From FarFarAway, Shrek, Donkey, Fiona And Puss in Boots Have High 'Box' Appeal

By David Luttenberger

"Do not iron while wearing shirt" General Mills holds high value in this paperboard iron-on technology.

This one-of-a-kind cereal promotion provided a working phonograph single in 1968.

Not since 1968 when the cartoon series group The Archies bubblegum pop ditty "Sugar Sugar" became a trans-Atlantic No.1 hit, topped the charts for two months, and was pressed into a paperboard and vinyl 331/3 RPM cut-out single record has the actual box that cereal comes in created so much buzz among kids as General Mills' paperboard iron-on transfer featuring characters from Shrek 2.

Among cereal packages, the heavily embossed Composi-pack has enjoyed its share of curb appeal. Quaker's short-lived attempt at Fruit-Os in a flexible bag garnered a second glance at best. But it has been a while since adults have been so engrossed with a cereal box for reasons other than evaluating the nutritional label for fiber content. The 1984 Wheaties box featuring spunky gymnast Mary Lou Retton (one of my all-time faves) notwithstanding, mind you.

Need proof of its appeal beyond third graders? At the National Paperbox Association's packaging competition, the judges were so smitten with the technology that we (um, they, that is) actually experimented with the paperboard/dye-sublimation transfer on the host hotel's pillowcases.

The process combines the not-so-new process of combining dye-sublimation inks with process inks. When heat is applied to the transfer (under the supervision of adults, of course) the dye-sub ink

from the transfer changes to liquid, then to gas, and bleeds into the fabric. The challenge well met by General Mills' production prepress manager Gail Wong was to combine each cereal's brand color set with those of the Shrek characters in a manner that rendered each indistinguishable from the other - a process further masked by flood coating the entire box.

Converted on 100% recycled paperboard at Cincinnati-based Zumbiel Packaging, General Mills has tagged this first-to-retail-market technology as exclusive. The agreement between Zumbiel and General Mills is that Zumbiel has agreed not to apply the process to any other packaging applications as long as Big G wants to use it. "The box is the premium," explains Mike Reilly, General Mills' manager of promotion packaging.

The cereal box transfer was developed as a partnership among DreamWorks, General Mills, and Zumbiel to promote the release of Shrek 2 on DVD and home video. To encourage cross promotion and sales through collectibility, there are a total six different full-color designs on six different cereal brands, and feature the famous ogre, Shrek; the ever-so-lovable Donkey; the lovely Fiona; and the irresistible Puss in Boots.

The result of the efforts are an equity tie-in Reilly says "was very solid," and which we say compels consumers - young and old-"er" alike - to declare "Wow! What A Package."

David Luttenberger is the director of Packaging Strategies. He can be reached at 610-436-4220 (x18) or at dluttenberger@packstrat.com.