Archive for January, 2011

Toys are Going Green

Monday, January 31st, 2011

greenzys toys 300x280 Toys are Going Green
Greenzys is an eco-friendly children’s brand, taking going green to a whole new level. They are producing toys that are environmentally safe and educational, while also being fun. The plush toys are made from soy fibers and non-toxic dyes in socially responsible factories. The packaging these toys come in is also eco-friendly because it is made from recycled paperboard. Each character helps children learn different aspects of going green. Peat the Penguin for example, is a supporter of recycling, reusing, and reducing waste, while Yew Yew the Panda grows bamboo to prevent erosion and create oxygen.

The toy isn’t the only way Greenzys is being eco-friendly. For every toy purchased, a tree is planted. A printable digital certificate documenting the planting of the tree will allow you to cherish the moment. A portion of each purchase will also benefit the Environmental Media Association and the Arbor Day Foundation. Greenzys’ main goal is they want to promote green living and teach eco-friendly practices to children through their toys.

To learn more:

Greenzys

Are You Ready For Some Advertising?!

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Super Bowl 2011 Official Logo 233x300 Are You Ready For Some Advertising?!
Super Bowl number 45, the biggest TV event of the year, is only a little over a week away. As we are preparing our parties and getting our adrenaline going for the big game of the year, we are also getting psyched for all of the commercials. Those 30-second attractions that we all look forward to are already underway and totaling over 45 minutes worth of advertising. The average cost for a 30-second spot is about $3 million, meaning companies are making a big attempt to put out the most innovative and exciting commercials possible. Social media is also participating in the Super Bowl, making ads last longer than 30 seconds. Companies are using Facebook fan pages and Twitter to continue the advertising, as well as using YouTube to replay the commercials.

Car makers are dominating the line up this year, but favorites like the E-Trade baby and the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales are back to hopefully make an impression on viewers. Some advertisers who cancelled appearances in the past couple years are back to regain attention. GM is hoping to draw people into Chevrolet and PepsiCo is planning seven commercials this year. Movie trailers will also be seen during the Super Bowl. Paramount will be promoting upcoming releases such as Rango, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Kung Fu Panda 2, and Super 8, while Disney will be promoting the next Pirates of the Caribbean and Cars 2, and Warner Bros. will be promoting Part 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Pizza Hut will make their debut this year as they try to reel in some extra sales for the game. GoDaddy will be present during the Super Bowl as they will reveal their new GoDaddy girl. Doritos, Best Buy, Motorola, and Snickers will also be making appearances in the commercial lineup.

So on February 6th, get the snacks and drinks ready for an eventful night of football and commercials!

Baby Carrots Put on Their Helmets

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

baby carrots 247x300 Baby Carrots Put on Their Helmets

When I hear the words baby carrots I think of a healthy snack or food a rabbit would eat. I have never associated baby carrots with football or humor. Well Bolthouse Farms, in conjunction with the growers alliance ‘A Bunch of Carrot Farmers’, are trying to reposition how baby carrots are viewed by consumers. This alliance has decided to promote baby carrots as a snack that is convenient by using packaging that playfully mocks other snack food marketing tactics. The campaign “eat ‘em like junk food” has put humor and energy into this marketing strategy. If you read our blog post from September 29th, 2010, you will see how this has started and grown.

Since we have entered football playoff season, the campaign has been taken one step further. They have created football themed packaging that will capitalize on the enthusiasm and excitement of the playoffs and the idea that snacking is a popular thing to do while watching the games. The goal is to encourage consumers to give up eating regular junk food and eat healthier foods.

So when you start to plan your playoff and super bowl parties, keep your eyes open for the clever football themed packaging.

Eco-friendliness is Making a Touchdown

Monday, January 24th, 2011

PhiladelphiaEaglesLogo 300x225 Eco friendliness is Making a Touchdown

Although the Philadelphia Eagles lost their chance of making it to the Super Bowl, they are making touchdowns in creating eco-friendliness in their stadium. Owner Jeffery Lurie, is fitting Lincoln Financial Field with wind turbines, solar panels, and a biodiesel-reliant power plant. This will be the first major U.S. sports facility to be self-sufficient on renewable fuel. The goal is to have the eco-friendly additions ready by next season.

The stadium will be equipped with 80 wind turbines that will be placed on the upper rim of the stadium. 2500 solar panels will be hung on an overhang and facade. The power plant will be in the parking lot and will consist of 7.6-megawatts. The operations at the Lincoln Financial Field are also environmentally friendly. Almost everything that can be recycled is recycled, and everything else is composted. The new “green” stadium will save the team about $60 million in energy costs as well as reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions. Lurie also hopes that this project will prove to be a good example for others and encourage businesses to do even better.

The First USB Drive for iPad and iPhone

Friday, January 21st, 2011

airstash inline2 03 300x201 The First USB Drive for iPad and iPhone

The most common problem associated with the iPad and the iPhone is that those devices lack a USB drive. Well iPad and iPhone users worry no more. There is finally a way to wirelessly save and share documents upon many other capabilities with the new AirStash, the first USB drive for iPad and iPhone. Wearable Inc. developed this USB drive and has filled the void of not being able to store and transfer data. This device has storage capacity of 32GB, which allows users to easily store and stream movies, photos, music, eBooks, and documents. AirStash also offers the ability of convenience with its easy to use capabilities and its easy to transport pocket size. This new device generates its own WPA2-secured 802.11g network, meaning it doesn’t need to piggyback on an existing Wi-Fi setup. The AirStash is expected to ship soon after its demonstration and orders are being taken online. The cost for this USB drive is $100 and a free firmware update is due in the first quarter of this year.

Learn more at: AirStash

QR Codes Helping Promote Tofu

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Small Planet QR Code021 300x300 QR Codes Helping Promote Tofu

Small Planet Organics is an organic tofu producer that was established in 1976. They produce some of the finest, fresh, certified-organic tofu and organic ready-to-eat products. They try to make their tofu unique by infusing extraordinary flavors into their tofu. Some of the flavors they offer include: Garlic & Herb, Curry, and Sun-Dried Tomato.

Small Planet QR Code011 195x300 QR Codes Helping Promote Tofu

Small Planet Organics is trying something new in the design of their packaging. They have announced that they will be integrating QR codes on their product labels by the end of the first quarter. These codes will help Small Planet Organics to give their customers more options to learn more. They will use QR codes to offer recipes, video tour of how they produce tofu, and coupons on next purchases. The goal for these codes will allow them to tell their story, reward current customers, and potentially attract new ones. The idea is for the QR codes to help Small Planet Organics directly connect with people and create a circle where customers and supporters can meet and interact with the Small Planet Organics family.

Organic Tea and Eco-Friendly Packaging

Monday, January 17th, 2011

rishitea 300x144 Organic Tea and Eco Friendly Packaging

Rishi Tea has introduced a new organic and caffeine-free herbal tea line that is using eco-friendly packaging. What makes this new line unique is that the new package design has a label that can be peeled off which will allow consumers to reuse and recycle the tins. Rishi Tea also promotes saving the environment through daily operations by reducing their waste, conserving energy, and reducing their ecological footprint. Some examples of how they do this include: printing all marketing materials on 100% post-consumer waste paper,  composting used tealeaves, and using soy ink for labels.

288359 Tins shield Tea Forte s relaxation teas 300x138 Organic Tea and Eco Friendly Packaging

Tea Forte is an award winning specialty tea company that is enjoyed worldwide. Recently they have also launched a new line of organic herbal teas. They decided to package their different kinds of teas in recyclable, air-tight EnviroTins. Each tins contains biodegradable full-leaf sachets made from GMO-free corn silk. They hope their new eco-friendly packaging will re-define the tea experience.

The Creative Side of QR Codes

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

qr code phone The Creative Side of QR Codes

QR codes are springing up everywhere you look. They are becoming a simple way for marketers to engage consumers. All a consumer needs is a mobile device with a camera and the ability to download the code reader application. With the amount of people owning a mobile device, marketers have vast amounts of people to reach. QR codes also allow marketers to unleash their creative side. These codes can lead a person anywhere a marketer wants. Whether the destination is to their website, a contest page, or even a separate page solely created just for the code, the possibilities are endless and creativity can really shine.

Need some creative ideas for your QR code? Here are some ways to add some spark to the black and white code:

* Link your business card to your Facebook profile, Twitter stream, or Linkdin account
* If you have t-shirts for your business, link from your t-shirt to you blog
* Link to a contest
* Link to a Google map that shows your location and provides directions and contact information
* Use ads to connect to mobile shopping
* Link clues to a treasure hunt to engage customers to become interested in your business
* Use a coupon to link to a special discount or sample/freebie
* Link to a product demonstration
* Use codes to link to fan forums, inventory, surveys, or mail in rebates
* Link to homepage to increase traffic on that website
* Link to a newsletter, press release, or promotions page
* Use a code on a printed catalog to link to an online catalog or an online store
* If you have a product that requires installation, link to how to videos or online manuals
* Link from a product to the product’s commercial

There are many ways to use QR codes.  See how many QR codes you see in a day, week, or month and look for how businesses are being creative using these codes.

8 Ideas to Make “Green” Packaging More Green

Monday, January 10th, 2011

green planer 8 Ideas to Make Green Packaging More Green

Whether you call it green, eco-friendly, or sustainable, this type of packaging provides many benefits to the environment. It has the ability to reduce waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and our dependence on oil. What may surprise you is that green packaging is also an effective marketing solution. By using sustainable packaging, sales have the possibility of increasing and costs are cut. Although sustainable packaging has many benefits, there is always room for improvement and innovation.

Here are 8 ideas to make green packaging more green:

1. Innovation in design: Just because something is eco-friendly doesn’t mean creativity and design gets thrown out the window. Packaging still needs to keep customers satisfied and enticed to purchase. Creative designs can have sustainable solutions, while still keeping the customer in mind.

2. Corrugated fiberboard: Also called cardboard, corrugated materials are the most recycled on the planet. They are mainly made from recycled newspapers and boxes, and then are reused for storage and shipping. These materials are a great way to incorporate sustainability into packaging.

3. Recycled plastics: Plastics tend to have a bad reputation for being harmful to the environment. But recycled PET (RPET) is a sustainable material that is made from recycled water bottles. This a sustainable alternative for incorporating plastic into packaging.

4. Molded fiber materials: These fibers are made entirely from recycled fibers. They are versatile, durable, and environmentally responsible. Molded fibers are often used for food products, wine bottles, and toys.

5. Compostable solutions: Composting is becoming a popular way to dispose of waste and is an environmentally friendly way of doing so. By producing packaging that can be thrown into the compost pile after use is a great way to decrease waste build up. As our landfills become more and more packed with waste everyday, composting allows for those materials to be put back into the earth.

6. Automated packaging: Manual packaging takes a great deal of man power and can result in errors. Automated packaging allows for accuracy and precision.

7. The H-Loc trapped blister: What is blister packaging you ask? It has the reputation of being the frustrating and hard to open packaging. On the other hand it keeps products safe and secure. The H-Loc is a replacement to the traditional style of blister packaging. A trapped blister is an effective sustainable option because it uses mainly corrugated materials and a minimal amount of RPET.

8. Glass Packaging: As weird as this may sound, glass is a sustainable alternative for packaging. The material can be reused as well as recycled, and never uses its quality, purity, clarity, or image.