Standing Out in the Crowd

Differentiating a brand is critical to its success in the marketplace. In some way, shape, or form, a product needs to stand out from its competition—to be distinctive in such a way that gives a customer a reason to buy it.

There are many aspects that come into play with brand differentiation including the product attributes themselves, product positioning, packaging, and the overall marketing message that pulls it all together. It is also a very dynamic endeavor, requiring a continual awareness of market trends that can provide opportunities for product enhancements. One thing is for sure, in most cases, distinctiveness doesn’t last for long—even Henry Ford got “out-distincted” a few years ago when sales of his venerable Model T fell victim to technical and customer service innovations.

One of the more obvious trends being incorporated in many of today’s product enhancements comes under the heading of sustainability. This is clearly presenting opportunities for companies to get out in front of the pack and differentiate themselves and their products through sustainability initiatives. Many package printing companies can be included in this mix.

Leslie Gurland, president of Logotech, Inc., knows that a company’s initiatives on the sustainability front can be used to enhance its objectives. She also believes that a company will not be successful if it approaches sustainability simply as a sales and marketing tool.

“The fact is, sustainability not only helps your image, it helps your bottom line,” she notes. “True leaders are looking at sustainability from the standpoint of people, profit, and the planet. Sustainability has to be something you believe in.”

According to Gurland, sustainability can be used in a variety of ways to help a company stand out in the crowd. “Obviously, you can offer new green products, which will increase your sales,” she says. “In addition, if you earn [sustainability] certifications, you can put them on your business cards, Web sites, etc., which, from a marketing perspective, helps your company’s image.”

Scott Pillsbury, president of Rose City Label, says that a supplier for his company did just that. “One thing a vendor of mine just started doing was putting a simple graphic in its e-mail signature stating that it buys 100-percent wind power to power its shop—that is a simple, subtle way to get the word out about your efforts,” he says.

As with many industry trends and even some new technologies, the window of opportunity for use as a distinctive driver does not last forever. Even such unique packaging systems as pouches and shrink films have lost some of their distinctiveness because the novelty has worn off and they are becoming more and more common on store shelves.

Sustainability will go this route too, but there is still plenty of opportunity to map out a course of action that differentiates a company or the products it supplies. “For now, most companies don’t yet fully understand it,” says Doug Wegman, marketing manager for Hammer Packaging. “Most companies are just trying to establish benchmarks to see if they have a story to tell.” Over the long haul, though, he believes that sustainability is likely going to play a large role in influencing customer choice.

Taking the lead

There are a number of companies in the package-printing arena that have, in fact, jumped in relatively early to differentiate their companies or specific products in the area of sustainability. The following is a sampling of some of the sustainability initiatives that are helping companies stand out in the crowd.

MeadWestvaco Corp. (MWV) introduced it Natralock® Security Packaging system to provide an eco-friendly alternative to the traditional plastic clamshells. It features a proprietary tear-resistant paperboard (now available in three levels of tear-resistant substrate grades) sealed around an APET (amorphous PET) or RPET (recycled PET) plastic bubble. According to the company, it uses 50 to 60 percent less plastic on average than traditional PVC clamshells, uses about one-third less energy to process, and can include 30 to 50 percent recycled content with the paperboard.

MWV recently announced that -Newell Rubbermaid Office Products has started using Natralock for its Sharpie® Fine Retractable 10-count marker pack in club stores. According to MWV, the company selected -Natralock to replace its mock-clamshell packaging after MWV demonstrated improvements in various sustainability measures. “With strong sustainability features, product security, curl-resistance, and graphics capabilities, -Natralock packaging is a perfect fit for the Sharpie club pack,” says Randy Canlas, packaging leader, markers for Newell. “The new product packaging resulted in a 60-percent reduction in plastic used, which was attractive from an environmental perspective.”

BlisterGuard® from Illinois-based Colbert Packaging also competes against the PET/PVC clamshell market. It uses heat-sealable, tear-resistant paperboard from International -Paper, laminated with multi-layer high-strength film from Valéron Strength Films. The paperboard uses a fold-over design to trap a plastic blister pack inside. According to Colbert Packaging, BlisterGuard is recyclable and can reduce the use of petroleum-based plastic by up to 70 percent in similar packages. It won Paperboard Packaging Council’s (PPC) 2005 Innovation Award and the 2007 Governor of Illinois’s Sustainable Technology Award.

Yet another product that is going after the clamshell and blister packaging markets comes from CardPak’s -EcoLogical Line of Packaging™ solutions. Included in this line are -ClubPak™ and SustainPak™, which the company says can eliminate up to 85 percent of the plastic used in clamshell packaging. SustainPak uses only 100-percent recycled paperboard and recycled plastic blisters.

CardPak has recently joined in a partnership agreement with Winterborne, maker of the EnviroShell® packaging solution that uses RPET and recycled corrugated. Tony Petrelli, president of CardPak, says, “This partnership allows both CardPak and Winterborne to present a more robust offering to retailers and brand owners and break new ground in the world of sustainable packaging. I have no doubt the combined resources of our two companies will significantly and positively impact the sustainable packaging industry.”

Alcan Packaging invested three years of research to develop what it says is one of Europe’s first fully printed compostable laminates for UK-based cereal maker Jordans. Alcan used two different certified compostable films—Innovia Film’s NatureFlex™ NE30 film laminated to Novamont’s -Mater-Bi®—for the biodegradable alternative to polypropylene films. -“Alcan Packaging is always looking at new ways to expand its product offering and this innovative compostable packaging is the embodiment of our continued efforts in research and development,” says Michael Cronin, president, Food Packaging, Europe for Alcan.

Rachel Kerr, spokesperson for -Jordans, adds, “This laminate is ideal for food packaging as it offers both on-shelf appeal and barrier properties. This is an exciting development and will go some way to addressing the current concerns around packaging and its disposal.”

Rochester-based Diamond Packaging introduced its greenbox initiative late last year as a comprehensive approach to packaging that minimizes environmental impact throughout the entire supply chain. Dennis Bacchetta, director of marketing said, “Through creative design, careful material selection, and best practices at the plant level, Diamond is able to minimize waste, reduce shipping costs, and increase efficiencies—all of which support a sustainable use of resources and cultivate a positive emotional connection to the brand.”

As reported in the August issue of packagePRINTING (“Films for the Future,” p. 24), both Croydon, Pa.-based Gilbreth Packaging and Farmingdale, N.Y.-based Seal-It, a division of Printpack, are using sustainability initiatives in their core shrink label businesses. Both have recently provided products using Plastic -Suppliers’ EarthFirst® polylactic acid (PLA) resins made from plants.

Available resources

These examples represent a small sampling of efforts companies have taken to differentiate themselves or specific product offerings around sustainability efforts. These initiatives are typically the culmination of many months and sometimes years of planning.

Companies looking to enhance their capabilities in the sustainability front have any number of resources from which to get assistance. Two of these were reported in the October issue of packagePRINTING.

The Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership (www.sgppartnership.org)—a collaboration of the FTA, PIA/GATF, and Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA)—has opened its application process for printers to become registered SGP Printers. Registered printers are listed on a registry for print buyers and customers to use when searching for sustainable green printers.

New York City-based ABI, a business-to-business marketing firm, -offers its new Sustainability Driver™ (www.sustainabilitydriver.com) program to help companies communicate their sustainable initiatives and realize positive business results from green practices. pP