Since packaging serves marketing and strictly utilitarian purposes, manufacturers need to keep both in mind when making selections.

Product packaging serves a number of purposes for supplement manufacturers and their products. The most basic is to contain the products and convey information about them. Perhaps more elusively, though, packaging can also communicate, relaying messages and helping to “sell” the product.

When looking at insertions, for example, “Use the insert as an opportunity to sell added features or other products” once the required regulatory items have been taken care of, said Tom Flottman, CEO of Flottman Company & Rxperts Printing Alliance in Kentucky. “It is important to use imagery—one of our best inserts is a ‘mini-product-catalog’ that introduces the entire line of supplements. Always have complete contact information including phone, website, e-mail and mailing address. Another successful attribute is couponing or offering a discount on the next purchase of that item or a different item altogether,” thus promoting “the up-sell, add-on Sale or repeat purchase.” 

Since there is only so much “real estate” that inserts can take up, Flottman offered some tips on how manufacturers can maximize the use of space while also keeping it visually appealing. “Use a lot of visuals; remem- ber a picture is truly worth a thousand words,” he advised. “Our largest printed sheet size is 28 inches x 40 inches, which can open to one large image or offer. Alternatively, inserts can have multiple folded image panels to tell a story or introduce an entire product line.” Flottman’s inserts can go as high as a total of 238 panels, and many of the inserts the company crafts are multilingual, “enabling companies to expand their marketing reach.” 

When couponing, Flottman said, “Be certain that if your coupon is redeemable in-store, the back of your coupon collects contact information for future promotions. Have your coupon or discount on an outside fold to make it more noticeable and encourage the recipient to open the insert and read more. Be certain to make your offer valuable enough so that it motivates your client to act.” 

Most importantly, he added, “You want to work with a design layout team to determine what your best design options are and coordinate the most appropriate fold configuration. You do not want to design something that can- not be folded—connect with the experts first.” 

Flottman Company recently put a promotional push behind its insertions. The main point the company seeks to make, Flottman said, is that “the focus for inserts is primarily marketing. Inserts serve as direct means of providing product description, dosage information, branding, couponing and advertising.” 

The company includes QR codes and generic URLs directing consumers to specific product landing pages for more information. “This adds a layer of measurability and the opportunity for increased data collection,” said Flottman. “We also encourage clients to tie the internet to their insert content by offering social media and website information or links for further discounts and Data collection.” 

In summary, “inserts can encourage repeat purchases through couponing and discounting,” said Flottman. “Your insert is connecting with a captive audience that is holding your product in their hands—make it work for you.” 

A Flexible Approach 

It’s not only the esthetics and feasibility of insertions that manufacturers ought to consider when looking at packaging. Wisconsin-based WS Packaging Group expanded its offerings last summer to include flexible options. “Flexible packaging allows us to further leverage packaging as a primary point of differentiation for our customers’ brands, and to accomplish such with speed and versatility,” said Mark Moorhead, director of marketing for WS Packaging, when the line was unveiled. “Brand managers can use flexible packaging to revitalize their product image with longer shelf life, better taste, product safety, convenience and portability. These materials enable our customers to leverage speed-to-market strategies tied to line extensions, allowing them to stay ahead of their competition.” 

The company cites data from the Flexible Packaging Association, which said the format is the second-largest packaging segment in the U.S., garnering 19 percent of the packaging market.WS expressed that the wide range of available substrates will enable it to build customized flexible packaging constructions for its customers. For example, sub-surface printable base stocks and clear laminating films are key components that can be easily mixed and matched to meet varying needs.Base stocks provide barrier and sealant layers with the ability to protect the print using polyester or oriented polypropylene films, according to the company.

“Innovative package design is increasingly influencing consumers when it comes to in-store purchasing decisions,” Moorhead said. “Flexible packaging delivers the convenience needed by today’s grab-n-go lifestyles.Coupled with a broad range of materials and converting properties, flexible packaging creates the recognition brand owners and consumers trust.” 

To that end, California-based Label Technology Inc. said it can provide a variety of flexible packaging options to manufacturers. “We inventory a variety of custom papers, clear and metallized films, specialized ‘easy-tear’ stick pack constructions, plus environmentally friendly and recyclable materials that are ideal for packaging powdered drink mixes, energy bars, gels, chews, sticks and many other nutritional supplement products including hydroscopic high- barrier requirement products,” according to the company.

Label Technology also touts pressure- sensitive labels as “a cost-effective choice for brand owners,” one which offers “versatility with good printability. The use of pressure sensitive labels for bottles and jars continues to grow as a means to provide manufacturers with a high-performance, luxury look.” 

Beyond esthetic considerations, though, the company noted that bottle and jar labels are exposed to a variety of temperatures, “and must perform impeccably from application through- out the supply chain to the consumer’s home. You can create a wide range of effects by using a combination of transparent and opaque inks printed on an unlimited variety of paper or films. Laminates or varnishes can be added to the labels for moisture resistance,” Label Technology stated.

Containing Promise 

Not only the labels, but also the very packaging that the product is bottled in comes into play. In a move that pro- motes both cost effectiveness and ecofriendliness, Alpha Packaging in Missouri now makes bottles and jars from NatureWorks PLA (polymerized lactic acid), a plastic resin derived from corn byproducts. NatureWorks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cargill, has made PLA into a viable plastic resin that requires about 20 to 30 percent less energy to produce and contributes only half the carbon dioxide than plastics made from petrochemicals. Through a special co-branding agreement, Alpha Packaging is now running the fully com postable resin on its PET (polyethylene terephthalate) stretch blow-molding machines.

“Because PLA is made from corn instead of petrochemicals, and requires significantly less energy to produce, its costs may not fluctuate as dramatically as petroleum-based resins,” the company stated. “For companies currently packaging products in PET or polystyrene, NatureWorks PLA may offer an interesting alternative to current pack- aging.” It’s particularly well suited for oil-based products, as well as products with flavor and aroma attributes.

“PLA has also successfully housed many types of solvents, and we can work with NatureWorks to provide existing test data or perform new tests,” Alpha added. “We recommend that all of our customers test their products in PLA containers prior to sending them to market.” NIE