Short-run printed packaging; a supermarket odyssey – part 1

It's true to say that I like to immerse myself in an industry when I get the opportunity, and luckily printed packaging is one of those that gives you that opportunity as it's everywhere, throughout all of our lives.

 

I say luckily, but my wife will tell you a different story. She might say going food shopping with me is actually a nightmare.

 

We have a fridge and cupboards stacked with goods bought mostly due to their use of flexible packaging, but also innovative carton applications.

 

Milk in bags is a craze that has come and gone in our house, but concentrated gravy in a squeezy tube anyone? How about single-serve tubes of soup, delivered in a paste you mix up with water?

 

And so it was yesterday, on our weekly shop, that I decided to catalogue my supermarket adventures in a blog and on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/D_Pittman_PPW).

 

I will follow the ebb and flow of short-run printed packaging on the supermarket shelves as I shop this summer, especially looking at customized examples hoping to cash-in on the Diamond Jubilee earlier this month, the Wimbledon tennis championships later this month, the London 2012 Olympic Games next month and the current Euro 2012 football championships. There'll be other events too, plus some special one-off printed packaging I'm sure.

 

This is by no means a scientific experiment, nor an actual representation of trends in British supermarkets. Instead, it’s one man’s view on the rapidly changing world of short-run printed packaging, and the impact that events and wider social occasions have on the package printing market.

 

The culprit that caught my attention to start this ball rolling? Salad bags showing the Three Lions, the crest of the England football team.

 

With the England team in action tonight, it'll be interesting to see where this product ends up. Perform well, and it's a weekend fixture against Spain or Italy. Weather-permitting, that calls for a BBQ and healthy salad sales.

 

Perform badly tonight (June 19) and will the salad bags still be there on Wednesday?

 

The same goes for beer. Carlsberg has been hoping for patriotism to help sales no doubt, with squad members (with a few obvious exceptions as seen below) staring out from multi-pack boxes.

 

Nestle too is pushing a special Euro 2012 competition on KitKat packaging, pictured here next to a new variant of its Chunky range.

 

 

Come the end of the football tournament and depending on sales of the peanut butter KitKat Chunky, I wonder where they'll be on the shelf?

 

Lucozade has been quick to capture the hopes of Brits with its sports drinks as we move ever-closer to the Olympics.

 

Again weather-permitting, it must be hoping people are swept up by the sports on show this summer and give them a go. With something isotonic in their bag to rehydrate themselves, obviously.

 

Aside from the themed packaging, a couple of other items caught my eye on the shelf.

 

Yorkshire Tea's 1.5kg flexible pouch of tea bags was one. I'm intrigued by “2 cup tea bags”, but was pleased to see the company's commitment to the environment carried in print on the reverse.

 

The environment can be a deal-maker with consumers, as long as the brand avoids the pitfalls of "green washing".

 

My own "moment of truth" came down the cheese aisle, with Kraft Philadelphia's use of lenticular printing.

 

 

OK, so not strictly printed packaging by PPW's definition, but great to see nonetheless.

 

As Kraft has moved to reposition Philadelphia cheese spread as an ingredient rather than an accompaniment, so this packaging shows that transition from spread to a finished dish, macaroni cheese in this case.