COUNTDOWN TO PACK EXPO

Pack Expo Exhibitors Offer Tools
To Make Products the Heroes

Between increasing competition on the store shelf and the busy lifestyle of today's consumers, brand owners have only a brief moment of opportunity to capture the attention of shoppers as they rush down store aisles. Some of the most unique and innovative packaging materials developed to help brand owners enhance visual appeal will be on display at Pack Expo Las Vegas 2007 being held October 15-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Sponsored and produced by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI), eye-catching materials ranging from uniquely shaped blisters to shimmering films will play a large part in this year's exhibits.

SCA Consumer Packaging helped GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare develop eye-catching new packaging for the popular Abreva® brand.

A good example is the challenge facing Abreva®, the popular over-the-counter medication for cold sore treatment sold by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK). Hanging on a pegboard among a drab collection of cold medications, the small tube was originally held in a five-panel carton sheltered by a sturdy anti-pilfering blister—not the ideal way to project either exciting shelf presence or product confidence.

Working with SCA Consumer Packaging, the former Alloyd Company developed a unique three-part blister that was up to the challenge and made its product the hero. It consists of a footed back that can either hang or stand on a counter, a domed front that catches the consumer's eye, and a shaped insert that holds the tube within the dome as if it is floating. An enclosed folded card carries the striking Abreva brand graphic on its face and Drug Facts and other information inside the fold.

The curvy white bottle molded by Silgan Plastics Corp. for Soft Scrub improves package utility and creates a powerful shelf presence.

Reintroducing classics

Another packaging update with several levels is the transformation of Soft Scrub®, the very popular cleansing product that has become famous among consumers for its impractical packaging. The closure tended to clog and was too small to let the bottle be inverted (the time-honored solution for products that tend to separate). Following the recent acquisition of the brand by Henkel Corp., Soft Scrub's packaging underwent a redesign to respond to consumers' needs.

The result is an attractive, ergonomic bottle that is designed from the beginning as an inverted package. It features a broad, stable closure as a base, and includes a pressure-sensitive valve at the bottle nozzle designed to deliver the thick cleanser with better control and avoid the hassle of clogging. The Dial Corporation asked CIULLA | MLR Design to refine the brand graphically and structurally, and Silgan Plastics Corp. molded an S-shape that both reinforces the product's brand logo and suggests a gentle, scrubbing motion. The design protects the brand's well-established, familiar visual cues while standing out with fresh, contemporary graphics in a more user-friendly bottle.

Club store Costco has replaced the sealed clamshell packs for its Kirkland Signature by Borghese cosmetic products with hybrid packages using two 24-point Solid Bleached Sulphate (SBS) cards printed by CardPak Inc. These are sealed over a die-cut mini-flute sheet stiffener, and hold between them the two halves of a 15-gauge clamshell that Costco thermoforms itself from recycled polyethylene terephthalate.

Gilbreth's Rub 'N Smell labels incorporate tiny embedded fragrance beads that mimic the scent of the packaged product.

One goal of the new packaging is to respond to consumers' complaints about having to cut sealed and welded clamshells apart. Cutting the new SBS "sandwich" is much easier and safer than cutting into the plastic shell itself. Costco also wanted the best possible materials for an upscale look, complementing the special kiosk it had designed for the packages. The SBS surface supports superior printing, and CardPak prints the oversized boards (the two current sizes measure 7.5" x 9.5" and 9" x 11") in six colors plus a heat-resistant coating.

Films that shine

Shrink sleeves are among the fastest-growing types of package decoration, because they can deliver upscale graphics at a relatively low cost, and they can cost-effectively decorate containers with unusual shapes. Gilbreth Packaging Systems, a leading maker of shrink sleeves in the U.S., will be showing off a number of its newest films at Pack Expo Las Vegas. Its "smile-free" polyethylene terephthalate gly (PETG) film was developed to shrink smoothly and not sag into causing "smiles" or "frowns" as it adapts to even the most complex curves, thicknesses, and edges.

Gilbreth also has innovative films, such as an Iridescent film that is optically active and allows consumers to see an ever-changing rainbow of color as they move past a package on a shelf. Gilbreth also offers an Embossed shrink film, allowing patterns and logos to be seen and felt on a 360-degree canvas. Gilbreth produces these shrink sleeves in PETG, OPS, and PLA, which makes them either recyclable or compostable, respectively. Gilbreth's Rub 'N Smell labels incorporate tiny embedded fragrance beads that represent the packaged product. A consumer can rub the label to sample the scent before buying the product.

In-mold labels eliminate the possibility of ripped or torn labels, and this tub from Berry Plastics is designed specifically for freezer foods.

Nothing draws negative attention to a package quite like a tipped, torn, or wrinkled label. In-mold labels are inserted into molds before bottles are formed, essentially becoming part of the container rather than being applied separately. Berry Plastics Corporation developed its new 56-oz. Euro-style container primarily for frozen products such as ice cream, frozen fruit, cookie dough, and frozen desserts.

The goal of this package was to have an upscale graphic impact to set customers' packages and products apart from those of competitors in the freezer section. The new package also features a snap-tight lid that ensures freshness, and is especially suitable for products destined for the freezer, because it can be both frozen and microwaved without the container (or its smooth label) becoming distorted.

For more information about Pack Expo Las Vegas 2007, visit www.packexpo.com; call 703-243-8555; or email expo@pmmi.org.