Spotlight: Innovation

A Normal Looking CD or DVD Case Holds a Surprise With a Burgopak

Burgopak's surprise novelty appeal comes when a pull on one end opens up the package at both ends.

In 1998, Burgo Wharton decided to take his fascination with children's pop-up books to another level, and was inspired to create a new product idea that could be used in many applications. Now patented, the unique and fun opening mechanism of a Burgopak makes it an accessible, flexible alternative to existing CD and DVD cases, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and other packaging.

When encountering a Burgopak CD case for the first time, it appears to be not much different than a common sleeve-enclosed CD case. However, the surprise occurs when sliding out the inside part causes an extra panel to slide out of the other side. The simultaneous, hinged opening at both ends adds a bit of fun to an otherwise mundane experience. After the initial impact wears off, it can still become something to fiddle with in idle contemplative moments.

After catching on in Europe, the UK-based Burgopak Ltd. expanded its scope last fall with Burgopak USA, with offices in Boston and Los Angeles. In the CD and DVD segment, the Burgopak offers superior case durability, increased product protection, user-friendly opening and closing mechanism, increased print area, multi-disc and multi-application capacity, and patent-protected design.

Notable high-profile applications have been Coldplay's Live 2003 DVD Pak, Digital Dreams' James Bond 007 Spy Camera Pak, Curb Your Enthusiasm DVD, and a Spiderman 2 press kit. The manufacturing process alone required for the Burgopak makes it more difficult for pirate discs to be bootlegged. "The overwhelming success of the Curb Your Enthusiasm releases, coupled with burgeoning interest in our products from existing and potential North American clients, makes the decision to expand an easy one," says Charlie Bluett, CEO and world group managing director, who is based in the U.S.

"Burgopak is a premium alternative to existing formats, offering versatility well beyond anything else on the market," Bluett said. "Burgopak is packaging in motion--it becomes part of the product consumers buy, an important element of overall branding, a new medium for advertising, and a storage format in its own right. While aimed squarely at the mainstream, Burgopak is poised to serve markets within markets."

Burgopak is a versatile system that could be an option for consumer goods in many categories. The Burgopak system becomes part of the product consumers buy--an extension of overall branding, a new medium for advertising, and a storage format in its own right. Functionally, the Burgopak system is consistent in every application. The packaging is the construction built around the system, and varies according to the specific needs of the client.

"We're using Burgopak for delivery of a customer retention CD because we believe there is a 'wow factor' once you get the package that will increase the open rate," says Lucas Donat, founding partner of Donat/Wald Company Advertising & Communications. "Burgopak makes the CD package an exciting and fun experience. I have always loathed the traditional CD packages because I find them difficult to open and incredibly wasteful. Burgopak combines brilliant form with enhanced utility."