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CONTENTS Volume 15 > Number 07
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PUT DESIGNERS IN THEIR PLACE How deeply integrated design teams help Method take on Goliath-sized competitors
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INSPIRING CREATIVE JUICE Five ways to keep design ideas flowing
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BRAND (re)NEW > ENTENMANN’S COFFEE The baked goods company reclaims its heritage with a coffee product redesign
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OUR VOICE SPEAKS OUR BRAND How Method’s quirky humor and informal tone cultivate real love
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DOING MORE WITH LESS Cost-saving tips that don’t compromise creativity
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CONSUMER INSPIRED Consumer strategy lessons that inspire the way Me Method envisions the future
DEPARTMENTS 06 EDITORIAL EDIT > GUEST EDITOR JOSH HANDY 08 NEX NEXT+ NOW 46 JUST OUT 50 THE BOTTOM LINE > THE ROI OF SEAT SEATTLE’S BEST COFFEE’S REDESIGN > LOOKING FOR MORE ON A TOPIC? go to www.b www.brandpackaging.com
SSEP/OCT SE EP/ P/OC OCT1 OCT 111
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GUEST EDITOR:
METHOD’S JOSH HANDY
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editor-in-chief PAULINE HAMMERBECK
[email protected] associate editor JENNIFER WELBEL
[email protected] contributing editor KATE BERTRAND CONNOLLY art director CHRISTOPHER PIRRONE
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ADVISORY BOARD principal, Brandimage, Desgrippes and laga HOWARD ALPORT chairman, pratt inst. graduate school of package design DON ARIEV
M
ethod is a scrappy little soap company based in San Francisco. Our mission is to create a happy, healthy home-cleaning revolution. We participate in product categories where our competitors are hundreds of times the size of us and spend billions of dollars a year on marketing. Our only way to prosper in this asymmetric marketplace is to make every marketing dollar work like 10, and focus our energies on winning at shelf, then winning at home. Design is a key strategy we use to level this playing field.
president/ceo, brandscope GARY CHIAPPETTA president, the consumer research network, inc. MONA DOYLE principal of integrale GRETCHEN GOGESCH vice dean and director, undergraduate division, the wharton school BARBARA E. KAHN dean lindsay design DEAN LINDSAY chairman, department of food marketing, st. joseph’s university JOHN B. LORD, PH.D. president, source/inc. WILLIAM J. O’CONNOR jft studios FRANK TOBOLSKI
For this issue of BRANDPACKAGING, I’ve asked key people from Method’s Brand Experience team to talk about different aspects of the design process and how it relates back to the organization and the Method brand. We are different from most consumer products companies in that we have disproportionally invested in design and see it as a core strategic asset. However, no one at Method actually has the moniker “designer” in their official title. This is because we’ve realized that design isn’t a department or a person, but a way of thinking when approaching tricky problems. You will JOSH HANDY hear our design-led methodology echoed in all the Method products articles in this issue. We’ve worked hard to ensure that transparency, communication, collaboration and iteration—all characteristics of “design thinking”—are embedded into all of our processes to ensure a tightly integrated brand and a resilient, responsive organization that punches above its weight. BP
assistant professor, school of packaging, michigan state university DIANA TWEDE, PH.D. director, food & brand lab,university of illinois BRIAN WANSINK, PH.D.
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CORPORATE DIRECTORS publishing JOHN R. SCHREI corporate strategy RITA M. FOUMIA marketing ARIANE CLAIRE production VINCENT M. MICONI finance LISA L. PAULUS creative MICHAEL T. POWELL directories NIKKI SMITH human resources MARLENE J. WITTHOFT it SCOTT KRYWKO clear seas research BETH A. SUROWIEC
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BRANDPACKAGING (ISSN 1558-3570) is published 8 times annually, Jan/Feb, Mar, Apr, May/Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep/Oct and Nov by BNP Media II, L.L.C., 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $115.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $149.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $165.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2011, by BNP Media II, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: BRANDPACKAGING, P.O. Box 1080, Skokie, IL 60076. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send old address label along with new address to BRANDPACKAGING, P.O. Box 1080, Skokie, IL 60076. CANADA POST: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns (Canada) to Pitney Bowes, P.O.Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. FOR SINGLE COPIES OR BACK ISSUES: contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or
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SEP/OCT11
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PORTION-CONTROL JUICE PUSHES PORTIONS Portion-control packaging is nothing new. Snacks and other foods have been helping people measure out servings with singleportion-sized packs for some time now. But Sainsbury’s has turned the concept on its head with the cartons for its by Sainsbury juice line. Rather than controlling portions, four see-through windows on the side of the carton are actually encouraging portions—helping consumers measure out one of their “five a day” servings of fruit. The windows also have the added benefit of showcasing the color of the juice. Is there an opportunity to readapt a packaging concept for your brand?
CHAMPIONING PASSIONATE USERS Cheeming Boey has been using a Sharpie pen to create intricate line art on paper and polystyrene cups for half a decade now — spending as much as three months on a single illustration and selling them for up to $400 a pop. This fall, Sharpie is shrewdly showcasing Boey’s work on Youtube and in print ads, part of a multi-channel “start something” campaign that encourages self-expression. The effort marks a transition from the brand’s former strategy of celebrity endorsements to one that champions everyday passionate users — bringing emotion to what is typically a staid product category. (Illustrations: Cheeming Boey, www.iamboey.com)
HEARD! “Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.” —Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, in Wired, February 1996
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Kellogg’s All-Bran has created a faux panel for its cereal cartons in Australia and New Zealand to help debut a new identity. The cartons have been shrink-wrapped with a panel featuring the old logo; consumers simply tear off the panel to uncover the new one—an identity that is meant to position All-Bran as a more contemporary option for women. The wraparound packaging is available for eight weeks, through October, to help familiarize consumers with the new design.
SMOKER-FRIENDLY QR CODE Ronhill Unlimited is said to be the world’s first cigarette packaging with a QR code. Scanning the quick-response code with a smartphone takes the user to a mobile website that, based on his current location, identifies the nearest smoke-friendly spot. Sold in southeastern Europe (ex-Yugoslavian countries like Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina and Serbia), the packaging is a permanent extension of the Ronhill cigarette brand, manufactured by TDR. (Package design and project communications: Bruketa & Zinic and Brlog)
HEARD! “People least interested in change are middle managers. Focus on inspiring at the top and bottom.” —Cindy Tripp, global marketing director, design, P&G, DMI Make it Happen Conference
NESTLE’S ECO-FRIENDLY APP With the help of a new mobile phone app launched by Nestlé, consumers in Singapore can now scan a product’s barcode to obtain information on how to sort and dispose of different parts of its packaging. Called 123Recycle, the app covers 99 percent of Nestlé products sold in Singapore. On Nestle’s Maggi tomato sauce brand, for instance, users are advised to put the bottle and label in the green recycling bin (for glass) and its metal screwcap in the yellow bin (for metals). The app also works on non-Nestlé products, though a scan generates more generic recycling instructions. (Development: Nestlé in collaboration with the Nanyang Polytechnic School of Information Technology, Singapore)
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SEP/OCT SSE EP/O P/OCT P/ OCT11
HOW DEEPLY INTEGRATED DESIGN TEAMS HELP METHOD TAKE ON GOLIATH-SIZED COMPETITORS By Josh Handy, vp of industrial design, Method products
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ethod began in 2000 when college roommates Adam and Eric started mixing up cleaning products in empty beer pitchers in what we affectionately call the “dirtiest flat in San Francisco.” Eleven years later, we are a team of about 100 people making more than 100 cleaning products. Our story and success is based on fi nding new and better ways to run through the legs of our Goliath-sized competitors.
WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN WE “ORDER IN”
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One of the most important lessons we’ve learned is that an internal design team, properly positioned, can not only kick ass creatively, but can have a powerful effect on culture and the organization’s ability to innovate. We’ve found that our “design– led” approach improves the quality and speed of our decision making, allowing us to rapidly strengthen our thinking while simultaneously building consensus across the organization.
“IN-SOURCING” TO DRIVE BRAND AND ENTERPRISE VALUE When I joined method in 2006, we stopped using external consultants and brought design and creative in-house. If we were going to reduce our time to market, be more responsive to our customers and develop more innovative products, then a much tighter integration between new product development, marketing, sales and operations would be required. We had already co-located these functions in our open-plan offices to promote better communication, but the process needed facilitation. We surmised that designers were uniquely positioned to fulfill this role. Their natural spheres of influence intersected all of these apparently disparate functional worlds. We situated the design teams (industrial and graphic) centrally in the office, among the brand, operations, sales, engineering and product formulation teams and gave them 120 feet of floorto-ceiling whiteboard (which we call the wiki-walls) to display
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functions in constant communication, building on each other’s ideas in short, rapid iterations, allows us to develop remarkably resolved product propositions and see opportunities across categories and functional areas.
AS DESIGNERS BECOME MORE INTEGRATED, THEIR BUSINESS IQS INCREASE. The benefit of having informed, well-connected, business-savvy designers is that they make better decisions in their design work that more closely align with the organizational strategies. Knowing that a certain vendor has approached us with a new technology or that a printer has a certain press configuration that has price implications, allows them to be considered up front and incorporated at the inception of the design work, then championed through by the designer.
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ABOVE: We often quickly test new ideas with the people in the office. If we don't like it, chances are you won’t either. This facilitates quick, cheap iterations in product development. RIGHT: This is Sarah, one of our consumer response people camped out answering emails up in the new product development area. Rather than send emails to our chemists on consumer inquiries, she just pulls up a bean bag near them and yells out their questions.
their work. As the designers (and eventually everyone else) started putting their work, concepts and ideas up and making their thinking visible and explicit for all to see, people naturally began to gather around the boards and discuss the ideas, building on them, tweaking and making them better. In short, they were collaborating. No need to book a conference room next Tuesday and create a PowerPoint deck – just grab the person you want to talk to, walk over to one of the wiki-walls and chat. The effect this had on our ability to rapidly iterate ideas and build consensus across multiple stakeholders and departments cannot be overstated. For example, one of the big challenges we face is integrating sustainability into our business practices. This is a systemic issue that requires a systemic response. In Method’s case, it’s not only about designing a recyclable bottle, but how to make it beautiful, functional and out of post-consumer recycled material; fi ll it with effective, non-toxic, plant-derived cleaning power; get it to the retailer with a minimal carbon footprint; then tell the story at shelf and delight the user at home. Only a fully integrated organization with open lines of communication can expect to deliver on a sustainability promise that touches so many areas. Having co-located
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This contextual understanding is often impossible for an external team to replicate due to the typically transactional nature of the relationship. Internal teams are also able to exert influence over intractable stakeholders or choke points in the company in an informed, business-conscious way, which still encompasses a design-led agenda. Few groups have the potential depth of exposure and, hence, the ability to influence
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SEP/OCT11
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different areas of the company as an internal design team. From research to procurement, engineering, marketing and sales, they see it all.
DESIGNERS DRIVE STRATEGY When designers are exposed to the full picture of the business, their ability to think abductively makes them original and powerful product and brand strategists. While MBAs are great deductive thinkers, slicing and dicing data looking for white space, and market researchers are great inductive thinkers, probing consumers for insights, designers are skilled at imagining and expressing something that hasn’t existed before. Designers are trained to work with ill-defi ned problems, connecting the dots and making a leap. The more dots you give them, the more potential there is for new, robust disruptive ideas. They can take a new technology from a vendor, twist it around, connect it with a consumer insight, pair it with an existing product platform and suggest a merchandizing strategy.
TWO VP-LEVEL DESIGNERS ON THE LEADERSHIP TEAM Some of Method’s success is due to our mastery of the intangible aspects of product experience that larger, more impersonal companies fi nd very difficult to replicate. These attributes (form, fragrance, color and experience) are the stock and trade of designers, but they can easily be rationalized away by overzealous spreadsheet use. Method, having recognized that these are key strategic assets, keeps designers in influential positions within the company to help protect them from dilution.
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We make lots of prototypes (these are from our recent laundry project). Prototypes create opportunities for people to collaborate
It’s important to note that this does not mean defending design at all costs. The by-product of a design-led organization is that everyone is cognizant of the role design plays in creating value, and this allows designers to participate in meaningful conversations without having to feel defensive. A typical debate at Method involves trading packaging attributes for sustainability. A recent debate centered on the question, “Is it better to have crystal clear bottles that make the colors of our formulas pop on shelf or bottles made from 100 percent recycled plastic that although cloudy, deepen our sustainability credentials?” It was only through the close collaboration between our designers, engineers, chemists, vendors and “greenskeepers” (our sustainability gurus) that we managed to do both.
ASK THE WORLD OF YOUR DESIGNERS When I talk about our integrated approach to professionals in the CPG industry, Method is often critiqued for having un-realistic expectations for designers, and I suppose it is true if you employ designers who are one-dimensional in their approach and training. But many aren’t, and we’re very rigorous in how and who we hire. For designers to advance at Method, they must work cross functionally and demonstrate influence. Collaboration, innovation and resourcefulness are part of all Method employees’ performance reviews and are particularly stressed for designers, for obvious reasons. We believe that the model of deeply integrated internal design teams will become standard practice in the future as companies continue to look for ways to outperform their competition and delight their consumers. Method has certainly benefited from this approach. BP
Josh Handy leads industrial design and innovation at Method. He has a degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s in industrial design and an MBA in design management. But don’t let all that fool you. He’s no overeducated-design-geekweirdo...he’s a Kiwi.
www.brandpackaging.com
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TO KEEP FIVE WAYS WING O L F S A E ID DESIGN
G N I R I P INS E V I T A CRE
E C I U J By Sally Clarke, creative director, packaging and products, Method products
F
or a designer, being and staying inspired is as much a part of the job as being a typography whiz or Pantone geek. Everyday, I question if I will be able to find the solution to a brief. And I always believe my latest idea is my last—as if I have a finite amount of designs in my head. And while, at Method, we have built a company culture around encouraging creativity, our in-house design team is never complacent about letting the well of ideas run dry. Here are five ways I keep the creative juices f lowing:
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GET DOWN TO BUSINESS
STAY INVOLVED IN WHAT THE REST OF THE COMPANY IS DOING
Purchasing, engineering or other “non-creative” disciplines don’t seem like the most natural starting points, but at Method, designers do not work in an ivory tower separated from the
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Sitting in with the entire business team can reveal creative opportunities. Here, a cleaner three-panel label, which required a capital investment, was pushed through when the creative and crossfunctional teams worked through the implications.
needs and wants of the business. We sit as members of cross-functional business pods (e.g., hand, laundry, cleaning) and participate in the process of developing products and marketing from start to finish. Being involved at this level allows us to more fully understand the creative opportunities and implications and to work as creative thinkers rather than executers. We can advocate for an idea and propose where to push the limits of a concept, and we carry the responsibility of bringing the team along with that thinking. Recently, while redesigning our spray cleaning line, I pushed hard for a three label execution that would allow for increased brand storytelling and would leave the back panel free of copy for simplicity at shelf. The implication was that we would have to invest in expensive new labeling machinery. By being able to walk everyone through the opportunities, and by partnering with our packaging engineers to identify other products that could use the labeler, we agreed to make the investment. The end result exceeded our expectations: The products look amazing and have increased sales, and the new swanky label machine is working across multiple products. Our designers also talk directly to our retail buyers. We have worked hard to forge great partnerships with our biggest retail partners, and they often have invaluable experience that designers can tap into to produce better merchandising solutions. Having a voice in the process and seeing the difference I make keeps me inspired.
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MEET THE FOCKERS KNOW WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE THINKING
At Method, we take a different approach to listening to the people who buy our products. It’s not about putting a set of designs in front of the consumers, sitting behind the glass and asking them to pick which one they like best. We do insight work at the front end of the process and use their experiences to inspire our work and to develop product. This is how we deliver the intangibles that make using Method a different experience from other cleaning products. Meeting consumers, watching how they shop, sitting in their homes, or co-creating ideas with them inspires products that are innovative and enjoyable to use. As I sit and listen to consumers, it’s often a tiny observation or an unusual cleaning habit that sparks a new path of thinking.
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PEOPLE AGAINST DIRTY TALK TO EXPERTS IN THEIR FUNCTIONS
At Method, we call ourselves people against dirty. Everyday I am lucky to work with a group of experts in their fields: industrial designers, packaging engineers, fragrance mavens, sales ninjas and green scientists—all on a mission to fight “dirty” in all its forms. I work alongside these experts and hope that a little of their smarts rub off on me. Getting a functional expert opinion on a project gives me the opportunity to look at a solution from another angle.
For instance, one of our experts at Method, Fred, is a scientist (we call him a green chef), and he works on formulating laundry detergent. Fred is a super smart guy. A couple of years ago, we began a project to revolutionize the way people do
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ABOVE: Getting work off desktops and onto white boards or pin boards helps the creative team collaborate more broadly with the company. RIGHT: The diagrams of a formulation expert, Fred, inspired the identity for Method's laundry detergent.
laundry by creating a new kind of detergent that is 8x concentrated and can be easily dispensed in a handy pump. The bottle design is so different from what consumers are used to seeing in the supermarket aisle, and it’s much smaller structurally. We knew we had to create a distinctive identity on pack to tell this innovation story quickly at the shelf and to help consumers believe that something so small could do so much. I had bounced around plenty of ideas and packaging graphics, but felt we hadn’t landed on a big ‘a-ha’ yet,
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so I went and asked Fred to explain to me (again) how the formula worked. As he talked and got excited about the science behind it all, he started scribbling diagrams on the white board illustrating how the molecules worked. The science behind this formula is amazing, and the scribbled diagrams inspired an identity that brands the formula, reinforcing credibility and putting an optimistic, colorful “Method” spin on a scientific breakthrough.
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TREAT YOUR EYEBALLS LOOK AT EVERYTHING EVERYONE ELSE IS DESIGNING
Nothing is more inspiring or enjoyable than a visual feast. Design blogs and websites like
We’re not dairy farmers, cheese makers or brewers, just a bunch of award-winning designers from Wisconsin who understand how to keep your packaging fresh.
strategic branding packaging design integrated marketing
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www.brandpackaging.com www w.br .brand b andpac pac
leibold.com/ourwork
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Design Sponge and Core 77 are daily visits for me. I also love looking at the latest in fashion, food, textiles and architecture. I subscribe to plenty of magazines, both online and in print. I go to stores. I go to weird stores. One of my greatest joys in the world is to go to supermarkets in other countries. Seriously, I could spend days in them. Sites like
FFFFound!, an invitation-based website that lets you digitally collect pieces of design ephemera for future reference, are great tools. Browsing these lovely nuggets always inspires me. I also believe in creative teams sharing work with each other as well as with the wider company. At Method, almost all of our walls are white boards or pin boards, and we cover them with our most current creative work. Getting the work off our desktops and on the walls helps our creative team collaborate and become more confident sharing and building on ideas. We add tear-outs from magazines, bits of layouts and, even, the occasional picture of a kitten in a costume.
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TOP CHEF IS MY COPILOT GIVE YOUR BRAIN TIME TO PROCESS
I find the creative process amazing, frustrating, exciting and unpredictable. I have tricks to keep the creative juices f lowing, but I can’t force the process. I have learned over time to let my mind have the room to quietly bounce ideas around. Watching cooking shows is my way of giving my brain some downtime. Food shows are creative, but in way that doesn’t feel like what I do for a living. They are easy to dip in and out of—plus, I just really love food. And sometimes, it’s times like these, when I’m watching Jamie Oliver whip up a “roast beast,” that a perfect little hand soap design just pops into my head. BP
Sally Clarke is the creative director of packaging and product at Method but likes to go by the title ‘artsysmartsy’. She has worked in branding and packaging design consultancies in Auckland, London, New York, Sydney and San Francisco. And she loves packaging, which makes her a pain in the rear to go to the supermarket with.
SEP/OCT11
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BRAND (re)NEW
ENTENMANN’S COFFEE
By Jennifer Welbel
> The story: In the late 1800s, after
and reclaim that [history] and almost re-launch it, as if the previous product line hadn’t existed.”
emigrating from southern Germany, William Entenmann opened his first bakery in Brooklyn, New York, delivering fresh baked goods door-to-door in a horse-drawn wagon. Throughout the early part of the 20th century, the family business flourished, and, in 1951, the company traded in-home delivery for retail distribution, supplying grocery stores with its now-famous pastries and cakes. In 2007, with more than 100 products, the company introduced its first line of coffee.
> The solution: For countless years, the traditional Entenmann’s brand has been associated with the white cake boxes. “So that was really the starting point for the new design,” says Defontes. Big Idea began by switching from a blue bag to a white bag, creating a clean, modern backdrop, and then added blue elements—including blue bands along the cup and saucer rims and a blue napkin—to evoke the recognized Entenmann’s blue-and-white brand identity.
> The challenge: Despite being
a famous cookie and cake brand, Entenmann’s coffee varieties and packaging were relatively unknown. From there, the design team focused According to Steve Defontes, founder on the cake photography, giving it and creative director of Big Idea prominent positioning to make sure Advertising, the agency responsible consumers would recognize the tie-in for the redesign, “We heard from so between the brand’s new venture in many people that they just didn’t coffee and its heritage in desserts. “In know this line had existed.” So the original bag, the copy was laid right when Entenmann’s began changing over the cakes,” says Lance Pilgrim, BEFORE production and licensing for the senior art director at Big Idea. veest in the line” product line, the company decided to “reinvest feeeling that the and update the packaging. “There was the feeling old design really didn’t evoke that traditional Entenmann’s CREDITS look enough, and that may have been one of the reasons why the original product line wasn’t as successful with consumers PACKAGE DESIGN as it could have been,” says Defontes. “So the goal was to try Big Idea Advertising, http://bigideaadv.com
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AFTER
They also included coffee beans to reinforce the fact that it was a coffee product. “If you notice, you don’t really see ‘coffee’ in large print anywhere,” says Pilgrim. ‘It’s in a coffee bag and located on coffee shelves, but we wanted to make sure that it was balanced with the dessert [imagery].”
> The results: The redesign was recently revealed at the 57th Summer Fancy Food Show in July. “It was really well-received,” says Defontes. “That’s a good indicator of how buyers feel, representing how they think the product will perform with consumers.” Next up, Entenmann’s and Big Idea are in the process of developing hot chocolate. BP
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Coffee beans were added to reinforce the fact that it is a coffee product and to balance out the dessert imagery.
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A modern, white background evokes the white “cake box” feel of the traditional Entenmann’s products.
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The cake photography was repositioned to the foreground, more strongly suggesting the brand’s heritage in desserts.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Interested in submitting new/redesigned packages? Email
[email protected] with project background, images and supplier credits for consideration.
SEP/OCT11
www.brandpackaging.com bra andpackaging.com
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T N E N I Re Y
R E V E HING T
10/06/11 - 10/07/11 W CHICAGO – CITY CENTER
Bridging package design with brand strategy and real-world examples of the POWERFUL INFLUENCE packaging has on consumer buying decisions.
WWW.PACKAGINGTHATSELLS.COM
GOLD SPONSOR
LEAP DESIGN ROUNDTABLE!
* *additional fees apply. limited to brand owners.
This peer-to-peer session exclusively for brand owners is where senior marketers and creatives can come together to solve their most pressing challenges in advancing strategic design. LEAP will focus on the big picture — more theory than practice. The bigger, longer-term issues surrounding strategic design.
THURSDAY, OCT. 6 7:30am – 8:30am
4:45pm – 6:00pm
COCKTAIL RECEPTION
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST/REGISTRATION
FRIDAY, OCT. 7
8:30am – 8:45am
7:30am – 8:30am
WELCOME ADDRESS
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST/REGISTRATION
Pauline Hammerbeck, BRANDPackaging 8:30am - 8:35 8:45am – 9:30am
KEYNOTE: Chris Hacker, Chief Design Officer, Global Strategic Design Office, Johnson & Johnson 9:30am – 10:15am
MORNING NETWORKING BREAK 10:15am – 11:00am
PACKAGING, DESIGN & INNOVATION: A CONSUMERS WORLD Rudy Wilson, VP, Marketing Consumer & Shopping Experience, Frito Lay 11:00am – 11:45am
OPENING REMARKS Pauline Hammerbeck, BRANDPackaging 8:35am - 8:45
DESIGN GALLERY VOTING RESULTS Beth Surowiec, ClearSeas Research 8:45am – 9:30am
KEYNOTE: Andrea Fairchild, Vice President of Brand Marketing, Gatorade 9:30am – 10:15am
MORNING NETWORKING BREAK
KELLOGG’S ALL-BRAN: THE PATH TO A GLOBAL REDESIGN
10:15am – 11:00pm
Teresa Lindsay Houston, Global Marketing Director, Kellogg’s All-Bran Marcus Hewitt, Chief Creative Officer, Dragon Rouge Eric Zeitoun, President, Dragon Rouge
Tim Stock, Managing Director, scenarioDNA
11:45pm – 1:00pm
NETWORKING LUNCHEON
THE CULTURE OF LUXURY 11:00am – 11:45am
THE FUTURE OF RETAIL: HOW TECHNOLOGY IS TRANSFORMING MERCHANDISING, PACKAGING AND DISPLAY Piers Fawkes, Founder, PSFK
1:00pm – 1:45pm
11:45am - 12:00pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
CONCLUDING REMARKS PACKAGING THAT SELLS ADJOURNS
Jon Dehnam, Former VP of Design & Innovation, Kraft Rudy Wilson, VP, Marketing Consumer & Shopping Experience, Frito Lay Scott Biondich, Director, Sparkling Package Development, Coca-Cola North America 1:45pm – 2:30pm
12:15pm – 3:00pm
LEAP DESIGN ROUNDTABLE* A peer-to-peer strategic design roundtable for brand owners
ORGANIC BY DESIGN, BABY FOOD 2.0 Neil Grimmer, Co-Founder & CEO, Nest Collective 2:30pm – 3:15pm
AFTERNOON NETWORKING BREAK 3:15pm – 4:00pm
REDESIGNING AN ICON - WHY CONSUMERS ARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH SHARPIE ALL OVER AGAIN Pete Foster, Design Director, Newell Rubbermaid Gretchen Hickman, Director of Marketing, Newell Rubbermaid Rob Wallace, Managing Partner, Wallace Church, Inc. 4:00pm – 4:45pm
BRANDS TO WATCH Justin Gold, Founder & CEO, Justin’s Nut Butter Jason Foster, Founder & CEO, Replenish
Row 1 Hacker, Wilson, Houston, Hewitt Row 2 Zeitoun, Dehnam, Grimmer, Foster Row 3 Hickman, Wallace, Gold, Foster Row 4 Surowiec, Fairchild, Stock, Fawkes
SPONSORS
ReINVENTED ReVITALIZED ReENERGIZED PACKAGING THAT SELLS 2011 has been reinvented with fun and exciting ways to interact, connect, and inspire.
ReCONNECT
ReLAX
ReINVIGORATE your senses with a hands-on preview of packaging making it into our design annual, the Design Gallery. See how packaging can successfully demonstrate structural and graphic innovation, make a strong shelf impact, meet consumer, shopper and retailer needs and convey the brand story – and vote for your favorite!
with more than 300 marketing and creative professionals with MingleSticks. With a simple click of a button, you can connect with other conference participants without the cumbersome activity of exchanging business cards. All your connections can be reviewed online after the event.
with a week-long trip to Long Bay Beach Resort in the British Virgin Islands - the prize for our name badge competition. This contest was a hit at the 2010 event, so we’ve brought it back for 2011. We’re excited to see the creative name badge designs at this year’s event.
ReTHINK
ReCOMMIT yourself to strategic design at LEAP, our peer-to-peer design roundtable exclusively for brand owners. This roundtable will have discussions focusing on the opportunities and challenges surrounding design as a business strategy. Just $99 for PTS attendees.
packaging design with loads of inspiration and resources in our BrandLab. Plus – get your PACKAGING THAT SELLS “Passport” stamped by all sponsors and be entered in a prize drawing.
ReVIVE your playful side and have fun snapping photos in the event Photo Booth. You’ll walk away with an old-time photo strip and we’ll also have a photo board so you can see everyone else’s fun photos! Plus – you’ll be able to upload and share your pics via social networking sites, web pages and email.
ReGISTER TODAY
WWW.PACKAGINGTHATSELLS.COM
VOICE
OUR
SPEAKS OUR
BRAND
By Alexis Vogelgesang, copywriter, Method products
HOW METHOD USES QUIRKY HUMOR AND AN INFORMAL TONE TO CULTIVATE REAL LOVE FOR ITS BRAND
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e’re under no illusion that everyone enjoys cleaning as much as we do. That’s part of the beauty and challenge of what we do at Method. Cleaning isn’t inherently sexy. It’s a necessary evil. But our mission has always been to take the evil out of it. With our planet-friendly formulas and beautifully designed packaging, we make soap that inspires people to fight dirty—in every sense of the word. And we connect with them through our distinctly human, if a bit quirky, brand voice.
We’re not saying that everyone should do what we do. Every brand is different, and your voice should reflect that. Think of the most beloved brands you know. They don’t all sound the same, but they communicate with authenticity, with a voice that aligns with their mission and values. It’s how we make meaningful connections with our community of nearly 35,000 passionate advocates—better known as people against dirty—and it’s a lesson that can be applied to any brand.
BREATHING LIFE INTO THE VOICE OF OUR BRAND Our voice is our personality. Playing with words, dispensing delightful quips and telling short stories are just some of the ways we convey it. We describe it as being in a conversation with a funny friend—if your friend only talked about cleaning products. It’s thought provoking and irreverent, rarely sending you off without a wink. These qualities are consistent across all of our touchpoints. The same informal tone and quirky humor can be found on our packaging, website, advertising and marketing communications. Even in our consumer response and social media messaging, we communicate in the same way. That doesn’t mean we have boilerplates or formulas for developing our voice. We can define what it is: witty, without airs, chatty. And what it is not: crass, highfalutin, preachy. Putting stakes in the ground like this is a great exercise in defining your brand. You can then think of each new product or marketing message within these parameters and let it speak for itself. The optimism that the design, colors and fragrances of our products express matches the tone of our voice. It’s not an accident that our vibrant colors and innovative design are reflected back in the effervescence of our language and vice versa. This harmony is essential to developing a strong voice and cultivating a real love for your brand.
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Method's lively tone of voice matches the optimism expressed in the vibrant designs, colors and fragrances of its products.
www.brandpackaging.com www ww w.b bran
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THIS BEAUT Y IS A BEAST power of what’s inside don’t underestimate the ergreen™ technology pow new our le. bott this punch with naturally delivers a mighty cleaning edients—leaving ingr le dab egra biod , derived t + gleaming scen h fres a but ind beh nothing l. utifu bea ’s that clean. now
d
c connect with those who also believe that cleaning can be ffun, perfect is boring and being kind to the planet is of tthe utmost importance. Being able to do that well is the rreal magic.
OUR BOTTLES HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY It’s especially important for our voice to shine through on our packaging because it’s the core of our business. It’s also important because many of our customers never encounter any other elements of our brand. So, if on-shelf is the only opportunity we have to connect with someone, it better be good. Unfortunately, the place where we need to make the biggest impact is typically where we have the least amount of space. Working with designers and production artists, you quickly learn that a copy request for packaging often
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A distinctly human, if a bit quirky, brand voice helps Method make meaningful connections with consumers.
th dhome com
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST It’s impossible to be authentic if you’re trying to be everything to everyone or changing course with every market trend, and I think this is where many brands go wrong. Of course brands evolve over time, but if they’re clearly defined from the start, the evolution is gradual and natural. Our lightheartedness and cheeky asides work because that’s who Method is and who we’ve been since our humble beginnings. People tend to assume you have to be fun or unconventional to win the affections of your customers, but it’s not a magic bullet. Method’s brand is strong, not because we tell a good joke, but because we’re genuine and our voice reflects the mission and values of our brand. Consumers make meaningful connections with brands that they trust and whose values align with their own. Instead of trying to appeal to the masses, we seek to
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Method's voice is consistent across all of its touchpoints: from packaging and advertising to web content and marketing communications.
means, “Give me the funniest thing you can come up with in less than 25 characters.” I’m sure every copywriter in the world has faced a similar challenge. We can’t tell the whole Method story on a bottle of all-purpose spray and that’s okay. It’s more valuable to communicate what differentiates us—like 100 percent post-consumer-recycled, recyclable packaging and naturally derived ingredients—in a way that only we can. That might include a pithy speech bubble from a woodchuck or a tangent about the appropriateness of streaking. Ultimately, if a bottle of glass cleaner makes you smile, then we’ve done our job.
FINDING OUR VOICE IN OTHER LANGUAGES As Method expands into other markets, we have to consider how to negotiate cultures that may perceive our voice differently. We currently work with a French translator because many of our products are already in French-speaking markets. On numerous occasions we’ve heard back from them “that doesn’t
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As Method expands into French-speaking (and other) markets, it faces the challenge of preserving its voice while maintaining cultural relevance.
translate.” Like, the word ‘carolers.’ It turns out that the French are without the tradition of serenading their neighbors in holiday song. So noting that our holiday dish soap should not be used to ward them off would have been lost on this audience. We eventually settled on something like “not for use on your reindeer.” We were able to preserve our voice and still effectively communicate with our French-speaking customers. It was a good reminder that our brand doesn’t exist in vacuum. As a copywriter, challenges like this are a part of the fun. Even communicating in the UK requires an understanding of the cultural nuances of the English language. Our team in London certainly helps to bridge the gap. For example, they advise on modifications to our packaging copy to better articulate our message to the British market, something that would be nearly impossible for us Americans to get right. It’s important to develop variations of our voice to deepen our connections in new markets. As our brand continues to grow, I imagine we may fi nd we’ll need to expand our communications team as well. I only hope the rest of the world is as fond of puns as we are. BP
Alexis Vogelgesang is the copywriter at Method, where it is her responsibility to come up with a steady stream of amusing narratives about cleaners. She has a master’s degree in social-organizational psychology that gets very little use.
www.brandpackaging.com
SEP/OCT11
passion We provide rigid packaging. We have over 100 years of experience in the industry, over 40 offices worldwide, 500 plus employees with specialties ranging from customer service to logistics to global sourcing to design and engineering. While all of that’s important, the real reason to do business with us is not what we do but why we do it. At TricorBraun, we’re passionate about making your life simple. We understand how complex packaging can be so we’re constantly looking for innovative ways to streamline that process for you. Each and every member of the TricorBraun team exists to provide packaging professionals like you with more options for success.
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MORE LESS Doing
with
N
As with every discipline, design is being pressed to cut costs. We’ve compiled a range of cost-saving tips that don’t compromise creativity.
OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IS RAPID INNOVATION. So, for us, it’s about doing more in less time. We hire people with broad reaching capabilities—hybridthinkers. This is especially important when you’re small. We keep it tight, nimble and trust our collective instincts.
Meet with your comp house and printer
EARLY IN THE DESIGN PROCESS so you can design around what’s possible, not improbable! MIKE SPIELMAN, executive vice president, Comp24
DO IT QUICKLY. Fast projects are more efficient and less likely to be derailed.
RACHEL LOYD, creative director, Nest Collective
SETTING STRATEGY UPFRONT gives designers a north star to follow. Everyone knows the vision and direction, creating more focused work and cutting down on design and revision costs.
MARCUS HEWITT, chief creative officer, Dragon Rouge KAREN SMITH, strategy director, CBX
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s p e c i a l i s t s
i n
b l o w n
f i l m
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Change Film. Transform Sales. Increasing sales and profits may be as easy as changing film. Charter Films uses the latest advancements and proven technologies in creating custom film solutions that make your product stand out like never before—with superior clarity and performance. As specialists in blown film extrusion, Charter Films provides consistent, reliable films for flexible packaging, stand-up pouches, labels, tags, sealants and more. Your product deserves the best. Our history of providing innovative high-quality films and our focus on sustainability make us uniquely qualified to deliver the right solution. Insist on Charter Films. 1-877-411-3456 +1 715-395-8258 www.charterfilms.com/brand cfiinfo@charterfilms.com © 2011 Charter Films, Inc. All rights reserved.
We achieve efficiencies with
OUR UNIQUE INTERNAL AGENCY MODEL The team manages concept, design, production, copywriting and project management. This allows us to develop innovative solutions quickly, on deadline and within budget. RACHEL LOYD, creative director, Nest Collective
STANDARDIZE! as many items within an ink set as possible. Using 6-color process, for all work, reduces press make ready costs. NICK CARAFA, executive vice president of sales, Packaging Graphics LLC, Pawtucket, RI
DO MORE WITH LESS. Use innovative graphics with fewer complex colors to reduce production costs (it’s also better for the environment). MARCUS HEWITT, chief creative officer, Dragon Rouge
BE WISE WITH YOUR BUDGET. Be as clear as possible in the upfront strategic brief and give clear direction. MARCUS HEWITT, chief creative officer, Dragon Rouge
BE CONSISTENT AND CONCISE when developing files. Teams should approach their work to bear scrutiny. Reinvention can be costly. LONNIE BRAWER, guru and vice president, Inwork, Inc.
We try to PRINT
AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, not only to help keep our costs down, but also to help reduce our carbon footprint. Instead, we use YouSendIt to send PDFs out for approval. REBECCA MCCRACKEN, Boon evangelist, Boon Inc.
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www.brandpackaging.com
SEP/OCT11
CONSUMER
By Etienne Fang, director of consumer strategy, Method products
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INSPIRED CONSUMER STRATEGY LESSONS THAT INSPIRE THE WAY METHOD ENVISIONS THE FUTURE.
M
ethod looks to consumers to guide and stimulate thinking, rather than dictate direction. We are on a constant quest to understand and learn about our consumers’ lifestyles, attitudes, behaviors and actions to get better at anticipating what “could be” tomorrow.
As director of consumer strategy at Method, I lead a people-centered practice that seeks to defy the conventions of CPG companies. With support from our highly integrated teams of business managers, designers and scientists, we infuse the consumer point of view into brand marketing and product development to help our company strategize, innovate and execute across platforms, categories, businesses and across the master brand.
CONSUMER STRATEGY LESSONS FROM METHOD Consumer strategy at Method is a problem-solving discipline – one that not only delivers insights, but helps to figure out the world of possible solutions. We’re involved throughout the new product development process, from pre-ideation to post-launch. We help envision what can be, and improve what has been. Here are five consumer lessons that help shape and inspire our ideas.
KEEP VISION AT THE CORE. It all begins with a strong vision. One of Method’s greatest strengths, since our inception, is the unique way we view cleaning. Our founders looked at the dreary world of cleaning through a personal care lens, and saw it less as a chore and more as a way of taking care of the home. We strive to keep this differentiated point of view central in all the work we do. For instance, we recently set out to envision the future of hand care at Method. First we looked at what the original vision was 10 years ago when Method first launched: to make hand care fun through color, form and fragrance. Then we did a consumer deep dive to learn more. We segmented the world of hand care consumers, combining a quantitative study with in-home ethnographies and “shop-alongs” to create a holistic picture of consumers’ priorities in the category. We asked them to tell us about their favorite hand and personal care products and asked for feedback on Method’s products. Then they took us shopping for hand wash so that we could get a glimpse of what they found most compelling. This consumer research helped us realize that, over the years, as the brand and the green category have grown, we have evolved from being the “fun” hand wash and have become a “beautiful basic.” In order to get back to our vision, we’re rethinking our entire hand and personal care business to reignite the fun and bring something new and unexpected to the consumer.
SEP/OCT11
www.brandpackaging.com
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LEFT: Consumers play with Method hand and personal care products in their homes during ethnographic research. BELOW: What consumers say about the way they clean can be quite different from their actual behavior.
UNDERSTAND PEOPLE. We continually strive for a deep and holistic understanding of consumers. To get a true sense of people, we meet them in their world, in context – and not behind the two-way mirrors of research facilities. Focus groups have a role in consumer research in validating concepts, but in order to really understand consumers’ attitudes and behaviors, we have found it invaluable to spend quality time with them in person. At the beginning of a new product development cycle, we get into the field for exploratory ethnographic learning. Our goal with this type of research is to get a sense of the category from consumers’ perspectives. We meet with people while shopping, or in their homes as individuals, families or as part of a group of friends. We talk to them for hours and watch them clean. We ask them to document their thoughts and actions in the form of video, audio, photos and writing. Then we spend hours analyzing all of this rich, raw data to gain a deeper level of understanding. Riding on the success of our recently launched dish soap, we sought to learn more about how consumers do their dishes. Method is not new to dishwashing, but we had to suspend our knowledge in this category in order to gain a fresh perspective to drive future innovation. After a round of field observations in kitchens of all types and in-home ethnographies, we’ve hit on deeper insights about the way families do dishes that we’re using as a platform for ideation.
TAP THE COLLECTIVE BRAIN. Unlike the consumer insights function in many CPG organizations where the discipline’s role is to provide information or “deliver insights,” consumer strategy at Method requires that we solve problems. Method is a truly cross-functional business environment, and consumer strategy is a cross-functional affair that involves bringing together team members with divergent perspectives to harmonize and dissent, to derive unique insights. I work day-to-day with people in design, business, R&D and sales. They are my internal clients, as well as close collaborators in defining problems, asking questions and arriving at possible answers. Tapping into the expertise of diverse team members means accelerating learning processes exponentially for everyone.
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SHELF CONFIDENCE. What’s YOUR packaging made of? Packaging should work as hard to sell your products as you did to bring them to market. Is your packaging doing the job? Placon designs thermoformed packaging to grab maximum attention with a minimum amount of material. And we do it while meeting your production and environmental specs. A product on the shelf has only an instant to make an impression. With Placon, you can be confident you won’t be overlooked.
LETS TALK.
Come visit us at Pack Expo Booth S-6019 INNOVATION s DESIGN s SERVICE s QUALITY s SUSTAINABILITY
800-541-1535 | www.placon.com
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Method "advocates" at a co-creation session designed to reinvent specialty cleaning
VISUALIZE, PROTOTYPE, MAKE TANGIBLE. Concepting is ongoing at Method. We think of our concepts and prototypes as conversation-starters—internally with our teams, and externally with advocates (our super fans) who we also involve in our consumer research. In co-creation sessions with Method’s advocates, we ask them to be the designers for a moment. Though, the focus of consumer co-creation is on the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ that they create. These creative exercises (e.g., asking them to design the perfect cleaning product through words and sketches) are great opportunities to get below the surface to gain a deeper understanding of their emotional motivations.
GET MESSY BEFORE GETTING NEAT. REPEAT. Qualitative consumer research lives in ambiguity. Things can get very broad and messy before the process converges on concise, usable learning. That’s why it is helpful to synthesize insights through informal debriefings with our team during the course of the research process. It’s a way to incorporate various perspectives on what we’re hearing. Communication is in what is heard, not what is said. We have found that short iterative loops that go from divergent learning to convergent insights — rather than straight, linear paths — yield the best results. We often have brief work sessions throughout fieldwork so that we learn as we go, allowing room for course correction along the way – rather than waiting until the end to discuss what we’re learning. The trick to maximizing our learning throughout the consumer research process is to maintain an open mind and to be careful not to draw conclusions too early, which could short-change our opportunity to gain a new perspective.
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Once we’ve landed on some clear insights, we conduct what Method calls “concept auditions” with consumers, to present strong ideas for feedback. We’ve auditioned concepts that have put the audience to sleep and ones that have received standing ovations. Any and all reactions are useful feedback in our strategy and product development processes. When we began the recent redesign of our all-purpose cleaning sprays, we explored several ways to position these products against the competition. There was a wide range of concepts that dialed up different pillars of our brand: fragrance, health, design and efficacy. When we auditioned these concepts, we found the ones with the most direct communication were the most powerful. This work helped inform the new “PowerGreen Technology” positioning for our line of cleaners and gave us the confidence that it would resonate in the market.
WHAT CAN CONSUMERS DO FOR YOU? Method’s mission has always been to “inspire a happy, healthy home revolution.” Revolutions don’t come from following. They come from leading. This is why, ultimately, we don’t rely on consumer research to lead us into the future, but rather to inspire the way we work. Consumer strategy is an evolving discipline at Method. We are always seeking new ways to leverage consumer learning to inspire a revolution. Through close integration, forward-thinking consumer learning can drive better strategy, cross-functional collaboration, improve speed to market – and ultimately, create a superior brand experience for consumers. BP
Etienne Fang leads the consumer strategy practice at Method products. She has a combined background in design, research and strategy and thrives at the convergence of all three disciplines to create new value.
www.brandpackaging.com
SEP/OCT11
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JUST OUT > MULTINATIONAL
GREENALL’S SHOWS ITS PATRIOTISM LAUNCHED: JULY 2011
Looking to celebrate its 250th anniversary, G&J Greenall introduces an updated identity for its London Dry Gin. The redesigned bottle features a new, modern logo (which replaces the previous scriptt version) overlaid on an abstract green pattern. The brand’s tagline, “The Great British Spirit since 1761,”” can also be found at the bottom of the front panel, while a green “Union Jack” on the inside back label eneration acknowledges the brand’s heritage. “The new packaging from Dragon Rouge speaks to a new generation or at G&J of gin drinkers, but also respects our strong heritage,” says Christina Brown, marketing director Greenall. (Package design: Dragon Rouge, www.dragonrouge.com)
>
USA
U BY KOTEX IS IN STYLE LAUNCHED: JULY 2011
Kimberly-Clark extends its U by Kotex range with the launch of U by Kotex Designer Seeries. The limited-edition line features four brightly-colored patterns that reflect individual fashion trends, such as poptimistic, b boho, h ffreestyle l and d punk k glam. l Wh When developing the design strategy, CBX was inspired by trends in the cosmetic, beauty and fashion industries, in addition to popular retail brands like Anthropologie and H&M. “These are consumers who are keenly aware of the latest fashion trends and want their style and personality reflected in the brands they choose,” says Gregg S. Lipman, managing partner, CBX. “Just as in other categories where they have opportunities to personalize their purchases, these designs give them the same experience. It’s all about creating memorable, engaging and positive interaction.” (Package design: CBX, www.cbx.com)
> USA
BOHEMIA PAYS TRIBUTE TO FRIDA KAHLO LAUNCHED: JUNE 2011
Designed to honor one of Mexico’s most iconic artists, Frida Kahlo, Bohemia beer introduces limited-edition packaging. The neck labels of the 12oz bottles feature Kahlo’s face, in addition to classic Mexican symbols that are often found in her artwork, such as flowers, hummingbirds and monkeys. The thematic design also carries over to the six-pack carton, where Kahlo’s image and artwork are overlaid on a piece of traditional hand-carved tissue paper. (Package design: Design Bridge, www.designbridge.com)
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SEP/OCT11
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USA AND CANADA
JONES SODA IS SO, SO HAPPY LAUNCHED: JULY 2011
Jones Soda joins forces with the quirky accessories and apparel brand So So Happy for the launch of a co-branded line of limited-edition sodas. The collection of four, 12oz glass bottles features one of So So Happy’s signature characters, including Taco, Waffle, Ozzie and Tribe. The creatures’ whimsical personalities also carry over to the sodas’ flavors and names (e.g., Give Taco FuFu Berry Soda or Tribe likes Green Apple Soda). The bottles will be sold as a four-pack that includes one of each variety. "So So Happy is all about individuality, creativity and helping people to embrace the wonder and weirdness of life," said Cindy Bailey, president of So So Happy Studio. "The collaboration with Jones Soda is the perfect way to reach all of our devoted fans with a unique, cool product that's going to brighten their day." (Package design: Jones Soda, www.jonessoda.com and So So Happy, www.sosohappyonline.com)
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UK
RAW LISA GOES ‘AU NATURAL LAUNCHED: JULY 2011
Developed to broaden the appeal of raw foods, Raw Lisa introduces its range of raw, gluten- and dairy-free bread and crackers. The vegan snacks are packaged in a recyclable box that features abstract, plant-like illustrations that grow out from the window and are designed to represent the living ingredients. To further reflect the brand’s tagline, “As Nature Intended,” the packages also include a plant-based, compostable cellophane wrap, a recyclable sticker seal and a raw tactile finish. (Package design: Believe in, www.believein.co.uk)
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MULTINATIONAL
BUDWEISER’S SAVVY NEW LOOK LAUNCHED: AUGUST 2011
For the first time since 2001, Budweiser is introducing an updated design for its cans. Developed to connect with a younger audience, the new look features the brand’s iconic bowtie, in addition to the Budweiser creed and Anheuser-Busch medallion. According to company lore, the bowtie was originally created to encapsulate the brand name and, by doing so, to “encourage the use of the full name—Budweiser”, as opposed to the “Bud” bar call. “Our refreshed packaging design gives Budweiser an updated look, which dramatizes the iconic Budweiser bowtie and incorporates the brand hallmarks that loyal Budweiser drinkers will recognize and appreciate,” says Rob McCarthy, vice president at Budweiser. The redesigned can has been rolling out in the US since August, and will debut in international markets by the end of 2011. (Package design: jkr, www.jkr.co.uk)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Interested in submitting new/redesigned packages? Email Jennifer Welbel,
[email protected] with project background, images and supplier credits for consideration.
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www.brandpackaging.com
SEP/OCT11
ADVERTORIAL
BOTTLING UP >> by Erika Flynn
A
INNOVATION
s one of the purest packaging materials available, glass has a long history of providing consumers with what they want. When opening a glass bottle, they have come to expect quality and true flavor. Also fully recyclable, glass packaging can be endlessly recreated and repurposed for the next generation of designs. No company knows that better than O-I. As the world’s largest glass packaging manufacturer in business for more than 100 years, innovation is in its DNA. From the day company founder Michael J. Owens invented the bottle-making machine – which not only improved efficiency of the glass-making process, but helped usher
ibility. bottles featuring enhanced creativity and flexibility. Its website says it best when it talks about “blending the art of package design and the science of glass to create innovative, new packaging options to attract consumers and deliver results for customers.” “O-I is investing in basic glass science research and development to yield innovative new products and process technologies that benefit our customers,” adds Michael Lonsway, vice president of global product innovation at O-I. In fact, the company has tripled the size of its product innovation and R&D teams since 2008. The company's expanding R&D team comprises scientists focused on new ways to melt and form glass and make glass containers lighter and stronger, Lonsway explains. “Partnering with O-I's global marketing team on the inside and customers, academics and other experts on the outside, O-I innovators are working to bring the next wave of glass container products to the marketplace. These product concepts are rooted in research and anticipate opportunities to differentiate customers' brands.”
SEE VORTEX® AND BELIEVE
in child-labor protection efforts – to now, it remains the global leader in glass container manufacturing technology on both sides of the equation, the manufacturing process and the glass product standpoint. Today, the company stands at the forefront of innovation for its clients in the food and beverage industries, committed to watching consumer interests and helping its customers create a complete experience — leveraging packaging design to tap into industry trends — all while redefining the future of glass. The company has made innovation and technology among its strategic priorities, and to date, the results of its continued exploration into finding new ways of making glass packages are
After more than $40 million invested in new glass science research and development, O-I is better equipped than ever to help its customers deliver value-added solutions for packaging that differentiates products on-shelf. Case in point: The Vortex® bottle, which features the company’s ability to emboss the inside of a glass bottle, resulting in a distinctive look, and reminding consumers that glass is an innovative packaging medium. “Internal embossing is one example of how O-I blends the art of package design and the science of glass to create pioneering, new packaging options that build brands and attract consumers,” says Lonsway. Client MillerCoors incorporated the new technology for its Miller Lite brand, says Lonsway. “This makeover of the standard beer bottle, with its specially designed, spiraling pattern of embossed grooves inside the neck, is a marketplace differentiator that attracts consumers
and enhances the brand experience.” The bottle was so successful, in fact, that it became the cornerstone of Miller Lite’s’s multi-faceted spring and summer ign in 201 consumer promotional campaign 2010. O-I's Vortex® bottle recently won an IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Award) from the Industrial Designers Society of America as well as a 2010 Glass Packaging Institute Clear Choice Award.
PROOF IS IN THE PACKAGING Hoping to project a more premium image than the standard soup in a can, Bookbinder’s Specialties, the food division of Philadelphia-based Old Original Bookbinder’s Restaurant, partnered with O-I to develop a glass package that would help its gourmet vegetable soups get the attention they deserve in the crowded premium soup aisles of natural and specialty food stores. Taking into account Bookbinder’s findings following market research conducted last year, the result is a package that offers superior protection in terms of flavor, high visibility, a premium look, the resealability the company knew consumers were looking for, and sustainability. “Glass clearly helps us differentiate our product from cans in the soup aisle,” says Sean O’Neil, president of Bookbinder's Specialties. “It offers superior protection for the delicate flavors of our soups and is 100 percent resealable, locking in the quality and taste customers expect. We have received a great response from those who have seen the product, as it is clearly differentiated from everything else in the soup aisle and allows consumers to actually see the product they are purchasing.” “Our customers need to differentiate and build their brands,” Lonsway concludes. “Packaging plays a significant role in how consumers perceive a brand. That’s why we’re investing in bringing new, more creative and increasingly sustainable glass packaging to the marketplace.” O
www.o-i.com • 567-336-5000
LINE thought to appeal to mainstream coffee consumers. “When we introduced [the level system,] our goal was to fill a gap in the packaged coffee aisle with an approachable premium coffee,” says Jeff Hansberry, president of Seattle’s Best Coffee.
> THE BOTTOM LINE: Less than one
S
eattle’s Best Coffee has been roasting premium coffee since 1970. In January, the Starbucks-owned brand set out to radically simplify the category with the debut of its ‘level system’. The new packaging uses numbers and bold colors to help shoppers identify the roast of each blend and to find a coffee that fits their taste profile—from a mild Level 1 to a dark, intense Level 5. The rebranding was also designed to expand the Seattle’s Best Coffee portfolio, introducing two milder, lighter blends
year after its launch, Seattle’s Best Coffee is reporting that its ‘level system’ is making significant impact—proven by double-digit sales growth that is outpacing the premium coffee category. Research indicates that about 30 percent of all ‘levels’ purchasers are new to the Seattle’s Best Coffee brand and that the percentage of consumers under age 35 purchasing Seattle’s Best has also increased since the previous year. The new, lighter blends are also proving their appeal: sales of Levels 1 and 2 account for 16 percent of all Seattle's Best sales. BP
EDITOR’S NOTE:
CREDITS
Submit a project for consideration in The Bottom Line. Email
[email protected] with details on the effectiveness of your design.
PACKAGE DESIGN
Creature, www.welcometocreature.com
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Ampac, Inc. .................................................22
Halter Design ............................................... 7
Packaging Outlook ................................. 49
Tricor Braun .............................................. 35
BRANDPACKAGING PACKAGING THAT SELLS CONFERENCE ........26-28
HLP Clear Packaging Products .............11
Placon .......................................................... 43
Whitlam Labels ...........................................9
Huhtamaki, Inc.......................................... 29
Printpack ..................................................... 51
Charter Films .............................................37
Leibold ..........................................................21
R+D Leverage ........................................... 47
Ciulla Associates........................................17
Owens Illinois .......Inside Front Cover, 3, 49
Roland DGA............................................... 39
Xpedx ........................................ Back Cover
Exopack .........................................................4
Pantone ....................................................... 23
Transparent Container........................... 33
Yupo ............................................................. 45
William Fox Munroe ................................ 15
This index is for the convenience of our readers. Every care is taken to make it accurate. BRANDPACKAGING assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
READER & MARKETING SERVICES LETTERS Pauline Hammerbeck
[email protected] 155 Pfingsten Road, Suite 205 Deerfield, IL 60015 PRINT & INTERNET ADVERTISING GROUP PUBLISHER
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50
Mike Barr
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SEP/OCT11
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