Ciba Redesigns Acutrim Packaging, Merchandising

Manufacturers of nonprescription appetite suppressants (they don't use the term "diet pills" anymore) walk a fine line within the health and beauty category.On one hand, appetite control products are pharmaceuticals. They are packaged in basic, rectangular boxes like conventional medicine, thus assuring consumers that they are both safe and effective. On the other hand, they also are cosmetic products. Marketers know that a little design sizzle appeals to consumers looking for a chance at rejuvenation.This spring, Ciba Consumer Pharmaceuticals went for the sizzle, redesigning the packaging and merchandising for its Acutrim line of appetite suppressants. "Acutrim is one of our major base brands, along with Desenex, Cruex, Allerest and Doan's Pills," says Stephen Schacht, promotions manager at Woodbridge, N.J.-based Ciba. "This is the first major package redesign in the history of the brand."The new Acutrim package (consisting of a cardboard header and sleeve over a clear plastic wrapper) has concave sides that give it a more feminine-looking, hourglass shape. While Schacht would not reveal market-share data, he notes that "there's no doubt that the whole brand is targeted toward women. We wanted packaging that gives the illusion of slimness."To introduce the new design, the company wanted a low-cost shipper display that echoed the packaging's willowy look. Lynn Sciarrone, packaging engineer at Ciba, says that goal posed a bit of a challenge: "Corrugated is straight, so you don't think of it in terms of being curvy or very flexible."The solution was a two-piece, multi-use display, consisting of a prepacked power wing (which can be hung by itself as a sidekick) and a base. While the power wing is tapered at the bottom, the base flares out, creating the hourglass look when configured as a floorstand display.The look of the new packaging also is replicated on the 3-D header, which is made of SBS board. During the rollout, it carried a cross-sell promotion for No Nonsense pantyhose. But the header card is interchangeable and can be customized for retail accounts.When set as a floorstand, the display is 57 inches high with a footprint of little more than 1 square foot. The power wing alone measures 13 inches wide, 42 inches high and 6 inches deep. While the display is quite tall and slim, balance is not an issue since the product itself is quite light in weight.The display features all three Acutrim products: Maximum Strength, Steady Control and Late Day Strength. It can hold as many as 36 packages or, with fillers, as few as 24.

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