Elements of Successful Packaging

The truth is—even if it's pretty on the inside, if it isn't on the outside, it will languish, ignored. If your supplement product has been tested and shown to be efficacious, thus meeting its label claim, but it is ensconced in mediocre or ineffective packaging, it will assuredly be a flop.Is it a matter of being superficial? Of course not. It's a matter of multiple dynamics, coupled with manufacturing technology to ensure packaging accurately and finely strums the right notes, resonating with the intended target market who will first test it, and then buy it again and again.According to packaging professionals and graphics experts who help companies create the visual allure via packaging, numerous elements constitute a successful package."The goal of sound packaging is threefold: ease of use, compliance (both for the user and for child resistance) and ensuring maximum potency at time of use," said Ralf Klotz, regional sales manager for Uhlmann Packaging Systems.

The most important element of dietary supplement packaging, in the viewpoint of Marny Bielefeldt, director of marketing, Alpha Packaging, is its ability to protect the contents. After the bottles are filled, the package has to be structurally durable to withstand vagaries of transportation without collapsing under the weight of filled product; it also has to protect the contents from elements such as moisture or oxygen infiltrating the container before it reaches the consumer.Indeed, emphasized Angela Roggenhofer, sales and marketing manager for Tekni-Plex Inc.,Specially designed geared knife sets, gears automatically adjust to the job and load.Soft cup "Safety always comes first—i.e., protecting young children from access to the product. Equally important is protection of the product against the elements—moisture,light project oxygen, mechanical damage, etc.--via packaging that protects the consumer and ensures the product does what it promises at least until it reaches its guaranteed shelf life."

Additionally, she continued, successful packaging will have convenience factors, such as easy opening for seniors and, increasingly, portability: the on-the-go consumer is increasingly looking for smaller, portable packages. "Blister packaging can be an ideal solution for all of these requirements," she offered.From an economical standpoint, Suley Muratoglu, vice president of marketing and product development, Tetra Pak Inc., said packaging must, "allow the manufacturer to deliver the desired product at a price point the consumer demands, while still allowing the manufacturer to maintain margins."