Archive for September, 2009
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
If you’re like most people, you keep hearing about companies going green to both please customers and help the environment. It can be overwhelming to try to manage your company’s green efforts if you don’t have much experience, but even small steps towards becoming more environmentally-friendly can help. That is why it is important to set goals for yourself and your company that you can achieve.
I found some tips and goals to benchmark your environmental progress from the marketing magazine, Deliver, that can help your company in its start to become more eco-friendly:
Paper Procurement & Use
- Increase wood/paper purchases from recognized forest certification programs (by X percent by X year).
- Indicate use of suppliers affiliated with sustainable forestry practices that protect forest ecosystems and biodiversity as well as provide the wood and paper products our company needs.
- Increase purchase of environmentally preferable paper used for marketing pieces, product packaging, and/or internal consumption (by X percent by X year).
List Hygiene & Data Management
- Reduce unwanted and duplicate mailings and provide greater choice regarding opt out and/or subject matter of mailings to customers (by X year).
Mail Design & Production
- Reduce waste allowances and in-process waste when designing and printing (by X percent by X year).
- Calculate total waste reduction occurred through a lowering of waste allowances.
Packaging
- Increase purchases of environmentally preferable packaging (by X percent by X year).
- Use recyclable packaging in (X percent/the majority of/all) shipments, imprinted with recycling information for customers (by X year).
Recycling & Pollution Reduction
- Increase purchases of office papers, packing and packaging materials made from recycled materials with post-consumer content wherever feasible (by X percent by X year).
- Use (X percent) post-consumer content recycled materials in all production (by X year).
- Collect and recycle (X percent) of all discarded office paper (by X year).
- Calculate your organization’s total carbon footprint (incorporating suppliers and customer as well as internal operations).
- Reduce unnecessary/excess paper use for external and internal communications (by X percent by X year).
Tags:carbon footprint, Eco-Friendly, environmentally-conscious, environmentally-friendly, forest certified paper, Going Green, green packaging, post-consumer content, recycled, recycled materials, recycling, reduce, reuse, sustainable packaging
Posted in Eco-Friendly | 1 Comment »
Monday, September 28th, 2009
Networking events can be a great way to meet people who can help you and who you can help in the future. It is about building mutually beneficial relationships and creating a professional network of people who you genuinely like and respect.
The relationships that you build through networking can help you find a job, learn how to be successful in a certain job field or position, build your career and expand your business horizons. The people that you meet can provide valuable insider tips and answers to your questions, help you with your cover letter and resume, or give you an “in” with a company that you are interested in joining.
Networking can help you personally and can benefit your business by introducing you to new clients, business associates, and industry leaders.
Networking is often very informal and can occur with anyone at any time, but one of the most popular ways to network is to attend networking events. These events are created specifically for the purpose of creating new connections. People expect you to network there and these events can provide you with incredible business and personal advantages.
How to find local networking events:
- Check out your local newsstand: Networking events are often listed in local magazines and newspapers. This can be an easy way to find events with new connections.
- Industry/Business organizations: Professional organizations make a point of hosting networking events on a regular basis. Some well-known marketing, advertising, and public relations professional organizations to check out are International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), American Marketing Association (AMA), and Advertising Federation of America (AdFed). Head online or talk to colleagues to find professional organizations in your field.
- Talk to the contacts you already have: Connections that you have already made can be your best way to find new connections, and they may know of some upcoming events that will be of particular interest to you.
- Go online: There are a plethora of ways to find networking events online. NetParty.com (for young professionals) and FindNetworkingEvents.com provide listings of upcoming networking events in most major cities and professional networking sites such NetworkingForProfessionals.com list upcoming networking events for members.
How to network:
- Talk to people: Talk to anyone you run into and keep in touch with those who you like and respect. Even if they can’t help you immediately, they may be able to help you further down the road. Get comfortable asking, “What do you do?” and handing out your business card.
- Communicate effectively: Learn to listen to what the other person is saying and practice different ways of talking about yourself and your skills.
- Join networking clubs and associations in your field: Joining these organizations can be the best way to meet people in your field.
- Follow up on any lead, no matter how minor: You never know what a small lead could turn into: a better job or a new client.
- Think before you network: There are some situations in which networking is inappropriate. Use common sense to judge what is appropriate and what is not.
- Say, “Thank You”: Remember to thank anyone who takes the time to talk with you. Not only is it polite, but also it is socially expected.
Once you have built your network, continue to maintain and build it through regular contact. Many contacts will lead to more contacts, and in a short period of time you can have a strong professional network.
Tags:advantages, business tactics, communicate effectively, communication, connections, consumers, contacts, customers, events, industry leaders, leads, Marketing, networking, new clients, newsstands, organizations, people, professional network, social networking
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Friday, September 25th, 2009
You only have a few seconds to catch the shopper’s attention, so what are you going to do with your packaging to not only catch their attention, but to get them to want to buy your product?
Jim George from Shelf Impact came up with 5 labeling ideas to solve marketing challenges:
Highlighting innovative shape. Kids like products that feature fun colors and design in their packaging. Clear Beverage Corp. did just this with their “Kid Fuel” naturally flavored water. They also designed the shape of the bottle to resemble a sports bottle with curves for a child’s small hands to easily grip. They also made the packaging educational. Each bottle has a quiz question and Professor Smart’s answer is revealed after the beverage is consumed and the bottle is refilled with water.- Sizzling as bacon’s main ‘touchpoint’. It is important for the packaging of a premium product to reflect the quality of the product. Tyson changed the packaging of their bacon by adding a label that featured a gold-outlined shield area with red, white, and gold on a blue background, while still leaving room to view the meat. The new design improved how easy it was to find and recognize the brand.
Encouraging participation. Campbell’s made 7.5 million special-edition labels to show the quality ingredients that they use. Along with the new label, they started a program where you enter a code online from your can to receive a free pack of tomato seeds for yourself, as well as 100 seeds for urban communities and schools.- Pulling double duty. Sometimes marketers have to create a package that both attracts attention, as well as protects against theft and counterfeits. Nutrex Research did this by creating a shrink-sleeve label that is both eye-appealing and protects the product from tampering.
Signaling cause marketing. People like companies that help people and allow the customer to help by purchasing the product. Tide showed this with their packaging for the Loads of Hope campaign. They have special yellow caps that read, “You can help”, and it features pictures of Hurricane Katrina victims on the front.
Tags:attention grabbing, brand image, brand labels, branding, Campbell's tomato soup can, cause marketing, Clear Beverage Corp.'s Kid Fuel, consumers, creative packaging, custom packaging, customer participation, customers, distinctive, educational packaging, eye-appealing, innovative shape, limited edition, Nutrex Research, product image, special edition, stand out on shelf, Tide Loads of Hope Campaign
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Marketing | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
So you want to help the environment by being more eco-friendly and increasing your green efforts, but think that it is too expensive? Many people wonder if they should cut back on green marketing and their green efforts in a struggling economy, but in fact you should do quite the opposite. I read in the September issue of Deliver, a marketing magazine, that it is actually a “hook to getting through them”. They say that green marketing improves your efficiencies, increases customer loyalty, and differentiates your brand.
Take for instance, Wal-Mart’s green efforts. Wal-Mart’s “Earth Month” green marketing efforts included print ads for 10 different green products under $10 and “rollbacks” on environmentally-friendly products. Customers are looking for ways to save money in a tough economy, and Wal-Mart is helping them do that, while still having a positive environmental effect.
Green marketing also increases customer loyalty. Frito-Lay’s SunChips brand gained customers by showing them that green is both good for them and the environment. They started this marketing plan after seeing market research from 2006 that showed that people who care about their personal health also care about the planet. SunChips have 18 grams of whole grain and zero trans fat. Since these chips are healthier than regular potato chips, their campaigns played off this, their nature-related name, and their sustainability investments, which includes
producing a compostable bag. They promoted their compostable bags with an online video showing them decompose, as well as print ads that included a tear-off sample for consumers to test it out themselves in their compost piles. Green marketing helped SunChips become one of the fastest-growing snack brands at Frito-Lay.
Green marketing, done correctly, also differentiates your brand from the competition. IBM took a different route by connecting with the community in their green efforts. Their Smarter Planet initiative used direct mail to encourage individuals, businesses, and institutions to change the way they work. They also started a series of jams, or brainstorming sessions, that bring people from around the world together to solve an issue. Their “Congestion Challenge” collects innovative ideas to fight transportation congestion, and the winner receives $50,000, as well as the development and implementation support for the idea.
Tags:brand recognition, branding, community, compost piles, compostable bags, consumers, customer loyalty, customers, cut costs, differentiate, differentiation, Eco-Friendly, efficiencies, efficient, environmentally-conscious, environmentally-friendly, environmentally-responsible, green efforts, green marketing, green packaging, healthy foods, IBM, increase sales, innovation, innovative ideas, money-saving, social responsibility, struggling economy, SunChips, tough economy, Wal-Mart
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Marketing | No Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Successful packaging can lead to increased sales, monetary savings and a more positive public image. The following are some examples of packaging successes and their outcomes. Now would be a good time to take notes.
Wal-Mart – a company that is known for attracting negative publicity but has been working toward sustainability – received positive attention recently for choosing Winterborne as their packaging provider. Winterborne was awarded a Converting 2007 Innovator Award for its EnviroShell package. EnviroShell is a 90 percent recyclable and recycled clamshell and the use of this packaging product reflected positively on Wal-Mart in the news media. The take-away? Sustainable packaging has benefits for the environment and for your business image.
Vaseline recently redesigned its brand through a packaging change. Prior to the change, the brand’s identity had been lost as it expanded. Different products in the Vaseline line had different logos and package designs and there was a lack of consistency. Blue Marlin stepped in and created a consistent, attractive, brand-cohesive logo that would stand for all Vaseline products. Blue Marlin made sure that each Vaseline product included classic blue plastic lids and they put a great deal of effort into matching the color of the logo to the blue plastic lids. Vaseline is now the fastest-growing personal care brand for its parent company, Unilever. What’s the take-away here? A strong, consistent brand combined with refreshing packaging can lead to an increase in sales for your business.
Mrs. Fields revamped its retail packaging to reflect a design similar to the redesigned Mrs. Fields stores nationwide and to play on the nostalgia associated with the brand. Tempting shots of cookies adorn the new packaging, which is now more consistent with the Mrs. Fields brand. This new packaging has earned positive reactions from media sources, especially within the packaging industry, appearing in such magazines as Packaging World. The take-away? Refreshing your packaging can strengthen your brand image and generate recognition for your company!
Get to know the message behind your brand and whether your packaging reflects that. Not every product needs repackaging, but, as in these cases, refreshing your packaging may lead to positive consequences for your company and brand.
Tags:attention-drawing, attractive, brand, brand image, branding, classic, company, consumers, creative packaging, custom packaging, design, distinctive packaging, Eco-Friendly, environmentally-conscious, environmentally-friendly, environmentally-responsible, EnviroShell, eye-catching, green packaging, increased sales, monetary savings, Mrs. Fields cookies, packaging industry, public image, recyclable, recycling, redesigning, retail packaging, revamped, successful packaging, sustainable packaging, Vaseline, Wal-Mart
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Eco-Friendly, Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, September 18th, 2009
With the ever increasing popularity of USB flash drives, also known as jump drives or thumb drives, companies are coming up with more and more creative designs for these devices. Here are some that we found at Gadget4all:
Care for a flash memory shot?
This one is a mp3 player, voice recorder, AND a flash memory stick:
Like to eat/cook? There are plenty of creative food designs:
Don’t go without protecting these valuable devices. When you need to package all of your creative USB flash drives, give Sunrise a call. We can help create a custom package to go with your unique devices that can help prevent them from being lost/damaged.
(All pictures from gadget4all.com)
Tags:creative packaging, custom packaging, differentiate, differentiation, flash drive, flash memory devices, fun package, gadget4all, Jump Drives, memory sticks, protect, thumb drives, thumbdrives, unique, usb drive, USB flash drives, valuable
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Media Packaging | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
When it comes to running a successful business, communication is key. Without open and accessible communication, assignment completion fails and misunderstandings occur.
Sunrise Packaging is all about communication, externally and internally. While e-mailing and visiting desk-to-desk and person-to-person is extremely important to our internal communications, we have adopted some alternative communications methods that may be of interest to you and your business as well.
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External Chat: The external chat system allows visitors to our Web site or our e-commerce site to have a live chat online with one of our customer service representatives. Any immediate questions that customers may have are addressed in a quick, friendly manner that saves customers time makes sure that they feel comfortable with the information they are receiving.
- Chat: One of our newest communications ventures is an internal chat system. With our external chat up and running smoothly, we determined that an internal chat would be desirable for quick questions and responses as well as clarifications and checking in on work progress. Since its implementation, our internal chat system has increased efficiency in quick messaging.
Effective communication increases work efficiency and productivity. It reduces errors and misunderstandings between both co-workers and customers. Cut down on waste by getting it right the first time with effective communication.
Tags:business, chat, co-workers, communication, company ideas, customer service, customers, direct, e-mail, effective communication, efficiency, external chat, fast, IM, instant messing, internal chat, marketing tips, misunderstandings, productivity, reduce errors, reduce waste, time saving
Posted in Marketing | No Comments »
Monday, September 14th, 2009
When customers are running through a store, they don’t have time to search through the shelves to find what they want. They want packaging to be distinctive and descriptive. Successful packaging will not only be eye-appealing and attract the customer’s attention, but it will also convey the message you are trying to send and show them what they are getting.
Here are some great descriptive packaging examples that we found:
You only have a few seconds to catch the customer’s attention. What are you going to do with your packaging to stand out on the shelf above your competition?
Tags:attract attention, boost sales, cleaning products, consumer behavior, creative packaging, custom packaging, descriptive packaging, differentiate, differentiation, distinctive packaging, eye-appealing, increase sales, juice, Packaging Design, shelf space, stores, successful
Posted in Custom Packaging Products | No Comments »
Friday, September 11th, 2009
I recently came across a site for Zero Waste Week, which started on Monday and concludes this Sunday. All week long, people across the world have been making small changes in their lives to eliminate or reduce their amount of waste. By coming together and taking these small steps, we can reduce the amount of waste thrown into the landfills and become more environmentally-responsible.
Last year, they offered prizes and incentives for people who participated, but this year, they wanted to try something different. There are no incentives, because they want people to want to help the environment by reducing the amount of waste generated and sent to the landfills. This way, they hope for people to continue in their efforts long after Zero Waste Week is over, rather than just doing it now for a prize.
You can reduce waste by using durable, reusable packaging or by making sure that it is recyclable and made from recycled materials. We can all work on doing our part to reduce waste and help the environment. Have any ideas to reduce waste even more? Let us know!
Tags:durable packaging, Eco-Friendly, environmentally-conscious, environmentally-friendly, environmentally-responsible, garbage, Going Green, green efforts, landfills, recyclable, recycle, recycled materials, recycling, reduce waste, reusable packaging, reuse, Zero Waste Week
Posted in Eco-Friendly | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Christmas is still months away, but Nestle is already thinking about their seasonal packaging and going green for the holidays. In the past, chocolate makers have often been known for wasteful and unnecessary packaging, especially for special seasonal promotions. This is the new target to work on, and Nestle is going at it.
According to Food Production Daily, Nestle will be making all of its Christmas selection custom boxes fully recyclable. One change they made was removing the plastic inserts that held the chocolate bars in place and replacing them with a card presentation tray. This way, the chocolate can still be nicely displayed in the custom box and be easily recycled when you are finished with it. This is one step for Nestle to be more environmentally-friendly in their packaging to reduce waste and address the concerns of their environmentally-conscious customers.
Tags:cardboard, chocolate bars, christmas, consumers, creative packaging, Custom Boxes, custom packaging, customers, display, Eco-Friendly, environmentally-conscious, environmentally-friendly, Going Green, holiday, limited edition, Marketing, Nestle, presentation, recyclable, recycle, recycling, reduce waste, reuse, sales, seasonal packaging, special edition, wasteful packaging
Posted in Custom Packaging Products, Eco-Friendly | 1 Comment »
