With high-impact graphic designs, packaging structures tipping the scale of cool, and innovative closures that do much more than open and close the pack, you might call it the Twilight Zone of packaging. So are we choosing what is new and unique just to stand out – and if so, does it work?
With the recent soda tax and other consumer considerations, the beverage industry has begun to rethink how to package and market products in order to sustain sales. Chris Konyk, senior business consultant with Salient Management Company, says that beverage companies are resizing their products in response to health and obesity pressures. The beverage tax has heightened that pressure on the manufacturers to lighten the per-ounce tax penalty by slimming down the mega servings to something more palatable for the consumer’s wallet. Manufacturers realize that the tax on a 2-liter bottle or on multi-packs will add a volume-crippling barrier, so smaller portions will be the preferred approach until the consumer’s mindset changes.