“How do I open this damn thing?” I ask myself in frustration at least once a week.
I’m trying to tear the wrapper off a piece of candy, open one of those big padded envelopes, rip the stubborn cellophane off a new CD, or get inside a molded piece of plastic glued to a cardboard backing so I can retrieve the CD headphones I just bought.
If my 55-year-old hands can’t open it, I resort to using my teeth, a pen, a kitchen knife or a letter opener.
Then I stumbled across the article “10 Packaging Trends That Will Make Consumers Buy” by packaging diva JoAnn Hines. Consumers, particularly Baby Boomers, she says, are yearning for products with packaging that’s easy to open, handle and store.
The article also discusses product packaging that’s environmentally friendly, scented or personalized with the customer’s name.
That got me thinking. If your marketing campaign includes unusual product packaging, why not pitch that as a story idea? Business journals and the trade magazines would love it. (See “How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story.”)
While you’re at it, mail the product to journalists along with a pitch letter or press release, so they can see, touch and smell the product package. They can even open it. Or read the easy-to-understand directions.
Thanks, JoAnn, from Publicity Hounds everywhere. By the way, your online press kit is super.
The Packaging Diva has found a great niche to own
seems she’s focused on BtoB but if she can also
turn her expertise into BtoC like a consumer
advocate campaign for packaging needs of the
boomers beyond group might take this even further.
Combined with her background and the right pitch to say John Stossel seems like JoAnn is headed for more
great pr.
Unusual packaging is an interesting area for example
here’s a Granny Cellphone that seems like it could take off.
I totally agree! I think too many companies focus on the product themselves and put very little thought into how it is packaged. I agree that the product must be high caliber and attention must go there but the packaging for me is just as important.
Case in point: when I worked at a placement firm for government contracts, my role was to receive and review the incoming CVs and resumes. Now, although a CV or resume is not a physical ‘product’ persay, it is the product you are sending a company to represent yourself. Needless to say, the content would be great but the overall ‘packaging’ was horrible and very poorly done.
I think more companies should focus on the overall customer experience with their product and not just how quickly / cheaply they can get it made and out the door. 🙂
Erin