So what’s with packaging’s growing significance as a branding tool? The increasing aesthetic sophistication that applies to packaging is too hard to ignore. There is one huge challenge for packaging however: the environment. Pressure has been placed on manufacturers to cut down on packaging and reduce waste to help sustain the environment. Packaging companies are trying to find creative ways to develop green packaging solutions as the need for marketers to communicate eco-friendliness to consumers is growing rampantly.

Finding a happy marriage between creative packaging and sustainability is not exactly easy- there are limitations.  But it’s an ambition manufacturers and marketers are relentlessly pursuing.

So lets check out the “Recyclage de Luxe” campaign rolled out by Stella Artois last year. While taking various measures to lessen their environmental impact, Stella Artois launched the campaign in the UK. They’re earning their eco-cred by making greener packaging and engaging consumers in recycling initiatives.

Since the start of the campaign, all Stella Artois’ cans have been made from at least 50% recycled aluminum, its bottles are above the industry standard of 75% recycled glass, and its corrugated Stella Artois boxes are made from 100% recyclable paper.

When it went live in July, Recyclage de Luxe comprised three executions across media, including TV and the press. Each focused on a different aspect of packaging – the corrugated packs, recycled bottles and recycled cans.

At the end of the month, the brewer launched its Hedge Fund on-pack promotion, a bid to boost sales with eco-incentives for consumers. Consumers buying some of the larger packs would be investing in an actual hedge, which would be grown to three times the size of the pack itself.

The campaign would help “replenish Britain’s depleted hedgerows, which are critical to the existence of many plants and animals”.The Hedge Fund promotion enables Stella Artois to help consumers take those small steps and together reduce the rate of climate change.

Stella Artois says that the campaign has so far “been very successful”, but is unable at this stage to divulge internal data proving this. It says that its marketing has been “very motivating for consumers”.

More info:
Stella Artois Hedge Fund

A recent survey shows the top green brands worldwide. The sample size was 9,022 and it was conducted February 27, 2010 to March 24, 2010. The study found that 60% of consumers around the world want to buy from environmentally responsible companies. In the US, 35% surveyed said they plan to spend more to buy green products, down 4% from 2009. Further, almost 80% of US respondents said they were more concerned about the economy than the environment. So here is the Top Ten US Green Brands in 2010:

10. IKEA- Never ending quest of sustainability

9. Microsoft- Innovating to improve the planet

8. Publix- Get into a green routine

7. SC Johnson- Improving products, reducing resources, strengthening communities

6. Aveeno- Nature + Science

5. Google- Helping to build a clean energy future

4. Trader Joe’s- Natural, hard to find foods

3. Tom’s of Maine- Green care products made responsibly

2. Whole Foods Market- Implementing the Green Mission

1. Burt’s Bees- Best for you, the environment, and the greater good

This ranked list reveals the site pages of interest for visitors coming from Facebook to visit B2B websites (#1 being the most visited page):

1. About Us
2. Blog
3. Management Team
4. Contact Us
5. Careers
6. Products

Another list shows the rankings of site pages of interest for Twitter users visiting B2B websites:

1. Blog
2. About Us
3. Products
4. Contact Us
5. Management Team

These lists may not seem too promising for sales however, the visitors seem to have an interest in learning about the company which is a common behavior and usually the first step in B2B relationship building.

In addition, most B2B site visitors from Facebook and Twitter are not sticking around for very long. This data reflects the percentage of visitors referred from social media sites to B2B sites who only visited a single page before leaving:

1. Facebook- 63%
2. Twitter- 63%
3. LinkedIn- 39%
4. Wikipedia- 39%

LinkedIn and Wikipedia referrals generally were more likely to browse around on a company’s website before moving on. Further, LinkedIn visitors were most interested in “Careers” pages suggesting that the network refers many job seekers.

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The USB Typewriter is just like it sounds. A portable typewriter that plugs into your USB drive to give your word processing the look and feel of obsolescence- not to mention your fancy new devices. Note: the typewriter can be used with any PC or Mac as well. Made by a fellow named Jack Zylkin, you can buy the USB Typewriter pre-made, in a kit, or send him your own typewriter and he’ll customize it.

I sort of understand the charm but isn’t the point of having an iPad or a laptop for convenience? This does not seem very pleasant to have to haul around. Plus, how many words can you type a minute on a typewriter? Isn’t that partly why they’re obsolete? I understand novelties in life, but the price of this doodad threw me for a loop. Somebody tell me what I’m missing.

34% of adults who use social media, use it as an outlet to endorse or oppose brands. The polling found that 26% of those individuals are using the medium to express dissatisfaction while 23% are sharing their positive brand experiences. Either way, 38% of ALL adults who share their opinions in cyberspace are aiming to influence others.

So are people ultimately influenced by these rants and raves? They certainly are. The polling found that the number one influencer (71%) was “Reviews from family members or friends”. Coming in at a distant second was “Reviews in newspapers or magazines” (46%) and “Reviews from friends or people I follow on social networking sites” (45%).

Young adults were more likely than older adults to say their opinions encountered on social media sites were influential. Further, 50% of 18-34-year-olds versus 37% of adults 55 or older said social media reviews sway their interaction with companies, brands, and products.

There is good reason why marketers are employing social media policies. If done right, it can be a great channel to get a positive conversation about a brand spreading like a wildfire. In contrast, brands can be more vulnerable as well because real-life messages and experiences are being cast out by these individuals. People are generally more accepting of this information because they know it’s not just another marketing message.

As more businesses continue to pay attention to social media and develop strategies, it’s a very opportune time for existing social networkers to sharpen their skills and stay ahead of the competition. More and more information is surfacing about the positive impact social media is having on business. B2B companies seem to have an advantage when using social media because they tend to focus on goals and results, such as lead generation, that visibly affect their bottom line. Social networking also improves communication between customers, prospects, and suppliers.

In North America, here are the percentages of B2B Marketers that currently are using different types of social media:

LinkedIn- 75%
SEO Tools- 68%
Google Adwords- 62%
Facebook- 58%
Twitter- 51%
Blogging Software- 50%

Now remember, 73% of these users have less than two years experience with these social networks. Dive in!

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So what are you using email marketing for? What objectives are important to you and your bottom line? A recent “Email Marketing Benchmark Survey” was conducted by Marketing Sherpa. It shows which objectives are important and not-so-important to your peers who are relying more and more on email marketing. Here are the results from the six most important email marketing objectives that topped the list from the 1,493 respondents:

To no surprise, retaining existing customers was the most important objective. After all, keeping customers is a lot more cost-effective that finding new ones. Lead generation is typically more important to medium-sized companies than large ones as they are more agile and may be able to seize opportunities quicker to gain market share. B2C companies are putting more value into driving online sales with email marketing while B2B companies are relying on the medium more heavily to drive offline sales.

More info:
Marketing Sherpa

By reading the blogs from some of the students, not only was being “unplugged” a challenge: it was traumatic! The study reported that a few descriptions from the student’s experience were documented over and over: “In withdrawl”, “Frantically craving”, “Very anxious”, “Extremely antsy”, “Miserable”, “Jittery”, “Crazy”.

One student’s post read: “I clearly am addicted and the dependency is sickening”. Another one said: “I noticed physically, that I began to fidget, as if I was addicted to my iPod and other media devices”.

American college students struggle to function without their media connection to the world. Some students even failed to go 24 hours. While trying to avoid new technology and blaring TVs, the students found themselves surrounded by them regardless. Many students noted how it was “boring” to walk around without an mp3 player providing a soundtrack for their ears. When cut off from social media, many students felt cut off from other humans like they were living in isolation. The research also found that the friendships and relationships of these 18-21 year olds were dependent on technology.

Many students had been appalled when the assignment was announced.  They were skeptical about the purpose and even fearful about going without media for such a “long” period of time.  Many students admitted that they had had doubts from the beginning about their ability to complete the assignment — and those students who didn’t manage to go the entire 24 hours noted that they weren’t surprised by their failure to do so.

So what does this study remind us about business? Marketers and advertisers looking to increase brand awareness and loyalty, should strongly consider social media use. Having a better understanding of each social media method and how consumers use each service will result in providing more appealing content that will engage one’s target market in an effective and ongoing manner.

More info:
Student’s blog: A Day Without Media

Research by internet marketing firm Hubspot shows that once a B2C company has more than 100 followers on Twitter, its monthly lead generation dramatically improves. 101-500 followers is the lead “Sweet spot”.

A B2C company with 1-20 followers will generate an average of 11 leads per month while the average grows 27% to 14 leads with 21-100 Twitter followers. The most significant lead growth happens when a B2C company enters the 100-500 range of Twitter followers. At that point the lead average growth is 146% or 35 leads.

However, according to the research, lead growth does not grow after 500 followers. B2C companies with 501 or more Twitter followers report an 8.6% decrease in leads to 32. Hubspot suggests that this is due to the challenge of growing engaged followers. Engaged followers will retweet content to their own followers and be more active in general in following the company.

B2C companies who use Twitter generate two times more leads overall than companies who do not have a Twitter account. These results stay consistent relative to company size. Hubspot recommends that B2C companies use Twitter to build relationships with individuals who prefer shorter content to build their Twitter reach by following companies related to their industry. These are the users who are most likely to be engaged followers.

More info:
Hubspot Blog
Marketing Vox

Well guess what? They’ve made a temporary departure from the classic package design to raise social awareness. Barnum made a $100,000 contribution toward protecting endangered Asian Tigers through the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) and for a limited time, are putting a Lilly Pulitzer-designed package on the shelf. Pulitzer’s company is a long supporter of environmental organizations so it was a great fit!
The Lilly box design features animals drawn in her fanciful style and a pastel color palette. Quite different from Barnum’s traditional packaging design approach. The package also incorporates a call-out for the brand’s donation to WWF and WWF’s panda logo. The design helps contemporize the brand by associating it with a relevant, timely issue. One million of the boxes have hit retail shelves in March.

Pulitzer and Barnum’s Facebook and Twitter pages have been the primary source of promotion for the new box. Through social media, the campaign has generated tremendous buzz online about the design change and support of the Asian Tigers. The effort has also created great business results so far for Barnum. including a healthy sales lift.

More info:
Lilly Pulitzer
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