Smoked chili marinade. Jamaican jerk seasoning. Cajun swamp sauce. When Larry Langlois left a barbeque convention last year, he probably had a few ideas for spicing up his chicken on the grill. But aside from bastes and butters, the distributor left with new business.
Langlois, a sales representative at the Baton Rouge, La., office of Monroe, La.-based distributorship Peregrine Corp., attended the convention to give a presentation on labels. He provides packaging labels to companies that sell spices, rubs and other barbeque seasonings. While at the show, Ozark Smokin' Spice asked Langlois for a new product--a box that could hold a combination of items.
"We've been a print distributorship for 16 years," Langlois says, "and boxes are just printed cardboard." He agreed to supply the box, then quickly researched the market, obtained samples and tested ideas. Ozark Smokin' Spice wanted an attractive package to hold a 4-ounce packet of dry rub seasoning and a can of hickory chips.
Langlois worked with a local graphic artist to design the package. "A package is an image," he says. "It's not an internal form. It's something the public sees and needs to be attracted to, so a good artist is crucial." Together, Langlois and the graphic artist created a 3 1/2-inch x 6 1/2-inch x 1 1/2-inch box on 20-pt. white stock. The 4-color process box is printed with orange, black and yellow--colors associated with grilling and barbeques. It also features Ozark Smokin' Spice's name and logo, the product name, a UPC bar code, instructions and nutritional information.
Nestlé Carnation was one of the first companies to use shrink labels, wrapping its Coffee-Mate non-dairy creamer in a contoured label with images of rich, light brown coffee below its bright red product name. Today, companies concerned about brand identity rely on shrink labels to attract consumers to everything from baby food to shaving cream.
Shrink labels are film labels printed on oriented plastic sheets or tubes that conform to the shapes of containers they surround when heat is applied. They hit the market in tandem with unique container designs and shapes that identify products with a trademark shape. Originally, the labels were
constructed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but now they're made of polyester (PET), glycol-modified polyester (PETG) and oriented polystyrene (OPS).
The shrink label market doubled between 2000 and 2003, with estimated North American sales of $260 million last year. That figure will grow between 20 percent and 22 percent by 2005, according to Packaging Strategies, a company in West Chester, Pa., that provides competitive intelligence for packaging markets and technologies. Beverage packaging is the largest market for shrink labels, but personal products, pharmaceuticals and other industries also rely on them.
"A full-body shrink label on a single-serve container provides a powerful 360-degree billboard to attract customers," says David Luttenberger, director of Packaging Strategies.
Ozark Smokin' Spice ordered 12,000 boxes, which have tuck tops and automatic bottoms. The top of the box has two flaps on the side and one in the middle that folds over and tucks inside. The bottom pops out automatically when someone squeezes it. "It's very simple to put together and package," Langlois says. The boxes are die cut, glued together and shipped flat to the client. Ozark Smokin' Spice then hand packs the products for shipping.
Langlois is a novice in the packaging arena, but he encourages other distributors to pursue it. "Don't be afraid to get into the packaging market," he says. "Get together with a good manufacturer that can help you."
Business You Can Take to the Bank
That's what Bob Shippey did. Shippey is president of Advantage Plus Forms Inc., a distributorship in Concord, Calif., that specializes in banking. Like Langlois, Shippey entered the packaging market at the request of a longtime customer, Bank of the West. The bank had more than 50 branches when a French bank acquired it several years ago. As a goodwill gesture, Bank of the West wanted to ship stuffed California bears--its symbol--to its new European owners.
Bank of the West ordered the bears from another vendor, but had trouble finding decorative boxes to package them in. "They were frustrated," Shippey says. "By agreeing to provide the boxes, we made our customer very happy." But the offer created some challenges for Advantage Plus Forms. "Now what to put the bears in?" Shippey says. "They wanted to put them in cages, and we had to find them."
With the help of its supplier, Advantage Plus Forms provided Bank of the West with 10,000 3-color boxes imprinted with both bank's names in French. The boxes held the bears and letters from Bank of the West.
Other packages Advantage Plus Forms provides aren't so whimsical. For example, it supplies 1-color check boxes and boxes that hold 2,500 cashier's cash-in and cash-out slips. The business is a natural extension of selling forms and allows the distributorship to be a single source for financial institutions' printing needs.
Despite the challenges, Langlois says it's worthwhile to pursue the market. "If you're just selling continuous forms and unit sets, it's more difficult to sell," he says. "But if you're already in commercial printing and working with 4-color, it's an easy transition."
Susan Keen Flynn, a freelance writer in Cleveland, is a frequent contributor to Print Solutions. Email us your comments at editors@printsolutions mag.com.
Thanks to Columbus PaperBox Inc., Maumee, Ohio, for assistance.
5 Tips for Selling Packaging and Point-of-sale Products
Contemplating a move into packaging products or its sister niche, point-of-sale printing? Here are five things to remember:
1. Big isn't always better. One current packaging trend is responsible packaging. Environmentally concerned companies might not want excessive packaging such as an oversized cardboard box with a plastic blister pack inside. While it might stand out on the store shelf, such packaging eventually ends up in a landfill. Instead, steer clients toward eye-catching designs and streamlined packages.
2. 3-D designs may be hard to visualize. Customers may have a difficult time expressing what they want from packaging products or 3-D point-of-sale products. Similarly, trying to describe your ideas to customers may be easier said than done. Consider using drawing software to send computer renderings to customers as well as manufacturers. This way, they can see beforehand exactly what a finished product will look like.
3. Location dictates design. Point-of-purchase printing projects may entail something small such as a shelf-dangler encouraging shoppers to pick a certain brand of soup. Projects also may entail something big such as a ceiling sign directing shoppers to various departments within the store. Carefully consider the location of the product when you design it. Does the font need to be large so people can read it from far away? How high should the display be to reach the average shopper's eye level? What stock should you use so a counter card doesn't easily fall off the counter?
4. Getting the product there is half the battle. Imagine you design a 4-color corrugated display case for a supermarket. The 5-foot high case will stand at the end of the snack aisle and hold jars of salsa and tortilla chips. The real challenge may be packing and shipping the display. How will it break down and fit into a box? Will it require bubble wrap or other protective materials? How much will packing and shipping it cost? Don't forget all these post-production factors when designing a point-of-purchase or packaging product.
5. Money talks. And the client may walk if a project is too expensive. Packaging and point-of-sale products can be expensive, especially when special printing plates or custom dies are involved. Always get an idea of a customer's budget up front so you don't waste time developing a project that won't see the light of day--or the inside of a store.
