One shot and you’re set. That’s the claim of a new styling gel called Rehab, which is packaged in a 2.4-ounce plastic syringe. Part of the Rudeman brand of hair styling products—a line targeted to men with alternative, edgy lifestyles—Rehab was the brainchild of Rudeman founder Michelle Piekaar, who noticed a Las Vegas waitress selling gelatin shots in similar packaging. Conferring with friend Dave Aragon, star of MTV’s Pimp My Ride, Piekaar flushed out the syringe packaging concept, had Aragon write the product description and put his punk-like image right on the box—a nice fit with the brand’s “rude” personality, which is summed up by its “Your Hair Sucks” tagline. Rehab gel is available at a suggested retail price of $8.95.

The September launch of Folgers Gourmet Selections—a line of eight, premium coffees—is the Procter & Gamble brand’s first foray into the gourmet coffee sector. Priced at $5.99 for a 10- or 12-ounce standup bag (depending on variety), the line extension is positioned for “everyday enjoyment”—a position coming out of P&G research that revealed many consumers were saving their gourmet coffee for special occasions. Cincinnati-based LPK (www.lpk.com) developed the visual identity and package graphics, as well as sample packaging and marketing communications materials for the line; the firm expanded on the Folgers brand equities, combining the white signature logotype, sun and mountain graphic and the color red with a warm color palette and a refined topographic treatment to communicate variety within the line. The brand will support the launch with a national ad campaign and a promotional, in-store, interactive, and public relations effort.

The French fashion brand Ted Lapidus recently re-entered the U.S. market with the launch of Silk Way, a fragrance for women named for the ancient road linking China with the West. As such, images of the Far East were inspiration for Denis Boudard and his designers at QSLD (www.qsld.com): The smooth contoured shape of the custom glass bottle evokes the image of a rising sun—a frequent symbol of the Orient—while the secondary packaging, a black lacquered box, is treated with a finish reminiscent of washed silk. The glass cap is likened to antique glass perfume stoppers. Silk Way is currently available in the United States and Europe.

Grand Marnier is launching holiday gift packing for its NAVAN black-vanilla-infused cognac that is inspired by the concept of a modern “nomad pack”. Available in U.S. liquor stores in October, the packaging includes a high density acrylic carrying case with a built-in handle, a 750-ml bottle of the cognac and two stemless snifter glasses. “A gift pack has to be unique to generate displays [during the] key holiday selling period,” says Denis Boudard, the project’s art director and founder of QSLD New World Inc., the U.S. branch of French design firm QSLD (www.qsld.com). “We expect to boost sales dramatically.” QSLD worked with Antoine Gervais, brand manager with Moet Hennessy and Grand Marnier global marketing director Laurent Cutier on the initiative. The “nomad pack” follows QSLD’s holiday 2005 concept for Navan, where colored PET packaging doubled as an ice bucket.

The product is the package in Method’s latest launch, a line of three foaming hand washes in 10-ounce, translucent PET bottles. Topped with an instant foaming pump from Rexam Airspray (www.airspray.biz), the product line is offered in the spirit of what the brand says is keeping things “clean and fun”. The foaming hand wash is initially being offered in Target stores in three scents—eucalyptus mint, sweet water and green tea + aloe—and is further evidence of the company’s stellar success. With a three-year growth rate billed at 3,390.5 percent, Method was recently listed seventh on the “Inc 500” list, a ranking of the country’s fastest growing private companies; the brand also recently entered the British, Canadian and Australian markets.

Chicken of the Sea International is now turning out its tuna and salmon products in new packaging formats: 2.8-ounce plastic cups with easy-open foil lids. “The new cups meet consumers’ desire for convenient, on-the-go food, and they are perfect for portion control—a hot topic because of the obesity crisis,” said John Sawyer, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the brand. The cups come in two-packs with a suggested retail price of $1.79 to $1.89 for chunk light tuna or $2.79 for the chunk white tuna or pink salmon varieties. In addition to TV advertising and a public relations campaign, the brand is introducing the cups to consumers through its online affinity program, the Mermaid Club, which boasts more than 95,000 members.