A supermarket odyssey; Pride of Britain Packaging Awards

I started this blog as a way to visualize the way printed packaging would evolve in the UK over the course of summer 2012, a period that included the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Euro 2012 football tournament and the annual Wimbledon tennis championships.

 

This took the form of a photo blog, whereby I captured images of packaging on stores shelves during my shopping trips, and primarily focused on UK stores, such as Tesco, Morrisons and Marks and Spencer (M&S), as well as local independent traders.

 

I was astounded by the scale and variety of different products and markets that took advantage of these events to theme their packaging, primarily using the Union Flag, as a means to capture the eye and imagination of consumers in the UK.

 

The events of summer 2012 have made this year an excellent one to see the way printed packaging ebbs and flows with the days and weeks, and to represent local and regional sentiments.

 

As the Union Flag has been the basis of the decoration for much of the printed packaging I’ve catalogued, I’ve decided to name and announce my own “Pride of Britain Packaging Awards”.

 

That’s a very grandiose title, and they are awards that I’m personally bestowing upon the printed packaging I’ve seen this summer when compiling this blog. As I’ve said before, these awards are not endorsed by Package Print Worldwide or its parent Tarsus, nor can anyone expect to receive a prize or certificate carrying such a title.

 

Moreover, these awards are my own personal way of recognizing those brands and products that have gone the extra mile in my eyes when it comes to the use of printed packaging to capitalize on the good feelings generated by the Queen’s 60 years on the throne, the Olympics and other sporting events.

 

Firstly though, I’d like to commend all the themed printed packaging that has made it on to the shelf this summer. I can’t recognize it all, but from England salad bags in supermarket Morrisons to coincide with the Euro 2012 football tournament, to the full array of boxes, sleeves and cartons visible in fellow supermarkets Tesco and M&S, the breadth and depth of the themed printed packaging on show has astounded me.

 

So, after months of investigation and studying, I’m proud to present the winners of my “2012 Pride of Britain Packaging Awards”.

 

Food was one of the main segments to have used special themed packaging as a means to engage consumers and capitalize on events such as the Queen’s Diamonds Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics.

 

Many of the UK’s leading supermarkets made the most of the opportunity, including M&S, who had a range of ready meals, picnic items and treats in cartons and tins featuring the Union Flag.

 

As such, I’ve decided against picking just one product as the category winner for Best Food, instead awarding this prize to an overall retailer in the UK.

 

Tesco, one of the world’s largest retailers and a dominant player in the UK, was the supermarket that stood out for me during my weekly shops.

 

Over the summer, Tesco had a wealth of products using carton and flexible packaging to carry the Union Flag, from tray bakes to sandwiches and sausage rolls.

 

I was particularly enticed by the products that took the concept a step further, and imparted Britishness directly into the products themselves. Hog roast sausage rolls and British beef and Yorkshire pudding wraps are two obvious examples, which of course came in packaging featuring the Union Flag.

 

Procter & Gamble (P&G) was one of the main consumer product companies to be seen making the most of this summer’s events, primarily as it was a worldwide partner to the Olympics.

 

As a result, I’ve again awarded this category to the company as a whole, rather than a single product in its portfolio. 

 

From Gillette shaving products and Oral-B toothpaste, to feminine hygiene brand Tampax and the Head & Shoulders shampoo range, P&G used its ties to the Olympics to maximize the link between its products and sporting excellence.

 

A unique logo design featuring a medal and a ribbon featured heavily on P&G packaging, which was also printed in colors befitting of the Olympic movement – namely gold.

 

The Fairy brand of dishwasher tablets were a standout P&G product on the shelf, sold in gold flexible packaging printed with an image of a runner. Fairy tablets were also offered earlier in the year in silver flexible packaging to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, featuring its traditional decoration of a baby.

 

Another major supporter of the Olympic movement, Coca-Cola, used various Olympic disciplines to decorate the packaging of different varieties of soft drink available in UK stores.

 

Normal, Diet and Coke Zero all used a bespoke silhouette of an athlete to make the connection between the brand and the Olympics. Standard Coca-Cola had a silhouette of a hurdler, Diet Coca-Cola featured a silhouette of a vaulter and Coca-Cola Zero used the likeness of a volleyball player. The graphics were seen on both multipack cartons and collation shrink sleeves.

 

Limited edition Coca-Cola bottles wrapped in an Olympic shrink sleeve and sold in a matching folding carton were also available, which I pictured in Asda.

 

Most British – British beef and Yorkshire pudding wrap

 

Supermarket Tesco couldn’t have been more British if it tried with its British beef and Yorkshire pudding wrap, packaged in a carton featuring the Union Flag.

 

The combination of quintessential British ingredients with this packaging made the product one of the leading examples of how products and packaging can work together to promote a single message, event or cause.

 

The sacks for McDougalls Flour used the Union Flag in an understated way. Rather than bold, bright colors, embossed with metallic foils, softer, pastel reds and blues coupled with images of the cakes and sweets that could be baked with the flour made for a delightful visual experience on the shelf. 

 

As a shopper with a sweet tooth, the product, or should I say products, that stood out for me were the trio of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars. The special edition Dairy Milk bars were available in three flavors, Nuts for Gold, SilveryCreme and BronzedCremeCrunch, with Union Flag decoration on the packaging using the three Olympic medal colors as the basis.

 

This award goes to Lego and its Olympic themed Minifigures, which were sold individually in flexible packaging.

 

Nine characters were available to collect, each representing a different Olympic sport. From swimming and tennis, to judo and dressage, the series covered the gamut of Olympic sports.

 

The packaging was decorated with cartoon images of the nine characters, bringing them to life. Metallic finishing and the Team GB logo finished the packaging off, and make it one of the standout examples I saw this summer.

 

This award allows me to single put my favorite printed packaging amongst those that I’ve named as my top choice in other categories, and, while I’ve been tempted all summer by the Cadbury Dairy Milk trio, I must state that Lego’s Minifigures are my choice as Best Overall Packaging.

 

The printed flexible packaging comes alive with the nine characters, and the high-quality finishing makes the package a real eye-catcher on the shelf, in the display stand or at the point of sale.