of designing and producing the container for aotler defines packaging as "all the activities of designing and producing the container for a product." Packaging can be defined as the wrapping material around a consumer item that product." Packaging can be defined as the wrapping material around a consumer item that serves to contain, identify, describe, protect, display, promote, and otherwise make the serves to contain, identify, describe, protect, display, promote, and otherwise make the product marketable and keep it
product marketable and keep it clean. clean. Packaging is the outer wrapping of a Packaging is the outer wrapping of a product. It isproduct. It is the intended purpose of the packaging to make a product readily sellable as well as to the intended purpose of the packaging to make a product readily sellable as well as to protect it against damage and prevent it from deterioration while storing. Furthermore the protect it against damage and prevent it from deterioration while storing. Furthermore the packaging is often the most relevant element of a trademark and conduces to advertising or packaging is often the most relevant element of a trademark and conduces to advertising or communication.
communication. F
Functional Requirementsunctional Requirements
1. Protection and preservation 1. Protection and preservation A
A basic function of package is to protect and preserve the contents during transit from thebasic function of package is to protect and preserve the contents during transit from the manufacturer to the ultimate consumer. It is the protection during transport and
manufacturer to the ultimate consumer. It is the protection during transport and
distribution; From climatic effects (heat and cold, moisture, vapour, drying atmospheres); distribution; From climatic effects (heat and cold, moisture, vapour, drying atmospheres); from hazardous substances and contaminants; and from infestation. Protection is required from hazardous substances and contaminants; and from infestation. Protection is required against transportation hazards spillage, dirt, ingress and egress of moisture, insect
against transportation hazards spillage, dirt, ingress and egress of moisture, insect infection, contamination by foreign material, tampering pilferage etc.
infection, contamination by foreign material, tampering pilferage etc. AA package shouldpackage should preserve the contents in 'Factory Fresh' condition during the period of storage and preserve the contents in 'Factory Fresh' condition during the period of storage and transportation, ensuring protection from bacteriological attacks, chemical reaction etc. transportation, ensuring protection from bacteriological attacks, chemical reaction etc. 2
2. Containment. Containment M
Most products must be contained before they can be moved from one place to another. Toost products must be contained before they can be moved from one place to another. To function successfully, the package must contain the product. This containment function of function successfully, the package must contain the product. This containment function of packaging makes a huge contribution to protecting the environment.
packaging makes a huge contribution to protecting the environment. AA better packagingbetter packaging help to maintain the quality of the product and reachability of the product in the consumer's help to maintain the quality of the product and reachability of the product in the consumer's hand without spillages It gives better image to the organisation.
3. Communication
A major function of packaging is the communication of the product. A package must
communicate what it sells. When international trade is involved and different languages are spoken, the use of unambiguous, readily understood symbols on the distribution package is essential. It is the interest further that to get appropriate communication to the consumer about the product, how to use it and other utility informations. Packaging protects the
interests of consumers. Information includes: quantity; price; inventory levels; lot number; distribution routes; size; elapsed time since packaging; colour; and merchandising and premium data.
Types of packaging
An important distinction is to be made here between two types of packaging
o Transport packing: The product entering in to the trade need to be packed well enough to protect against loss damage during handling, transport and storage. Eg: fiberboard, wooden crate etc.
o Consumer Packing: This packaging holds the required volume of the product for ultimate consumption and is more relevant in marketing. Eg: beverages, tobacco etc. Hazards of Transport
There are four main hazards of transport * Drops and impacts
* Compression forces * Vibration
* Climatic variations
Various Mechanical Tests
o Drop Test: This test help to measure the ability of the container and inside packing materials to provide protection to its contents and to measure the ability of the container to withstand rough handling.
o Vibration Test: This test is to determine the ability of the container to withstand vibration and the protection offered by materials used for interior packing.
o Compression Test: This test is carried out, generally, on empty containers, to measure the ability of the container to resists external compressive loads applied to faces or applied to diagonally opposite edges or corners.
o Inclined Impact Test: This test help to study the extend of damage in a way of
crushing, breaking, cracking, distortion, and shifting during handling storage and transport which occurs to the container and its content.
o Rolling Test: This test helps to evaluate the overall strength of the container and the cushioning material provided inside and any failure of the content.
o Drum test: This test help to evaluate loaded shipping containers with respect to general overall durability and for the protection afforded to the contents against certain hazards of handling and shipment.
Various Climatic Tests
o Rain Test: This test is conducted in a simulated rain condition to assess its impact on the test area for two hours.
o Sand and Dust Test: This test is to evaluate the resistance of a package to the penetration of sand and dust.
o Salt Spray Test: This test is to evaluate the resistance of a package to corrosion by salt spray and to serve as a general standard for corrosion.
o Fungus Resistance Test: This test is to evaluate all the materials used in the fabrication of shipping containers for fungus resistance.
Importance of Cushion Materials
Cushioning is that part of packaging, which protects the article from damage due to shock and vibration. The main functions of cushioning materials can be detailed as follows:
o Shock protection against vibration o Protection against abrasion
o Protection of grease proof and water proof barriers at ponut of contact with solid blocks o Protection of moisture vapour barriers at points of contact with sharp edges of the article itself.
o Protection of small projections
o Filling of void space in the container o Other secondary purposes
Packaging Cost
The most important aspect when we look into packaging is the packaging cost. Packaging cost include the following:
* Material cost: It means the cost of the pack and quality control cost.
* Storage and handling cost of empty packages: This include the handling cost of bulky packages, heavy materials of construction, drums etc.
* Packaging operation costs: This includes the cost involved in operations like, cleaning the package product filling ± closing, labeling ± unitizing, stenciling, handling cylindrical slums etc.
* Storage of filled packages: This includes the cost incurred to shift the goods from one form of packaging to another.
* Transportation cost of filled packages: This involves the transportation cost by sea, air etc. (freight by volume)
* Loss and Damage cost: It is related to the loss and damage during operation, transportation delivery etc.
* Insurance cost: It varies depending on the vulnerability of package * Effect of packages on sales: The package that influence on sales.
* Obsolescence Cost: This cost involves when changes in the packaging materials, packages and labels happen.
* Package developmental cost: This include the evaluation cost, pilot test cost, field testing cost, consumer research cost, feed back cost, final trial cost etc.
Importance of packaging: An Overview
Some of the major significance of packaging can be detailed as follows:
* Can make a product more convenient to use or store, easier to identify or promote or to send out a message.
* Can make the important difference to a marketing strategy by meeting customers' needs better.
* Packaging plays a key role in brand promotion and management. Packaging is of great importance in the final choice the consumer will make, because it directly involves
convenience, appeal, information and branding.
* The paramount concern of packaging is the reachability of the product without any
damage. No matter where and how the products are transported or shipped, they arrive at the customer's door in working condition without need of repair or adjustment.
* Packaging is especially important in certain industry where future sales may be based largely on the quality, integrity and performance of a company's previous delivery. Conclusion
The significance of packaging has come to be increasingly recognized in export as well as in marketing of a wide range of consumer goods and industrial products within the country. The volume of exports depends not only on the quantity of the production and prices, but also to a substantial extends on the standards of packaging adopted for the products. Goods damaged in transit or arriving at the destination in an unacceptable condition tarnishes the reputation of the manufacturer as well as the country as a whole, besides colossal wastage of scarce economic resources. Further, packaging has a crucial role to play in the fetching higher unit values for our consumer goods (like tea and cashew) through the substitution of the bulk packs by consumer packs. In the recent past packaging has been increasingly
there to understand the importance of packaging there by to avoid the loss and damage cost incurred during transport and delivery. Keep in mind that a conscious effort on the part of marketing managers can increase the volume of sales and there by improve the
reputation of the product and organisation. References
Packaging As A Marketing Tool
Making it for the customer to buy is essential to your marketing effort -- don't
ignore packaging as a part of this process.
How you will package your audio information product and what goes out the door with it deserves as much planning effort as the production of the product itself. Product packaging will be your first impression on your customer. This is a key to repeat business. What can you do to make it easier for him to purchase other products?
Case in point. I buy a lot of informational products over the Internet, some to check out the competition and some for use in my business. I recently had a need for some buyout music, so I bought a couple of items on eBay and here¶s what I got.
They can't buy if they don't know what you are selling
The first CD was packaged in a paper sleeve and had only the album name and website address on the CD itself. (At least it had that!) There was no documentation as to what was contained on the CD and no information about what other products the company had
available.
The second CD was attractively packaged in a plastic case with a color insert and complete listing of contents. The CD itself had a color label, but no website or contact information. And again there were no catalog sheets or information enclosed with the shipment.
I checked out the websites of both vendors and determined that they both had many other products available. What a missed marketing opportunity!
Don¶t look at packaging as just something to contain your product ± it can be your most important marketing tool. Why? Studies tell us that it costs 10 times as much to get a new customer than to generate repeat business from an existing one. When you ship a product to someone, that person has become a customer. Don¶t miss the chance to make them a repeat customer. How the product is packaged and what you include with it is an almost free tool to help you do this.
I find it extremely irritating and almost insulting to pay over a hundred dollars for a software package and then have the program disk delivered in a paper sleeve. Some so called ³expert´ with an MBA probably calculated how much the 10 cents saved by
eliminating the plastic CD case would increase the ³bottom line´ of the company. What he didn¶t calculate (these kinds of things don¶t plug into a spreadsheet very well) was the cost of customer dissatisfaction and the cheapening of the company¶s image. Raise the product price by 10 cents and leave the case in!
All CDs should be labeled and in a plastic jewel case and have a printed insert that lists the contents of the CD. Your product should look first class and be as easy as possible for the customer to use. The label on the CD or cassette should include your web address in case the other packaging gets lost and they want more product a year down the road.
The only exception to this might be a CD that is included with a book and is contained in a sleeve that is glued inside the back cover of a book. This might be necessary if the book is being sold through a variety of sources and a separate CD would create an inventory and handling problem.
All orders should include some type of catalog sheet listing other products and how they can help the customer or increase his profitability. Better yet, you should include a discount coupon or some type of special offer encouraging the customer to buy from you again.
Are you tapping packaging¶s full marketing potential?
The old role of packaging was focused on delivering cost reductions and synergy savings in order to pump the ³saved dollars´ back into advertising to gain more sales. But this tactic has changed.
Increasingly, consumer product companies understand the power of packaging as the ³silent salesman,´ and they¶re pumping more dollars into packaging that were formerly earmarked for other advertising promotions. Brand managers are optimizing the use of packaging with aesthetics, graphics, functionality, and user benefits.
Consider this recent remark from Larry Light, Global Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald¶s: ³We are seeing the death of the broadcast-centric ad model. Mass marketing today is a mass mistake.´
Where McDonald¶s once spent two-thirds of its ad budget on network prime time television, today it spends less than one-third. Packaging is one area of marketing where some leading companies have increased spending.
How do you leverage packaging as a marketing tool? Here are seven keys to delivering winning marketing solutions with packaging.
1.Bring packaging into the process earlier to deliver real value. While packaging professionals traditionally were
brought into the final phases of product development, it is critical that packaging structure and design be integral to the development of the product. The manner in which a package¶s structure enables consumers to fit a product into their lives is critical to product use and, ultimately, to a product¶s success.
2.Make packaging a growth platform for marketing and the success of the organization. As µmass media¶ becomes more fragmented, and advertising efficiency declines, consider investing in making your product and package integrate into consumers¶ lives better. This will enhance performance, usage, and consumer loyalty. It will also encourage µword-of-mouth¶ advertising, the most cost-efficient advertising possible.
3.Look at packaging as a brand lever and brand ambassador . Building on this idea of having consumers serve as µbrand ambassadors,¶ recognize that this must be carefully and purposefully integrated into your research and
development strategy. How can the package fit so well into consumers¶ lifestyles that they leave the product out on their desks at work, or on the counter in the kitchen, or carry it with them in their pockets or attaches? When friends, family and colleagues view a trusted friend using your product, you have gained a valuable endorsement.
4.Link trends with packaging to deliver consumer delight. A key trend among Americans is that we are increasingly µeating in the car.¶ Observe newer packaging across fast-food, confectionery, salty snacks, and other categories, and it¶s clear that the right packaging offers opportunities in other products, too. Consumer products manufacturers are successfully offering packaging options that provide are a natural fit for ³in-the-car´ consumption. By leveraging key consumer trends through packaging, your product can be a leader and capture growing usage occasions, fitting better into consumers¶ lives.
5.Build functionality and benefits into the product with packaging. Consumers will spend up to six times more
per serving for food if it comes in an easy-to-use package. Quaker Oatmeal¶s Instant Express, for example, sells for $1.29per serving, compared with 42¢for Quaker Single-Serve and 21¢for a serving of oatmeal from the traditional Quaker canister. Campbell¶s Soup at Hand retails for $1.6 9vs. a similar-size serving in a traditional metal can at 6 9¢. Packaging can be a critical driver of benefits and value. When competition is stiff and the economy makes growth difficult, why not leverage packaging to grow both the top line and the bottom line?
6.Develop a consumer insights/metrics program to understand and monitor the value of packaging features and benefits. The value of packaging has not been well documented or quantified. As business professionals, our job is to drive revenue and profitability, and packaging can play a vital role, but this value should be measured. When
adding items to your product line, assess the net benefits that the product brings to your business. Relevant consumer and retailer benefits, sales, margins, total operational performance, and increased distribution are
examples of metrics. Once packaging is recognized as a key lever for growth, it may be a better return on investment than other marketing and promotional strategies. In most cases, it is easier to measure.
7.Develop memorable packaging, consistent with brand equit y, communication objectives and consumer expectations of the product. If your packaging is dated or is non-distinctive in your category, it is probably not building your brand equity significantly. The household product category, traditionally deemed ³non-emotional,´ is seeing change with repackaged products such as tissues and dish soap. If your product is so attractive that it justifies being left on the counter, or if it even creates an interesting design statement²such as colored cases for Macintosh computers, or Method dish soap products²you can enable consumers to be ³brand ambassadors,´ but in different ways. Show your distinctively packaged product in advertising, and make it easy for consumers to spot at point of sale.
In today's marketplace, seek out all levers for success that are available to you. Packaging has been an often under-leveraged marketing tool. Today, brand managers are increasingly realizing the critical role that packaging can serve in the marketing mix. The opportunity is to optimize the use of packaging, leveraging all aspects including design, structure, function, aesthetics, and graphics to achieve enhanced value and benefits. The time to redefine the role of packaging as a marketing tool is now.
Packaging - as a marketing tool
For many consumer goods, especially FMCG, packaging is king. Huge
competition for market share means companies are looking even closer to
packaging to deliver uniqueness and consumer appeal.
The appearance of wine in supermarkets since the relaxation of liquor
laws 15 years ago has had a major effect on co nsumer perception of wine.
There are literally hundreds of choices you can now make and most
supermarkets now have entire isles dedicated to wine. Wine brands do an
amazing amount of research studying their target audiences perception of
their labelling and are constantly refining the design to maximise appeal.
New brands are also looking for opportunities or gaps in the market and
these are again identified through thorough research. An example of this is
the emergence of the µCritter¶ wines over the last five years. Lead by
brands like Monkey Bay, Yellow Tail and Blue Penguin. These brands are
appealing to a µnew¶ audience as wine drinking is becoming more of an
everyday beverage.
While investing in appealing packaging is becoming even more important
it isn¶t an altogether new idea. For Coca Cola, their contour bottle is
considered to be almost as important as the secret formula itself. In fact,
the bottle¶s design, which was patented in 1915, became the first product
to be registered as a 3D trademark in 1977, only a small number of
consumer packages have since received the same registration.
The concept sprang from the recognition that a completely unique and
instantly recognisable bottle would be a major marketing tool. The design
brief suggested that the goal should be µa Coca-Cola bottle which a person
will recognise as a Coca-Cola bottle even if he feels it in the dark¶ and that
µthe Coca-Cola bottle should be shaped so that, even if broken, one could
tell at a glance what it was.¶
The success the original designers achieved in attempting to fulfil this
brief is still evident today, as the bottle remains one of the most readily
identifiable industrial objects on the planet.
As powerful as it can be, packaging should never be considered in
directly out of their overall strategy to enter new markets and gain loyalty.
The bottle shape has also gone on to be the basis for much of the ongoing
marketing and advertising which supports the fact t hat for packaging to be
successful it needs to deliver on brand strategy and be supported with
ongoing media communication.
WAVE has a long history creating specialist strategy driven packaging for
leading brands such as AFFCO, Tip Top, Lindauer, Montana, Camshorn,
Grove Avocado Oil, and Bird Wines.
ackaging is a vital branding tool for m ost consumer goods.
It catches consumers¶ eyes and makes them confident, even excited, to buy a specific item out of all the items in a store.
Conventional wisdom says that pharmaceutical products are a different story.
Patients only get pharma products after they¶ve been prescribed and paid for, meaning the package
itself doesn¶t really matter.
But T.D. Lithgow, president of Meadwestvaco (MWV) Healthcare, a global packaging company, argues that¶s no longer the case.
As healthcare providers face ever-larger patient pools and the time for patient education dwindles, packaging has emerged as a critical medium of communication.
³There are just not enough hours in the day for doctors or pharmacists to give the proper counsel,´ says Lithgow.
³So our packages have to do a much better job of communicating important messages to the patient.´
MWV manufactures a range of packaging solutions, from core cartons to dose titration packs to its signature Shellpak.
The company prides itself on conducting consumer research with physicians, pharmacists, and patients to understand key unmet needs.
Those needs are then integrated into MWV¶s packaging solutions.
³We try to bring unique consumer and patient insights to our customers directly versus waiting for a brand manager to execute market research to provide the same information,´ Lithgow says.
Marketing managers to date haven¶t actively conducted this research or been overly inclined to put packaging at the top of their priority lists.
Those who continue in this manner, Lithgow contends, will miss an opportunity to distinguish their products in an increasingly crowded healthcare space.
Clarity is king
The new US healthcare bill is set to usher 30 million Americans into the healthcare system by 2014. Meanwhile, mass merchandisers like Target and Walmart are rolling out $4-prescription campaigns that funnel thousands of new patients into pharmacies each month, many of them part of the aging baby boomer generation.
Clarity in packaging, therefore, is essential.
New consumers need to be educated about the products they¶re buying²about the risks and the regimens that 15 years ago a physician or pharmacist would have had more time to explain. Marketing managers should work with packaging companies to create graphics that convey important information in a concise manner.
If a product is more complicated, it will require more billboard space and a larger package to present that additional information in a user-friendly manner.
As a general rule, the elderly aren¶t good at parsing fine print, so make the layout readable, intuitive, and inviting.
Also, make sure it clearly informs about safety and medication error.
³Virtually everyone we speak to²big brand manufacturers, agencies, medical advisers, physicians, and healthcare consultants²says that medication error is an enormously important topic,´ Lithgow says.
³We are keenly aware that as patients take medication, they have to be informed.´
Adherence in a box
These days, it seems there¶s a new adherence solution around every corner²text-messaging campaigns, computer games, advanced behavioral economics software.
One of the most effective solutions, however, is the box medicines come in.
MWV has created Shellpak, a prepackaged, ready-to-dispense system that contains one treatment cycle of a medication as well as compliance aids and patient education materials.
Lithgow reports that in a recent MWV study, the adherence rate of patients who changed from vials to Shellpak spiked dramatically.
³It¶s the first [research] of its kind to show that a specific package will drive compliance,´ Lithgow says.
The study, which will be published in2011, was conducted without any in-store promotion, counseling, or medical information.
Patients simply received their medicine in a Shellpak rather than a v ial.
Lithgow says that¶s one reason why approaching adherence through packaging is so effective; it¶s a ³passive´ solution.
That is, it doesn¶t force the patient to feel the pharma firm¶s presence bearing down on them as they swallow a pill.
Yet, like other adherence solutions, it gets them to do what companies want.
Shellpak isn¶t the only adherence packaging solution out there; RxMap multi-med adherence packaging is one of several other options.
In the years ahead, Lithgow says to watch for companies like his own partnering with wireless solutions like GlowCaps to create fully integrated compliance packaging offerings. (For more on GlowCaps and other high-tech adherence solutions, see µ Wireless solutions for patient non-compliance¶.)
What color is your package?
Everyone knows that green is in vogue these days.
The greener your raw materials, the greener your factory, the greener your fleet, the more likely your product is to sell.
As pharma companies think about ways to embrace sustainability and corporate social responsibility, packaging is a good place to start.
Does the paper packaging for your products come from sustainably managed forests?
Demand that it does, and then claim that on your branded website, which will give patients one more positive association with your product.
Likewise, insist that the plastic in your packaging is recyclable.
MWV¶s Shellpaks are recyclable but only in select communities, so the company is looking into ways to make its plastic more sustainable.
At the MWV innovation center in Raleigh, NC, the company is working on hybrid polymers and introducing recycled plastic into its products.
This year Coca-Cola unveiled PlantBottle, a plastic bottle partly sourced from plant-based polymers. MWV expects in the years ahead to follow suit.
³Customers and patients are keenly aware´ of how sustainable every product is. In our case, it¶s part of our culture to make certain that it¶s not just sustainable but it¶s actually good for everyone and the environment, because frankly that¶s what our future depends on.´
F
lexible Packaging ± A New Marketing Tool
September 14, 2
010-Flexible Packaging
Although non packed food is safe for consumption as these do not contain any preservatives but today there is craze for the packed foods. Moreover the fast life and busy schedule forces one to buy packed food more often.
Most of the packed food comes in the flexible packaging that are attractive and very functional. Flexible packaging industry includes bags, envelopes, pouches, sachets, wraps, etc., that are made from materials like as film, foil, or paper sheeting. In this more curious packaging formats like pouches, blister packs and overwraps are also covered. The execution, color, size of flexible packaging differ with the product and provides a unique identity to the product it is carrying. Also this packaging is easy and secure thus gives handy way of handling the item to be
packed. Packaging industry give lots of importance to visual appeal and convenience of packing.
Before the invention of flexible packaging, glass and metal were used for packing. But lot of weight and associated inconvenience had replaced it with more comfortable and trendy flexible packaging. Although there is an economic recession going on across the world but still companies are setting huge amount of budget on packaging as this has come out as an effective marketing tool. In this the food taste same, smells betters and retain all its content for a longer period of time.
One of the key roles of packaging in today's supermarket is to create the brand image that is done superbly by the smart and flexible packaging. Also there is one more advantage of using it is that it can be customized as per the requirement of product and business.
Material Used in
Flexible Packaging
Plastic, paper and aluminum either in a single form or in combination is used to make the flexible packaging in the form of multi-layered or laminated sheets. In pharmaceutical, device packaging and nutraceutical industries barrier films are used. Tetra-pack is used for packing the milk that keep the milk safe even after opening. This is because of
the barrier films used in flexible packaging. Along with other things more emphasis is given to the biodegradable flexible packaging material that has changed the world of packing and brought new revolution in the whole industry. Hence manufacturing Biodegradable Bags and Food Packaging and bio degradable flexible packaging is one challenge. Along with this competition from the big companies to the smaller ones is another one. Flexible packaging bags and pouches made in developed countries are superior than the one made in developing countries. This increases the competition and desire to make more convenient and appealing flexible packaging designs.
Importance of Packaging & Branding in Marketing
Branding and packaging are two of the most indispensable gears of marketing. Branding is a term used to describe the name, description and design of a product. Branding differentiates a company¶s product from their competitor. Packing is a marketing tool used to replicate the brand. A company uses packaging to sell the product inside. The colors, fonts, descriptions and logo are designed to constrain consumers to purchase the product.
Sales: The entire focus of a marketing department is to strategize methods to sell the company¶s
products. Branding and packaging are two of the most effective ways to do this. Once a brand has been determined, methods are employed to sell the product. Advertising, the company website and product packaging must all present a cohesive brand or image. In successful brand campaigns, customers recognize the company¶s product packaging and purchase in part because they identify with the brand. Branding: Company, firms and organization brands a product, just to determine its ³image´ out there in the market where its operate. Inventing a brand that is instantly recognizable and perceived positively is the ultimate goal. Branding compromises of components such as color, style and visual imagery to stab out a company¶s products from its competitors. Carve out logos; slogans and tag lines are al l ways that marketers communicate a specific brand to the market where he operates.
Slogans: One of the most effective methods of branding is the use of slogans. Companies often identify a specific characteristic that sets their product apart from the competition. The slogan becomes a key component in all-marketing efforts, including packaging. For example, Nike has effectively marketed both their logo and slogan ³Just do it´, Nokia has effectively market theirs with both their logo and slogan ³Connecting people´ Glo their slogans ³Rule your world´, into an easily recognized brand.
Packaging: As a company the way and manner you package your product determines its acceptability in the market, packing is designed to capture a customer¶s attention and it can directly effect whether they buy the product or not. Innovation and creativity, coupled with an outstanding performance comes into play when it comes to packaging. A well-marketed product is packaged in a way that compels the
potential customer to pick it up and take a closer look, at which point product descriptions, inscription well written with through explanation and graphics must be clear.
Packaging Tools: Colors, fonts, descriptions and logos are the tools that are used in packaging design. Companies market their brands by creating a specific ³look and feel´ to their product¶s packaging. A
customer must feel comfortable enough with the presentation of the company¶s brand to want to purchase the product.
Company Image: A company creates branding and packaging. While these efforts are used to m arket products, they in turn market the company itself. Branding reflects the image that the company seeks to project. For example, IBM takes on a more conservative, well-established corporate image while Apple brands itself as a hip and cutting edge company. These images reflect the market that the company has identified as target customers.
Packaging and labeling your products
by TIM BERRY
Product packaging must be appealing in order to attract and hold the consumers¶ eye and attention, and serve as an efficient and functional shipping container.
Most physical products require packaging. This involves the design of a box or wrapper that contains the product. In addition to the function it performs²to hold and protect the product²it is also a powerful selling tool.
Products can have multiple packages. This includes the container itself, such as a bottle, can, or case. This is often enclosed in a box for protection purposes. The product may also have a case or larger container to ship multiple products within one box. Each of these packages, particularly those that the consumers see before their purchase, offers the opportunity to communicate information to consumers at a critical point in their decision making process. Packaging offers the opportunity to:
Protect the Product
y Reduce costs due to breakage.
y Protect the product in transit: for example breakable or perishable items such as perfume, light bulbs or food.
y Protect the product on the shelf: from theft, damage or tampering (i.e., pharmaceuticals or CDs).
Promote the Product
y Complement other promotional activities.
y Communicate information: core benefits, ³why to buy´ testimonials, Internet addresses and toll-free telephone
numbers, for products like tools or software.
y Display the product: attach to display hardware or stand upright as with gloves or cell phones.
Provide Additional Value and Differentiation
y To provide increased purchase justification.
y Dispense the product: ease of use or the size of recommended portions, as with spray paint, hair care products,
etc.
y Preserve the product: seal and reseal perishables. Examples are food products and cleaning supplies.
y Offer consumer safety: warn of hazards due to improper use of dangerous substances (such as the information
y Serve other uses: containers that can be used for other after-purchase purposes. Film canisters might carry a
couple days¶ vitamins or aspirin in a backpack. A current foldable bicycle ships and travels in a suitcase, which then converts into a trailer to be pulled behind the bike.
Retail products purchased on an impulsive basis depend heavily on packaging to communicate information and encourage a buy decision. Music CDs, perfume, and software are examples of this. An increasing number of products are purchased without the assistance from a store employee, magnifying the opportunity and impact of the package.
Well-designed packages offer a promotional tool and convenience value to the user. This can result in another form of product differentiation. Packaging can offer after-purchase value to store the product, or be used for other uses. Razors that are packaged in travel cases are an example of this.
How to judge a good packaging linepart I
How can I tell if my packaging line is capable of efficient operation? How do I determine its shortcomings? If I'm designing a new line, what do I need to know to make sure it will be as efficient and productive as possible? There's no short answer to these questions. An effective packaging line is an ar tfully crafted balance of machines, materials and people working in harmony. What constitutes a good machine or a good l ine design is not the same for all situations. To understand the considerations involved, consider these five requirements for an effective packaging system:
1. Harmonize materials and machines. 2. Keep the source machine running. 3. Avoid weak links.
4. Create smooth, precise handling. 5. Help the operator.
This article will be first in a series of articles which will explore these requirements for an effective packaging line. Examples will demonstrate how a system is designed with these considerations in mind. Specific mechanisms or control functions may fill more than one category's needs, and may be inappropriate in another example.
We'll start with ...
1. Harmonize materials and machines
In our work and in our lives we can't accomplish anything unless we take a risk. To undertake a task that has an objective presents challenges. If we're in control and effective, we'll succeed and if we lose control we may fail.
The same is true for packaging machines. If we run them empty, nothing can go wrong, but when package and product are introduced and a task with a result is to be accomplished, we risk failure (such as jams, material waste
and more).
People have learned to evaluate risk in their personal and professional endeavors. We make a judgement as to whether our skills and abilities are adequate to control the risk causing characteristics of a new task. Similarly, we should make sure that the packaging machines we use have the mechanical and functional abilities necessary to control the risk causing characteristics of the packaging material, product and finished package requirements. Whenever a packaging operation has downtime due to jams and high material waste, you can blame the machine or blame the material. Either side of that argument is correct. This article focuses on making sure the machine has
adequate capabilities so that there's nothing to find blame for.
The general engineering principle to be applied her e is to identify the things about th e package, product or expected results that are weaknesses in terms of pr oductivity. Positive characteristics of the machine's operation must then be applied to control those weaknesses. Here are some examples:
* Empty plastic bottles approaching a filler need proper control in their handling. If they ar e tall, with small bases, as for many products, they may easily tip over, causing jams. Look for a positive handling approach, such a s top and bottom compression belts. A downed bottle detector/rejecter may also be in order.
When plastic bottles are not properly spaced when entering a feed screw or starwheel, they get crushed. Sensing of bottle position and maintaining a consistent prime at the infeed are critical here.
* Corrugated trays with short sides are troublesome in setting up. Variations in paperboard properties and humidity in the plant affect the way in which they bend (or don't bend) when n udged by the machine. Look for mechanisms that provide positive control in bending, not r elying on the stiffness of the tray bottom or the presence of product in the tray. You shouldn't have to resort to perforated scores, which weaken the tray, to keep the line running well. * When products in glued folding cartons are on a retail shelf, a frequent marketing requirement is that the end flaps be squarely aligned with each other. This can be hard to control if the width and length (the two dimensions of the
sealed end) are close in size. A machine should be selected that supports both the leading and trailing panel while the flaps are being folded, to avoid relying on friction, requiring a mechanic on the line to repeatedly adjust rails. * When filling liquids, product dripage on the bottle necks causes erratic t orque levels on the downstream capper. If your product is relatively viscous, avoid a filler that allows the nozzle to get coated with product. After the nozzle has left the bottle, product will drip off it, often at a time when it is over the side of a bottle neck..
* If hermetic seals are required on a flexible pouch, as is usually true in medical applications, make sure there is sufficient dwell time between the heat seal jaws to allow the molten sealant layer (usually polyethylene) to flow into creases and folds. Don't push th e speed to the projected maximum.
* When applying a full-body shrink label to a container, use a zoned shrink tunnel so that a constant temperature profile can be maintained. With irregularly shaped bottles, varied temperatures along the bottle height may be
needed.
* When running wraparound cases, never bend the case around the product unless the product has a sharp, accurate and consistent edge to bend against (tightly packed three-piece cans can work well). If the edge of th e product is
rounded or irregular, such as with plastic bottles, use a machine that sets the case blank up using positive mechanical means prior to product introduction.
* Plastic bottles accumulating on a running conveyor get shorter in their width due to the conveyor line pressure. Collating devices on case packers and the like rely on the width of the bottle for sweeping a certain number of bottles aside, or rely on the position of the neck for robotic pick-up. It is important that such machines have a means
to relieve the line pressure so that bottle dimensions are reliable, avoiding jams or missed picks.
There are as many potential material pitfalls as th ere are materials and packaging applications for them. There are also many consistent materials with reliable properties that don't require special machine features. Experience with similar applications is the best source of r eliable information about such matters. If you haven't already learned the hard way in your own operation and are planning a new line, try to contact packagers who are running similar materials to learn what causes jams on their machines.
Functional ± effectively contain and protect the contents
* Provide convenience during distribution, sale, opening, use, reuse, etc. * Be environmentally responsible
* Be cost effective
* Appropriately designed for target market
* Eye-catching (particularly for retail/consumer sales)
* Communicate attributes and recommended use of the product and package * Compliant with retailers¶ requirements
* Promotes image of enterprise
* Distinguishable from competitors¶ products
* Meet legal requirements for product and packaging * Point of difference in service and supply of product. * For a perfect product, perfect colour.
Packaging
Requirements of good packaging
y Functional - effectively contain and protect the contents
y Provide convenience during distribution, sale, opening, use, reuse, etc. y Be environmentally responsible
y Be cost effective
y Appropriately designed for target market
y Eye-catching (particularly for retail/consumer sales)
y Communicate attributes and recommended use of the product and package y Compliant with retailers' requirements
y Promotes image of enterprise
y Distinguishable from competitors' products
y Meet legal requirements for product and packaging y Point of difference in service and supply of product.
y For a perfect product, perfect colour.
Forms of packaging
y Specialty packaging emphasizes the elegant character of the product y Packaging for double-use
y Combination packagingtwo or more products packaged in the same container
y Kaleidoscopic packaging packaging changes continually to reflect a series or particular theme y Packaging for immediate consumption to be thrown away after use
y Packaging for resale packed, into appropriate quantities, for the retailer or wholesaler
What is behind good packaging?
Behind every great pack are a team of people who are always thinking about the environment
Packaging needs to fulfil a number of roles; protection of the goods it carries, maximization of transport efficiencies, to appeal to consumers in store, fit with retailer shelving and allow provision of consumer
information about storage and use.
It must also meet legal requirements for labelling and should display the goods to consumers in excellent condition and with evidence that the goods have not been tampered with.
Consumers often perceive that products are overpackaged and that reducing packaging material is the only way forward to reduce the environmental impact of waste.However damaged and wasted goods can have far more of an environmental impact than the packaging itself, especially when a high proportion of packaging material is recycled.
Therefore we operate on the principle that there should be as much
packaging as is necessary, rather than as little as possible, it is all about finding the optimum.
Our packaging is a combination of science, practice and innovation
T he right design
Through packaging designs that protect our customers¶ products along the supply chain, SCA Packaging contributes directly to
sustainable development.
Decisions onpackaging designscan have a high environmental impact.The right design allows us to provide our customers with packaging that ensures optimum performance without unnecessary
complexity and waste.
The right design creates harmony between the product itself and the primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.µCradle to cradle¶ packaging
designconsiders the entire lifecycle of packaging in the context of product and supply chain, minimising material usage and maximising material and energy recovery.
The right design ensures better cubic utilisation.If goods can be shipped more densely, less transport is required, less
fuel is consumed and fewer emissions are generated. The right design requires the right process. The first step is a thorough analysis of the supply chain and research of materials to be used.
Next, 3D designs are created which can be assessed in a virtual environment. Prototypes are then produced and tested before the best solution is selected.
The right design requires the right tools and SCA uses a number of proprietarydesign toolsduring thedesign process. Tools for example which simulate strength allowing for material minimisation, or optimal palletisation, and which ensure that our packaging helps achieve the sustainability goals of our customers.
Lifecycle thinking
Corrugated packaging, apart from a few specialist applications, is intended for single trips with the material being
recycled at the end of its life.
It is important to challenge a commonly promoted view that reuse will always result in a lower environmental impact than recycling. Whilst it is true that reuse can on many occasions be a useful option, it is mostly a questionable strategy for packaging.
The role of reuse in the hierarchy of options needs to be carefully considered with regard to environmental impact and should be based on lifecycle thinking.
With regard to the specific comparison of returnable plastic crates (RPC¶s) with single trip corrugated packaging, it can be the case that for controlled, closed loop cycles with short transport distances RPC¶s may have a lower environmental impact. However for longer transport distances and particularly for ³open loop´ scenarios, with more complicated logistics, the use of corrugated packagingwill normally result in a lower environmental impact.
