Shelf Impact + Product Protection

The need for shelf impact and brand differentiation drives consumer packaging, yet marketers also must think about protecting the product inside. In many cases today, these diverse objectives are being met by new, creative blends of packaging materials. Here are a few recent examples:Hershey Foods Corp., Hershey, Pa., has a new product called Swoops. A wafer-like chocolate shaped somewhat like a Pringles potato chip, it comes in four flavors.As a new product introduction and a new form of confection, it demanded packaging that would say on-shelf, "Here's something different." One way to accomplish that is to go to a package structure that is not common to the category.In this case, Hershey uses a shaped paperboard carton. It has rounded rather than traditional squared corners. Package designers say that shape is right behind color in achieving brand recognition, and this package, manufactured by Caraustar Industries Inc., Austell, Ga., uses both shape and color to attain shelf impact. As important as that is to Hershey's, the company also realized that the Swoops package had to protect the wafer-like confections from breaking as packages went through distribution. The answer: Three thermoformed plastic cups within each carton. Each cup holds six of the wafer-like confections, cradling them to prevent damage during shipment. A foil lid seals each cup.Lately, I have seen more and more instances of packages that combine thermoformed plastic cups to protect the product with paperboard to deliver shelf impact through the graphics. The cups also add portability after the carton has been opened. Consumers value the resulting on-the-go format and smaller serving size option. When Cadbury Adams USA LLC, Plano, Texas, introduced Halls Fruit Breezers, it departed from its traditional packaging method. The company's established brand -- Halls Mentho-Lyptus -- offers nine, paper-wrapped candies inside a foil outer wrap. In purses and pockets, the individual lozenges sometime come out of the wrap and settle among the change and other items.Company marketers, therefore, examined ways to keep individual Fruit Breezers from being caught among all those other little things. The result was a hard candy that wins kudos from consumers for being purse- and pocket-friendly.After some creative thinking, Cadbury Adams settled on a pharmaceutical-style blister pack. Eight lozenges are in each blister. Consumers get them by pushing them through a foil backing. The package is easy to use because the foil is thin. Packages usually found on pharmaceuticals tend to use heavier foils.Chris Hou, of Cadbury Adams' marketing department, says the packaging resulted from in-depth consumer research. "Keeping the candy clean and fresh, and preventing it from falling out of the packaging, were things the consumer liked about it the most," Hou said. "The other point is the ease of removing the candy."To deliver shelf impact, Cadbury Adams opted for a paper sleeve that slips over the blister. It has seven-color printing that delivers what I call a "I-see-how-it-tastes" image. Caraustar Industries Inc. produced this package, too.Another significant feature:The product packaging also has a high-gloss surface coating that delivers an eye-catching glint of light. While there is no research on the sales impact of gloss, I believe it has an impact on sales. (For further information on this topic, see my column from March 2004.)Shelf Impact and Theft-ResistanceMarketers of high-value merchandise face two requirements at retail. One is to get as much shelf impact as possible. The other is to deter theft by keeping consumers from ripping open packages and putting the product in their pockets. I like the approach Nokia, Irving, Texas, took with its N-Gage wireless games. The products are facing competition and will be relaunched this summer with changes. The company also achieves differentiation by using a packaging format that is different from other brands in the category. Clamshell blisters dominate electronic game packaging. They provide visibility and are hard enough to open to deter theft. However, Nokia went to a paperboard package that utilizes four-color printing in shades of grays and blacks for a chic appearance. Patterned gloss and matte coatings reinforce this. The paperboard cartons were mated to interior blisters, which -- affixed to the carton -- deterred consumers from ripping product from boxes.This method of joining paperboard (for graphic impact) with blisters (for theft-deterrence) is one I see less frequently than the clamshell blister alternative. However, it has a role in categories void of differentiation. It also provides room in the package for lengthy documentation or instruction booklets.Jim Peters is a writer and consultant with 25 years in the packaging field. He is president of J. Peters Associates Inc. Click here for his contact information.

Shelf Impact + Product Protection

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