Archive for April, 2009
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Libraries are becoming a shelter and hangout place for more people than just students and book-lovers. You see people carrying backpacks overflowing with all of their possessions. Others are washing up in the bathroom. Some city libraries are starting to seem like a day homeless shelter.
Especially in this economy, more and more people are becoming homeless and don’t know where to turn. They seek shelter at the library in the day for warmth in the winter and air-conditioning in the summer. So is this a problem or an opportunity?
Some people are turned-off when they see homeless people in dirty clothes at the library. Different people react differently. Some are scared. Some are annoyed. Some are compassionate. Instead of turning away, we should be glad they are looking to the library for help. With the resources available, they can learn many things through reading, get help writing a resume, and set-up an e-mail account. These are just a few things that could help them get on track to finding a job. But there are guidelines that have to be followed for health and safety concerns.
Libraries will not allow themselves to turn into homeless shelters. They should be a place where everyone can learn and use the resources available, not a place to goof around or sleep. As long as the rules are being followed, everyone should have the opportunity.
With the economy the way it is, libraries are busier than ever. People, whether homeless or not, are turning to the libraries free resources for learning and entertainment. And with the growing number of users and higher circulation rate, a larger selection is needed, as well as durable, replacement packaging that will last.
Tags:economy, free resources, homeless people, homeless shelter, job opportunities, job searching, libraries, library, media library, recession, resumes
Posted in Case Studies | No Comments »
Monday, April 27th, 2009
When attempting to promote products for your company, you, as a marketer, must decide which marketing strategy would be the best bet for your budget. Especially in the current struggling economy, marketers need to figure out what will be the most successful and cost-effective option.
Sending out direct mail could be a very expensive option, especially in comparison to e-mail marketing. All of the printing costs and shipping costs add up. The question you must ask yourself is “Is it worth it?” Does the return on investment outweigh the initial costs? Also, the waste generated from direct mail does not make it the most environmentally-friendly option. Although you can have your direct mail pieces printed on recycled paper with eco-friendly UV inks or renewable soy-based inks, there is no guarantee that the recipient will actually recycle the mail when they are finished. There are benefits to direct mail marketing campaigns. They are able to gather a higher number of leads, compared to other marketing techniques. They add a personal touch to your marketing campaign, and the recipients are much more likely to see a flyer or postcard, compared to an e-mail that can be deleted without even opening it. A custom design CD/DVD mailer could attract more attention and the recipient might spend a longer amount of time looking at it.
E-mail marketing strategies are considerably cheaper than direct mail marketing campaigns, but they may not have as high of a return. In fact, most e-mail service providers filter out junk or spam mail from being sent to the user’s inbox, and sometimes legitimate e-mail marketing subscriptions accidentally get flagged as spam mail. There is a very small chance that the recipient will actually open and read the e-mail, even if they subscribed to the e-mail advertisements. But if it does work, it can get out to a large number of people at little or no cost.
Both direct mail marketing strategies and e-mail marketing strategies have their advantages and disadvantages. A campaign that has a mix of the two strategies could be very successful. Direct mail pieces that are sent out should at least have a website on them that recipients could easily visit. If there is no way that consumers could respond from the ease of their own home, without having to mail something back out, the response rate may not be very high. This, in turn with e-mail marketing could increase your rate of response and online sales.
Tags:cost-effective, creative packaging, custom cd mailers, custom design, custom packaging, declining economy, direct mail marketing campaigns, direct mail marketing strategies, direct mail response rate, e-mail marketing campaigns, e-mail marketing strategies, marketing budgets, marketing campaigns, marketing strategies, online marketing, recession, spam mail
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Marketing | 2 Comments »
Friday, April 24th, 2009
We decided to continue on our “green” theme, since today is Arbor Day. This time, with reasons to go green. The environmental, social and political reasons to go green are very real and valid. By making environmentally friendly choices you can reduce carbon emissions, reduce energy waste, make more efficient use of resources and reduce
the amount of waste and pollution that is damaging our environment. This is the most important reason to go green and this is the information that proliferates in the media landscape. With all the focus on the environmental reasons to go green, you may have missed the business-savvy reasons to go green, a complimentary perk to environmentally-savvy intentions. The following are the top three reasons for small businesses (or any business for that matter) to go green:
- “Save on costs”: Through buying fewer materials, creating lighter products and utilizing other green business methods you retain more savings for you and your business by cutting down on purchasing, energy, and transportation costs.
- “Establish a reputation for ethical business practices”: Going green is good PR. Polishing your image through green business practices can improve your reputation in the eyes of stakeholders, including current and potential customers.
- “Take advantage of green marketing benefits”: If you haven’t noticed, “green” has been a marketing buzzword and a powerful message and trend that your business can capitalize on if you are truly participating in “green” business practices. Going green can help you to truly grow your business.*
Going green may be intimidating at first,
but there are a lot of small things that you can do to get started and changing the way that products are packaged can be a great first step because results can easily be seen and measured.
Lighter packaging reduces the amount of space that is necessary for transportation and also reduced weight, creating fewer emissions, and less money spent on gas and shipping. Packaging can also be created with biodegradable, recyclable or recycled materials, making it easy to go green without changing your packaging too dramatically.
*These top three reasons for businesses to go green were inspired by http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/entdev/article.php/11070_3753086_2
Tags:Arbor Day, biodegradable packaging, business practices, eco binders, environmentally-friendly, Going Green, green marketing, green packaging, natural resources, recyclable packaging, recycled materials, reduce carbon emissions, reduce energy waste
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Marketing | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Since today is Earth Day, we thought we would focus on the growing “green” trend. Sunrise Packaging, like many companies and individuals, has been talking a lot about this ambiguous, yet wildly popular, phenomenon dubbed “green”. Sunpack and others have new “green” products and everyone is asking how they can make small everyday changes to become more “green”. Is this new environmentally-friendly mindset simply the result of high gas prices or is it a permanent societal change?
Experts will give you mixed answers because it is difficult to predict. Threats to our environment are real and it is possible that people are making lifestyle changes that will be permanent. On the other hand, we have seen this kind of trend before, again coinciding with high gas prices. When the prices went down, the environmentally friendly fad passed and Americans went back to driving their gas-guzzlers as much as they ever did.
Back in the 1970′s the prices for oil and gas rose and so did concern for the environment. These concerns lead to the development of Earth Day and government subsidies for alternative energy. By the 1980′s gas prices were down, Ronald Reagan cut the subsidies and concerns for the environment took a nose-dive. Is it possible that we are experiencing the same cycle today?
Biologists and experts can provide endless evidence to attest to the fact that the planet is in trouble. For some, this is enough to convince them that the “green” wave is not just a fad, but rather a lasting change. Others will say that the planet has been in danger for a long time and there are still a lot of people who could not care less because they cannot SEE the damage. They are only changing their ways because of the economy or the gas prices.
Whether they change their ways for the environment or for their wallets, people are changing their everyday choices and actions to reflect a more environmentally friendly stance. Many people are making seemingly permanent lifestyle changes – changing their driving habits, the brands and products that they are loyal to, where they buy their food, etc. Such lifestyle changes, if maintained could indicate that this “green” mentality is not just a fad.
Even if “green” is a fad or a trend, many permanent changes may result from its existence. Interest in the environment faded in the 1980′s but we still recognize and celebrate Earth Day. The changes that will last into the next generations will be those that are implemented in ours. While the notion of “green” may be just a passing trend, it is likely that the government will make political and economical changes that will stick. This will likely come in the form of legislation.
“Going green” is motivating people to help the environment. Many experts believe that this trend will only gain momentum and grow, providing a brilliant opportunity for marketers to connect with their consumers and for consumers to positively affect their environment. Only time will tell if the eco-friendly movement will be a passing fad or a lasting change.
Tags:Earth Day, Eco-Friendly, eco-friendly products, economy, environmentally-friendly, gas prices, Going Green, green, green products, oil prices, recession
Posted in Eco-Friendly | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 20th, 2009
Creativity and innovation can be a part of both the product and the packaging with a connected theme. By doing this, consumers are interested in and drawn to your product more than they would be with plain packaging. With custom packaging, you can create a design that matches the personality of your product.
WDARU designed a line of creative tea bags for Maum that feature a variety of different little people that hook onto the side of your cup. They come packaged in boxes that match the theme of the characters inside. These cute little bags make drinking tea fun and different each time, which is a great way to get kids to drink tea.
With these fun designs, people are sure to grab Maum tea off the shelf. With some thought and creativity, you can really transform your product into an attention-drawing piece of art. By creating a series of custom packaging, you can differentiate your product from the competition and keep your customers coming back for more.
Tags:attention-drawing, creative design, creative packaging, creativity, custom design, custom packaging, eye-appealing, eye-catching, innovation, Maum tea bags, product differentiation, themed packaging, WDARU
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Marketing | 1 Comment »
Friday, April 17th, 2009
There have been doubts about whether or not the high-quality Blu-ray format would succeed like DVDs did in the past. With the high costs of the technology and the worries of the shaky economy, many did not think that people would want to pay the price to switch over to Blu-ray.
The numbers show differently, as revealed by Adams Media Research. Blu-ray sales so far in 2009 have nearly doubled the amount of Blu-ray sales from the same time last year. Q1 sales are around 9 million in 2009, compared to 4.8 million for Q1 of 2008. To go along with that, there is an estimated total of 10.5 million Blu-ray households to date. 
People know the value of the much better quality that the Blu-ray format provides, as it shows in the sales. They are willing to spend a little more for this, despite the struggling economy. Blu-ray discs need to stand out on the shelf and be differentiated from the standard DVDs. With high-quality Blu-ray cases, customers know that they are getting what they pay for–superior technology.
Tags:Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray format, Blu-Ray technology, DVDs, high-definition, high-quality, recession, sales, struggling economy, superior technology
Posted in Media Packaging | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Graphic design is one way that can really make packaging for your products stand out from the competition. It makes your packaging eye-appealing, thought provoking, creates brand identity, and can allow the consumer to focus on the product for a longer period of time. Effective packaging draws the consumer in while displaying the information about the product. This can be done with the tools of illustration, color, typography, the types of packaging materials used, as well as the form of packaging.
Especially when the market is doing poorly, it is important to be a step ahead of the competition and differentiate yourself by having creative packaging. You want to be the first to catch the consumer’s attention and have your product stand out on the shelf. If this is done effectively, you could increase your customer base and boost your sales. DzineBlog displayed many creative packaging designs to help give you inspiration:
Customized and creative packaging can help your product stand out from the competition. If you would like help creating your own custom packaging, contact one of our Design Experts.
Tags:brand identity, branding, color, competition, creative packaging, customized packaging, design inspiration, differentiation, Evian 2005 water bottle, eye-appealing, graphic design, illustration, innovative packaging, packaging
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Marketing | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 13th, 2009
An important part of marketing is increasing market share and bringing new customers to the company. But at times, marketers are so focused on generating new customers that they forget to keep their current customers happy. Giving quality service and attention to customers is called customer relationship management (CRM).
There are a number
of reasons why a marketing plan focused just on getting new customers may fail. First of all, it is very expensive, especially for a small company, to market and try to attract new customers. There is a high price to pay to find potential customers, as well as implement a marketing plan of new advertisements and promotions. Not that it is a bad idea to attract new customers, but it is much more cost-effective to put a lot of focus on pleasing the current customers. Secondly, if a company is too focused on attaining new customers, their existing customers may not return or not go to that company for all of their needs. For example, if a customer is extremely happy with their car insurance company, they may go to them for all of their insurance needs.
By giving excellent service and going the extra mile with customer relationship management, customers are more likely to return and tell their friends about the company. Word-of-mouth is a free marketing tool that may come with exceptional service to current customers. Not only is it free, but potential customers are more willing to listen and respond to recommendations from their friends than they are to a random ad that they might see. Go the extra mile with quality service to please your customers, and you could see the difference in returning customers and new referrals.
Tags:advertisements, cost-effective marketing, CRM, current customers, customer relationship management, free marketing tools, Marketing, networking, potential customers, promotions, quality service, word-of-mouth
Posted in Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, April 10th, 2009
The other day, I had the opportunity to visit local CD/DVD replicator and duplicator, Next Generation Media. We walked through the plant and saw the whole process in which your CDs/DVDs are copied and mass-produced. It was very interesting seeing the discs being created and to see all of the machines going at once. They do both replication and duplication, and since many people do not know that there is a difference between replication and duplication, so I will try to briefly explain it.
When you duplicate a disc, you “burn” the data from your master disc or hard drive onto pre-manufactured recordable CDR or DVD-R discs. If you only need a small number of discs copied or just a few at a time, this will be your quickest and least expensive option. You can still make the disc look just as good as a replicated disc with high-quality printing, design, and packaging.
Replication is much different than duplication. When you replicate a disc, there is a manufacturing process involved. Each CD or DVD is injection-molded from polycarbonate pellets and shaped into a disc. They are then physically stamped with the data. They go through the whole process of premastering, mastering, electroplating, injection molding, metallization, spin coating, printing, and advanced quality control. These discs are more durable and are of higher quality than duplicated discs, but they are very expensive if you only want a small number of discs. This is because it takes time to set-up the machines, so there is a high initial fixed cost. But if you are doing a larger project (more than 500 copies), replication may be the best option for you.
I personally enjoyed watching the machine that did the four color printing on the discs. It was a quick way to vamp up the look of the disc for brand recognition, as well as give it a professional style. Now that you can decide on duplication or replication for your next project, don’t forget about all of your CD/DVD packaging options!
Tags:CD, cd's, CD-ROMS, CD/DVD duplication, cd/dvd packaging, CD/DVD replication, duplication, DVD, DVD packaging, DVDs, replication
Posted in Media Packaging | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Are you looking for a distinctive, space-saving way to package your discs? Maybe you are looking to package a sample disc of a catalog, event, or information about your company? Jewel cases are just one of the available options.
Alternatives to traditional CD cases
are paperboard wallets. These are also known as CD mailers. These cases can have personalized designs printed on them to give a unique image that your customers will not forget.
Many companies use these CD mailers to send out CD-ROMS or DVDs to their potential customers. They may include a video about their company or what they have to offer. Some are used for catalogs or operation instructions. They could even be party or wedding favors. The possibilities are endless.
These cases are lightweight, which makes it more affordable to ship. While being thin in size, these paperboard wallets are still durable enough to protect a disc from being broken or scratched.
If you want a new way to reach out to your customers, try sending out or handing out discs in digitally printed paperboard wallets. People are much less likely to throw out something of substance that they receive with eye-appealing graphics. If they like it, they may even pass it along to their friends. If you would like more information on customizing your own CD mailer, contact one of our Design Experts.
Tags:catalogs, cd mailers, CD-ROMS, custom packaging, digital printing, dvd mailers, DVDs, operation instructions, paper sleeves, paperboard wallets, papersleeves, personalized cases, printing
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Media Packaging | No Comments »
Libraries will not allow themselves to turn into homeless shelters. They should be a place where everyone can learn and use the resources available, not a place to goof around or sleep. As long as the rules are being followed, everyone should have the opportunity.
