Imagine a brand new customer walking down the aisle of a typical retail store, this potential customer has never purchased your product before and just wants to get in and out. A quick glance of the shelves and in a split second picks up the product next yours and walks away.

It is in this split second that customers either choose your product – or they don’t. As choices increase and it becomes harder to be competitive, packaging is one way to catch the eyes of potential customers and increase sales.

Who wouldn’t want to increase sales? The great thing about creating attractive packaging is you can do it with out busting the bank. Simple and efficient is all you need.

Take the less is more approach. When designing packaging you want to create a unique package that will grab the customers’ attention, not suffocate them. To do this, create packaging with sleek lines and cohesiveness.

One way to give your packaging a professional look is to use the turned edge technique. Turned Edge is a sturdy construction that produces an extremely durable, finished product. Take a look at this YouTube video to better understand how turned-edge covers are made.

Choose a color palette and stick with it. To pick the color palette that will best represent your product, know your audience and what colors appeal to them the most. Then use those colors with the colors that represent your company to make packaging relatable to the customer.

Using metal, foil, or hot stamping is another great way to give your product an elegant look. Using these techniques creates extremely sophisticated packaging.

Another way to create eye-catching packaging is through, giving back to charitable causes. Consumers are more willing to buy products from companies that are interested in the same issues as they are. In fact, sales can increase upwards between 14 to 18 pct when companies use their packaging to support a special cause.

Along with the issue of cause packaging, be sure your company is staying in tune with hot button issues regarding packaging. For instance Going Green, reducing packaging waste, the economy, ease of use and convenience, to name a few. When customers can see you’re aware of what’s going on in the world, they are more drawn to your product.

It truly is all about a split second decisions when trying to reach customers. Packaging can help you make your brand the one that stands out; the one that is taken off the shelf; the one that is purchased; the one that makes money.

The four controllable factors of the marketing mix (product, price, promotion, and place) can be manipulated to develop an effective marketing plan, but what can companies do about the uncontrollable factors? Successful marketers focus on these aspects of marketing, as well.

The acronym, CERTS, represents the uncontrollable factors:

Uncontrollable Factors: CERTS

Competition. It is important for marketers to understand their competition’s marketing mix. This involves looking at what they are doing and how they go about doing it. This allows you to see what they could be doing better, and use that information within your marketing strategy. And depending on your size, you may be able to influence your competition when you make the most of your signature strengths.

Economy. The current economy must also be taken into consideration. Luxury items may not do as well in a hurting economy. You can see the opportunities available to offer the most affordable product. Your marketing strategy will need to be adjusted in order to maintain or increase your market position in challenging circumstances.

Regulations. Changes in current laws and regulation are also key factors for companies to keep into consideration. As laws and regulations change, what kinds of products are allowed, how they are produced, exporting and importing regulations, and shipping can change drastically. There could be barriers of trade, such as quotas restricting the amount of imports or tariffs that would affect the entire market and, perhaps, necessitate and complete change in strategy which to a nimble company can create new opportunities.

Technology. Having the latest technology can reduce costs, improve the quality of your product, and make marketing more effective. This can allow you to better target your customer, produce more efficiently, and create innovative products. As technology changes, your product or service may become obsolete, like the many manufacturers of buggy whips after the invention of the automobile. It is the role of marketers to monitor the marketplace and changing technology and to adapt to those changes.

Social. Marketing can be improved by paying attention to current social trends, such as concern for the environment and going “green”. Knowing what is most important to your customers will allow you to fine tune your marketing strategy to better target customers and create the kind of products and services they.

CERTS are the uncontrollable factors of marketing which cannot be changed or manipulated by companies to sell their products. These factors must be closely paid attention to and researched in order to best reach the target customers. If companies develop their marketing plan around these factors, they could market their products in a more effective manner.

The key strategy is to recognize and utilize the opportunities uncontrollable factors can bring for your company.

Packaging could be one of the most essential components of a product. Not only does it have to grab the customer’s attention, but it also has to portray the product and the message it is trying to convey. If a product does not have good packaging, it is less likely to sell.

Packaging can enable the product to stand out on a shelf versus the competition. Many leading brands try to differentiate their product by making their packaging completely different from that of their competitors. They want their customers to be able to distinguish the difference between the two. If it is easy to find, they can grab it in a hurry, rather than turning to another product. As you can see,

Tic Tacs and Altoids have distinctive packaging for their breath mints. Consumers could see the packaging and know which product it is without seeing the label. This helps these products stand out from the competition.

We also believe packaging gives identity to the product and shows the sophistication of the brand. It allows the customer to relate and connect to the product. Many times the brand and packaging gives added-value to the perception of the product. If it looks like an upscale and trendy product from the packaging, customers may be willing to pay more for it or choose it above the competition. This also has to do with websites, brochures, and business cards. If they are eye-pleasing to the customer, they are likely to spend more time looking at it and increase their appeal for the company or product.

The packaging can help make the product “pop” on the shelf. Sunrise Packaging provides services of creative and customized packaging to help your product do this. The custom design can be tailored to reach your specific needs and give your product the unique edge over the competition. To hear more about what we have to offer, give one of our Design Experts a call at 800-634-8160.

There is an increasing demand for environmentally-friendly products. Many artists and record companies have been working to meet this demand for their products. The most environmentally-friendly option may be iTunes, which is to purchase the albums as digital files. But many customers would still prefer to physically own the CD and album artwork to have as their own. This brings the need for eco-friendly packaging.

Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour, released his first carbon-neutral CD in 2006, “On an Island”, which was Columbia Records’ first album to be released under eco-friendly guidelines. The album was produced with biodegradable cardboard packaging, environmentally friendly inks, and water-based lacquer. They had to change the manufacturing process to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. They also offset the carbon dioxide release by paying for alternative energy sources and planting trees. Columbia Records contributed money to a hydroelectric power plant project in China’s Sichuan province.

Many record companies are jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon. This past spring, Universal Music Group released more than 20 CDs in Wal-Mart stores in recycled paperboard packaging. These CDs also included an insert that offered three free digital downloads. That insert could then also be used to plant wildflowers. Universal also released its Millennium Series in recycled packaging with biodegradable PaperFoam trays, which held the discs.

Sunrise Packaging can help make this possible. We develop creative packaging that is both recyclable and reusable. In order to create an eco-friendly album, we use environmentally-friendly inks, papers and glues for the cover artwork and apply it using biodegradable chipboard. The interlocking trays are made out of recycled plastic or a bio-plastic, which can then have 100% recyclable rings added to complete the album. Sunrise Packaging can give your product the added touch of creativity and offers the social responsibility of an eco-friendly product to attract new and existing customers.

(Pictures taken from Sustainable is Good).

With the downfall of the economy and the growing financial crisis, things are looking troubling for many companies. Companies are finding they have to tighten their budget, which brings the unemployment rate up to 6.1%. Many consumers lack of confidence in the market.

Not only do consumers have less money to spend, but also food and energy costs are rising. This reduces the amount of consumers’ discretionary income significantly. Economists are expecting the worst holiday sales since the recession of 1991.

With the increasing number of problems, marketing becomes drastically more important. In a shaky economy, marketing is crucial to differentiate a company’s product above their competition.

Companies, however, need to enhance the image of their product without having to drastically increase its cost or price. Creativity helps show the customer what the product is all about. It adds the “boom factor”, which sets the product apart from the competition. This is necessary to sell the product in a declining economy.

One of the ways the creativity personality of the product can be shown is through the packaging.

Companies succeed in a declining economy by showcasing their products, through packaging, in a way that no other company does. Colorful and personalized packaging immediately attracts consumers’ attention and enhances the image of the product. The right customization can showcase the features of the product in a quick, eye-catching fashion. This will set the product above the competition and allow the company to succeed in a falling economy.

Santosh Desai, CEO, Future Brands, puts it succinctly when he says, “If the content is prose, than packaging is the poetry.” Ever more sophisticated today, packaging decodes and glorifies what’s inside of it. Packaging, the silent and most important salesman, is critical to products weighing down long retail shelves. 

You probably have the greatest product in the world, but if you hide it under a basket or in a paper bag, no one is going to understand it and if they don’t understand what you are selling, why would they buy it?

That’s where packaging comes in! Creative, custom packaging that is designed for your product with graphics and images on the outside that communicate the features and benefits of your product. We can help you with that.

An unusually shaped or sized or colored package will be eye-catching.

Think chocolate:

Easily recognizable packaging is part of this company's branding.

Or department stores:

Tiffany Co. incorporates their signature blue into their brand image.

Not only can shape command attention for your product but vibrant colors and pictures will draw looks, this may be exactly what you need to stand out from the crowd.

On the retail shelf, you must do everything you can to be seen. Bright colors do just that!

Or if products similar to yours are bright and eye-catching, you might want to simplify your graphics. Even face-blotting papers can be elegant when packaged by Chanel.

Sometimes less is more - out of the ordinary materials don't need fancy printing.

 

Use your packaging to stand out from the crowd

 

Your packaging color and decoration can give your product that extra "Wow" factor.

Everyday packaging shapes are made new with specialty materials and printing.

The shape, color, texture, and material you use are important!

Even 3-ring binders command attention with special materials, vibrant graphics, and non-standard page orientation.

Marketers have been relying on the marketing mix, often referred to as the four P’s of marketing – price, promotion, place and product – to successfully sell a product or service utilizing the wants and needs of consumers. These are the four controllable factors that a marketing department can manipulate to create the perfect marketing plan.

Where does packaging fit in? Often, packaging fits into the mix under the “product” factor. Customers buy your product, and they buy your packaging as a consequence. If you choose the most functional, efficient packaging to compliment your package, you have fulfilled your needs for packaging under this marketing category

What if you look at packaging as part of the “promotional” segment of the marketing mix? In many ways, your packaging is promotional. It is often the first thing that consumers see, and thus, the first thing to acquaint them with your product. Packaging generally includes advertising or marketing copy and sometimes the packaging can affect the media coverage that your packaging can receive.

The following are examples of packages that have created a positive buzz for their products, brands and companies:

Humorous use of images can create a positive buzz. Using fonts and printing can amuse and inspire.

The next example is of packaging that has received negative attention and has attracted a negative buzz toward the product itself:

Packaging must elicit a positive response in the consumer.Too much packaging appears wasteful and will have a negative impact.

Consumers appreciate creativity and are turned off by wasteful packaging. The packaging that you choose to represent your company and products is an important part of effective marketing. In looking at packaging in terms of the marketing mix, it has significant impact on marketing efforts directed at the “product” and “promotion” segments of your marketing program.

Reuters news reported on a study that shows children think food tastes better if it comes in a McDonald’s wrapper!  In the study, the children ate McDonald’s food.  The same food, prepared in the same way was presented it in McDonald’s packaging and in unbranded packaging.  Overwhelmingly, the food presented in the McDonald’s packaging was preferred to the unbranded food.

Why? Researchers found that the perception of taste was “physically altered by the branding.”

Packaging and product branding can generate a physical response in consumers simply by the way it looks.

Distinctive packaging that is identified with your product (think “Golden Arches” and “Target Red”) can physically influence your customers to purchase your product.  One more reason why custom packaging is so important.

Marketers have seen an ongoing and increasing trend toward customization. Mass communication is slowly losing its appeal as consumers search for personalized information, products and services.

Customization is expected to become a huge phenomenon. As consumers strive to differentiate their personal styles from others, customization will grow and thrive.

Customization can already be seen in a variety of industries. Customers can now create personalized shoes at online sites such as Morgan Millar, Nike and Puma and they have increasingly been requesting custom and personalized countertops, t-shirts, posters, postage stamps, automobile features and greeting cards. At ice-cream shops, such as Cold Stone Creamery, customers can create their own ice-cream inventions. College students are even creating personalized majors that they create themselves and for which they can receive an accredited degree. Here at Sunrise Packaging, we specialize in custom products made specifically to fit the needs of specific customer situations.

The possibilities for customization are endless and they’re only increasing in number. In the past, firms resisted customer innovation or did not know what to do with it. Now, “not only is the customer king: now he is market-research head, R & D chief and product development manager, too,” says Eric von Hippel in an interview with The Economist.

It makes good marketing sense to tap into the minds of customers and determine their needs and wants. Customization makes a product more desirable to customers because when a product or service is personalized specifically for them, they are more likely to purchase the product or service repeatedly. When customization options are offered online, they become increasingly more profitable due to the potential for global reach.

The customization trend is likely encouraged by the growing popularity of online communities and easy-to-use design tools. As an example, myspace.com, facebook.com and other social networking sites have grown in popularity and allow users to easily create personal profiles for users. The popularity of these sites among youth gives interesting insight into the wants and needs of this generation, in a word: customization.

“Green” has been a popular buzzword that continues to become more widely and frequently used. Recently, Sunrise Packaging launched its new green product line and it has inspired us to offer different ways in which our products can be used to make everyday situations more “Green.”

The “Green” meeting is a great example of an event that not only occurs regularly in office settings but also creates a lot of office waste in the form of paper and meeting materials. The following tips are ways in which a typical office meeting can be turned into a green meeting by reducing waste and improving efficiency.

·         Create a “green meeting” policy and make sure that every meeting abides by your environmentally friendly standards.

·         Utilize laptops, PowerPoint presentations and other technology to eliminate the use of excess presentations and notes paper, which are often not recycled and take time and money to create.

·         Provide a way for attendees to recycle any paper that is required during the meeting and print these materials on recycled paper.

·         Use binders, name tags and folders made from biodegradable, recycled or recyclable materials them to cut back on waste and environmental harm once your company disposes of these products. You can print your company logo and meeting theme on the covers using vegetable-based inks or UV ink

·         Reuse any materials that you can to cut back on excess waste and excess cost.

·         If you are meeting with people from several different locations, choose a location that is close to the most attendees so that attendees drive less and waste less gas getting to and from your meeting.

·         If you plan to serve food at your meeting, serve vegetarian meals and use local, seasonal produce. Use bulk dispensers for sugar, salt, pepper and condiments.

·         Talk to people about your green efforts and their success. People will catch on that going green is a good idea and follow your lead.

By utilizing these tips, your company can save time, money and the environment.