Selling Trash
I'm Back! With holiday vacation coming soon, expect more posts in the next few weeks. Here's a story about a fellow AIGA member, from BusinessWeek Online.
Justin Gignac pulled off what might be the ultimate marketing coup: repackaging NYC's garbage for $100 a cube. by Liz Danzico
Justin Gignac goes out of his way to find garbage. Right off the street—from back alleys, from uptown, from downtown—he collects it late at night after his day job at an advertising firm. He boxes it up, labels it, then sells it for up to $100 via his company, NYC Garbage. Gignac has made trash trendy through a package design and marketing plan developed while he was a still a student at the School of Visual Arts.
Liz Danzico: Garbage isn’t the first thing people think of when brainstorming new product ideas. How did this all start?
Justin Gignac: I started selling New York City garbage when I was in college at the School of Visual Arts—I came up with the idea one day during my summer internship. A group of us were having a discussion about the importance of packaging, and someone claimed that package design wasn't important. I disagreed. I figured the only way to really know if your package design is successful is to try to package something nobody would ever want. Garbage made perfect sense.
read the story
posted by Lisa C @ 5:50 PM
2 Comments:
Baby's Got Bling - You Can Package Anything by JoAnn Hines
Packaging Diva
Recently I've seen a host of new product introductions and I
wondered who is going to buy that? But there are products out
there for everyone. After reviewing the items I got thinking
these are great examples of the "Power Of The Package" you know
packaging as the silent salesperson. After all its the packaging
that going to sway you or not to consider purchasing these
products.
When I read about Bling H20, I initially thought what a great
marketing ploy but then I realized that primary target
demographics: boomers and women would be the ideal audience.
These groups have money to spend and are willing to spend it for
the right products. The luxury consumable market is also on the
rise and product are being created to meet the demand. (Ask me
about DIVA vodka) People are willing to invest in themselves with
a little luxury spending so why not luxury bottle water.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with this product Bling H20
($35 a bottle) is no ordinary water. It comes in a thin, tall,
frosted glass bottle and each 750ml bottle is handcrafted,
corked, and decorated with exquisite Swarovski Crystals. Wow what
a concept! I love Swarovski Crystals anyway. If you want to see a
picture I'll have it archived on my website shortly.
Along with other products in the super luxury category comes this
example. "ICE ROCKS are a secured ice cube product made from
spring water for the luxury market." But its more that just high
priced ice cubes. It touches us in other ways that are important
such as product purity and security. They even touch the
environmental button too with eco-friendly containers. "The ice
cubes are made for savvy consumers who seek the same level of
purity for the ice cubes they place in their favorite beverages.
These cubes, to be consumed within two (2) years, are
hermetically packaged in disposable, eco-friendly containers,
providing the user with a complete guarantee with regard to
hygiene and safety, while respecting the environment." Ready to
buy some prepackaged ice?
I had to finish with this one. Packaging Crap. Yes, you heard it
you can package anything and sell it if you have the right
marketing message in your product packaging. This is a direct
quote "If the package looks pretty, people will buy just about
anything. So says an advertising executive in New York, and he
has proved his point by selling boxes of rubbish for the price of
an expensive bottle of wine. Justin Gignac, 26, has offloaded
almost 900 carefully presented plastic cubes of trash from the
street of the Big Apple at between $50 (£26) and $100 each.
Buyers from 19 countries have paid for the souvenirs. The idea
has been so successful that he is thinking of franchising it
around the world." Yikes buying crap, my husband would love that
one. He thinks all my packaging "examples" are crap too so maybe
I should put them on Ebay.
But to recap why and how packaging works as a sales tool. It
sends a message to the consumer. Its up to you the product
manufacturer to determine what that message will be and who the
audience is. But whomever the demographic the package has an
important role to play and its integral to building your brand.
So what constitutes compelling packaging brand? How "connected"
are you to your consumer? Here are a few emotion descriptors that
your package must convey. Does your packaging Engage, Evoke, and
Engross the consumer?
Let’s look first at ENGAGE: to attract and hold by influence or
power. Can you say that about your product packaging? Or is your
product packaging just the opposite? Boring!
Got any BLING in it?
Think about what you can do to improve the odds that your package
will engage a consumer: Colors, features, shapes, value and
benefits are all ways to reach out with your package. Swarovski
Crystals?
EVOKE: To call forth or call up as in evoking memories. What
about your package will make the consumer recall a successful or
enjoyable product experience? How can you make them remember that
they were satisfied in buying your product? In case they haven't
purchased before, what is going to "connect" them to your product
on your package? What is so special about your package that they
have to take a closer look?
ENGROSS: To engage the whole attention of (and that's the key
point). You have to get their attention to pick up our product
before they can even consider buying it. Use features that will
capture their interest in seconds because that's all the time you
are going to get before they move on.
Another "feeling" word that conveys a strong and compelling brand
is TRUST. You must create a place where people look for
information and feel more secure doing so. It's important to
understand the strength behind the brand and why people turn to
it for a sense of security and information. So what about your
product packaging conveys the experience that consumers can trust
your brand? ICE ROCKS anyone?
Regardless of the reason a consumer may be in the store or
looking at your product, introduce them to a "lifestyle"
experience . . . trust, security, necessity or even peace of
mind. Your package presence needs to call out "Buy Me" because I
provide the experience of all of the above emotions.
Product branding is a powerful influence on everyone. It’s
important to understand the strength behind the brand and why
people turn to it for a sense of happiness, satisfaction,
security and information. The best of all brands cross gender,
ethnicity and age demographics. That is to say that everyone will
recognize and identify with the brand.
When you capture the power of the package people will integrate
your product into their everyday life. They will not just turn to
it as a convenience but as a necessity for comfortable living. So
create your own story through powerful product packaging.
Whatever your category, you should strive to engage, evoke, and
engross the consumer to revitalize your brand through product
packaging. Just remember when you have BLING, You Can Package
Anything.
Nice post Packagin' Diva! Thanks for contributing. I was with you all the way down to the bottom, where you said:
The best of all brands cross gender, ethnicity and age demographics. That is to say that everyone will recognize and identify with the brand.
It's true, brands like Coca-Cola and GAP are timeless and universal, but what's more typical are niche brands that appeal to a particular market segment. Brands like Apple or Nike work to develop strong brand loyalty amongst it's core audience, rather than dillute itself to appeal to the masses, i.e. Wal-Mart or McDonalds.
They do so by creating a lifestyle that is unique and allows an audience to set ones self apart. Who wants to be ubiquitous?
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