BW Confidential - Issue #14 - May/June 2013 - (Page 84)

Packaging Differentiation techniques Different strokes How packagers are providing more original, stand-out items for brands at a price that is right by Alex Wynne I n times of crisis, beauty brands need to do more to differentiate their offer. As such, there is pressure on packagers to offer more options, spanning diverse decoration techniques and materials, as well as a growing focus on in-house innovation. “Brands are fighting so hard to get shelf space and attract consumers that any bespoke aspect of their packaging is giving them attention,” explains Quadpack ceo Tim Eaves. Quadpack is predicting faster growth for the company’s bespoke activity in coming months than for its standards business. “In some cases, just a small element of a bespoke design, like a change to a cap or a bottle, makes that product different and our customers more competitive.” According to suppliers, hot areas in differentiation include the increasing use of wood (for fragrance caps, for example), new colors in aluminum anodization, low-priced accessories, and closures that allow consumers to discover products in unexpected ways. Germany company Awantys, for example, has come out with granite, marble and artificial stone solutions for premium cosmetics and perfume packs. Called Awystone, it can be used 84 for perfume caps and each piece is said to be unique. The company says that the natural, heavy weight of the stone gives the impression “ We work on look boards to help brands project ideas into their own world. In uncertain economic times, the right balance of expression and creativity pay off ” SGD vp international marketing perfumery & cosmetics Valérie Jacob of value and can be used to differentiate brands from the competition. Jackel LF Beauty, meanwhile, has developed a reversible palette that uses a cardboard hinge and was inspired by a Chinese folding purse (pictured), which it has now customized for Agnès B, part of the Club des Créateurs de Beauté (L’Oréal). Going beyond price Despite the higher prices that differentiation dictates, offering more original products is proving a key way for suppliers to move their clients away from a pure price discussion. “If we are presenting a generic product that our competitors also offer and that clients can easily find in the market, the conversation naturally goes to price,” Eaves comments. “If we can show something that is absolutely bespoke to their brand, price becomes a less important topic of conversation.” Price nevertheless remains a major factor, putting pressure on suppliers to offer solutions like adapting standards in ways that will allow consumers to identify a design with a certain brand, while stemming from a generic element of the original packaging. “We try to work around existing solutions to create something impactful,” Topline-Primapack marketing and communication manager Sophie Gaspin May-June 2013 - N°14 - BW Confidential

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #14 - May/June 2013

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
- Brand & retail news recap
- Companies on the move
Take note Market facts, figures & trends
Best of BW Highlights from our e-publication
Launches The latest in fragrance, skincare & make-up
Interview Clarins Group ceo Philip Shearer
Insight: Skincare
- Category overview
- Skincare devices
- Retail case studies
- The latest trends
Retail
- Amazon
- Store concepts
Digital Facebook
Market watch: China
- Country overview
- Industry viewpoint
- National domestic airports
- Department stores
- Third- & fourth-tier cities
Travel retail
- Emerging Asia analysis
- Passenger profiles
- Interview: King Power Group Duty Free & Travel Retail Hong Kong managing director Sunil Tuli
Radar Up-and-coming brands
Emerging markets Company profile: VLCC
Packaging
- Industry outlook
- Differentiation techniques
Last word Brand Keys founder and president Robert Passikoff

BW Confidential - Issue #14 - May/June 2013