Hyland's Debuts Licensed Curious George Products

As the first homeopathic company to use a licensed character in labeling, the Hyland's brand hopes familiar face will increase parents' and kids' comfort with taking medicines. Parents and kids nationwide will start seeing Curious George's classic character on the packaging of some of America's most trusted all-natural children's medicines in the coming months.

Hyland's Inc., the oldest and largest manufacturer of homeopathic medicines, partnered with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group to repackage several products in their popular "4 Kids" line of all-natural medicines. The familiar, adorable monkey that is a memorable part of nearly every individual's childhood through the book series published by Houghton Mifflin company.

The Curious George movie debuted in 2006 and has also become part of daily television through the Curious George television series on PBS KIDS. "Hyland's strives to provide the best all-natural solutions for children in a way that eases some of the nervousness commonly associated with taking medicines," says J.P. Borneman, chairman and CEO of Hyland's Inc. "Adding the lovable character to our quick dissolving Sniffles 'n Sneezes 4 Kids and Calms Forté 4 Kids tablets will add a sense of accessibility and lessen some of the anxiety that parents often encounter when administering medicines to youngsters."

YUPO Paper Delivers in Innovative Board Game

Ocean 88 LLC recently developed a new board game called Island Run: Put Your Feet in the Sand, and asked designer Bruce Leone of graphic design firm Ink Inc. to try something new. The Island Run game is targeted to families who might be planning to visit the Caribbean, and to cruise ships, hotels, resorts and travel agents looking for a unique item for promotional giveaways. Leone's price-conscious and innovative solution was inspired by YUPO, a synthetic unlaminated paper made by Yupo Corporation of America that is tear- and stain-resistant and 100% waterproof.

Unlike laminated paper, YUPO's high durability is combined with a high flexibility that greatly enhances its functionality and versatility. Those attributes led Leone to his innovative concept—a flexible board that could be conveniently packaged in a tube and would provide a durable playing surface that could be used anywhere, even on the beach or next to a cruise ship pool.

The YUPO Island Run board lays flat after being stored in a tube, greatly expanding promotional distribution opportunities. The 24" x 17-½" flexible game board was printed on YUPO 78-lb. text in four-color process using Braden Sutphin Synthetic Process inks. "One of the other advantages of using YUPO synthetic paper," Leone adds, "is that inks really 'pop' on the smooth surface."

Silgan's Colorful Aluminum Cans Meet Fresh Demand

Silgan Containers has introduced a line of colored, aluminum cans for packers looking for a new way to grab consumer attention. A 2006 packaging study conducted by Perception Research Services found that one of the factors driving results for top performers was that roughly half introduced a new structure or color.

The Silgan two-piece, aluminum draw redraw (DRD) cans now can be manufactured in a wide variety of translucent color choices for maximum shelf appeal and differentiation. This capability can also be extended to can ends and tabs, providing a platform for a multicolored marketing statement. Silgan Containers' state-of-the art manufacturing capability and close working relationships with upstream suppliers, such as aluminum and coating companies, are the driving forces behind the commercialization.

The ability to work backwards in the supply chain is critical because the pigment is added to the coating, which is applied by the aluminum company with its coil coater. The aluminum coils are delivered to Silgan's plant ready to be drawn and redrawn into cans. Although silver and gold alternatives have been available to the marketplace for years, Silgan Containers' new color options create a much wider palette from which to choose. Packers also benefit from the added capability of being able to color match or contrast both ends and tabs.

Pringles Select Moves Past Traditional Cylinder Container

The Cincinnati based brand design agency LPK (Libby Perszyk Kathman) has created the brand identity and packaging for the new gourmet snack from Pringles—Pringles Select. This brand extension has broken away from the familiar cylinder container that consumers associate with the Pringles brand.

Pringles Select distinguishes itself from other Pringles products by utilizing a block bottom pouch. The packaging for each flavor of Pringles Select is designed with a unique and proprietary pattern set against a jewel tone background color to help provide clarity and differentiation, as well as to build recognition with consumers.

"One of our objectives was to establish a graphic architecture that would allow for flexibility in using Select as a sub-brand for future initiatives," notes John Recker, executive vice president, director of brand strategy for LPK. Photography of fresh and natural ingredients is also used throughout the packaging to reinforce the positioning of Pringles Select as a premium and sophisticated product extension.

To further strengthen the brand communication, the Select name is set within a shield containing an image from a "destination." This image helps to tell the story of the different Select flavors, enhancing the customer's emotional connection with the product while also distinguishing the Select products as luxurious and indulgent experiences for refined palettes.

Procter & Gamble Wins Case Against Amway Distributors

The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) announced that it won a jury trial on March 16 in Federal District Court in Salt Lake City, Utah, against four Amway distributors. P&G was awarded $19.25 million for damages resulting from libelous and false rumors about the company that P&G alleged the Amway distributors spread to advance their own business.

"This is about protecting our reputation," said Jim Johnson, P&G's chief legal officer. "We will take appropriate legal measures when competitors unfairly undermine the reputation of our brands or our company." In related moves last year, P&G took legal action against several companies for infringement of trade dress and trademarks, as well as false advertising, relating to P&G health and beauty brands.

Slanderous rumors of Satanism references in the once-ubiquitous P&G logo, first adopted in 1851, persisted for some time in the 1980s, and then expanded into rumors of secret affiliations. The suit, first filed in 1995, stems specifically from messages left on Amway customers' answering machines that passed along a false rumor that P&G's president at the time had admitted his company had an affiliation with the Church of Satan.

The case, which went to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver three times, produced thousands of pages of testimony. The defendants admitted passing along a rumor and acknowledged that rumor was false, though at the time they believed it might be true. However, they denied they had a malicious motive in repeating the story. P&G alleges the satanic claim damaged its sales and that the distributors passed along the rumor on Amway's electronic voice mail system to promote their own products.

The judge and jury believed real harm was done in this case, as did the London Times, which stated: "Since the rumours first appeared in 1981, the corporation has had to battle boycotts from Christian groups, cope with more than 200,000 telephone inquiries from customers and fight the ability of word-of-mouth—and latterly the internet—to disseminate them."