Tag: packaging

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They listened to me

We did a family grocery shopping trip the other day. I was thrilled to see the top of a Nature’s Path granola box.

In January, I blogged about how Kashi, a “natural” cereal manufacturer, had gotten things wrong by making their boxes much larger than the cereal inside required.

Nature’s Path read my post (not really – they probably figured it out on their own) and made their boxes in just right sizes to fit the cereal inside! Yay!!

(And yes, I voted with my wallet – I bought two boxes. Being on sale was a special bonus!)

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Kashi got it wrong

kashi-badI like natural cereal, when I can afford it.

I was surprised when I opened this package of Kashi cereal. There was a full 5 1/2 inches of air between the top of the cereal and the top of the package. I might expect that from Kelloggs or Post – but not from a manufacturer who says they care about the environment.

I realize the “contents may have settled during shipping”. But that percentage of settling is huge.

I also understand the need to give consumers a sense that they are getting a lot for their money. But that feeling wears off very quickly when the consumer is shocked like this. And I understand the need for a product to be a “billboard” on the shelf.

If manufacturers could all agree to use real packaging, the playing field would be level. (Ha – that will never happen!) Transportation and packaging costs could be saved. Be courageous, oh you cereal manufacturers! Make your small packages a statement of how you care for your customers and the environent!

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A sense of occasion

dove-occasionDove got it right. I received this chocolate bar for Christmas. When I opened the package, I was surprised to find three individually-wrapped bars. They were wrapped in gold foil and in a “pouch”.

The chocolate? Nothing extraordinary. But the package gets high marks.

Takeaway: How can you add a sense of specialness to what you are presenting? How can you make your recipients feel special?

Note: the outside is shown smaller than the inside. I just thought you might enjoy seeing both.

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Consider the context

cougar-pedestal

This cougar lives in downtown Boulder, Colorado. He is a very active guy, as fixed sculptures go.

The artist did not consider the whole… the base is very high-tech, while the cougar is very hand-done-showing-the-artist’s-touch.

Takeaway: Consider the frame for what you are presenting. It could distract from your message.

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Why the cup?

macd-water-cup

A few days ago, our family splurged and enjoyed a MacDonalds lunch. As usual, we all got water. For us, the big reason is saving $5 or more.

This was the first time I had seen cups specifically for water. Possible reasons for this are:

  1. To keep the customers honest. If another customer saw someone filling their water cup with soda, the fraudulent filler might feel guilty.
  2. To make the water drinker feel self-righteous. They might want to brag that they are drinking a healthier drink than others.

Do you have any additional ideas why they may have done this?

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Simple is better, part 2

back2nature-cereal

I bought this cereal because it was half price.

I like the “natural” cereals because they are sometimes less sweet than the mainstream brands. (I can’t stand that ultra-sweet stuff, though ironically I love some pastries.)

I also liked the fact that the packaging was simple – few inks, unbleached cardboard and a good view of the actual product. I would love it if package designers and marketing people “de-escalated” the in-your-face-ness of all the bright colors and brashness in most normal food product packaging. Simple can be better.

Sadly, Back to Nature was pretty sweet. Also sadly, it’s too expensive for me to buy for normal consumption.

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