New packages can enliven mature products

The package also brought Pringles into new usage occasions in which convenience is key, such as school lunches and on-the-go snacking. “Although some people might take the Pringles can on the go, the 23-g cup changes the whole dynamic,” O’Rourke says.

Snack Stacks flavors include Original, Sour Cream & Onion, Reduced Fat and Pizza. In addition, a 100-calorie version of Snack Stacks is available in Wal-Mart stores; each cup contains 100 calories worth of Original flavor Pringles. Procter & Gamble plans to launch 100 Calorie Snack Stacks nationally within the coming year.

Consumers have responded as hoped. Since the product’s introduction in 2002, Snack Stacks have been the fastest growing segment of the Pringles portfolio within North America, according to the company.

O’Rourke reports consumer response to the product has “exceeded our expectations. It has elicited an unbelievable consumer response and amazing feedback” in consumer panels and through verbatims on the company’s toll-free consumer line.

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Boxing premium wine

Corbett Canyon Vineyards (www.corbettcanyon.com), San Luis Obisbo, Calif., took a bold step when it began packaging its premium, vintage-dated, varietal wines in a 3-liter bag-in-box “cask” in 2003. The company currently sells chardonnay, merlot, pinot grigio, white zinfandel, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon in the cask as well as in 750-ml and 1.5-liter bottles.

Although bag-in-box wine has historically suffered from a poor reputation in the U.S., that perception is fading as more premium wines move into box packaging. Corbett Canyon was one of the first major U.S. producers of premium wine to get on board with the cask.

“Packaging innovation that guarantees wine freshness is a key differentiator for Corbett Canyon," says Laurie Jones, adding that the cask has driven significant sales growth.

This package format offers Corbett Canyon’s customers multiple advantages, including greater convenience for storage and transportation to picnics, tailgate parties and other events. The bag-in-box packaging also eliminates cork taint. And the cask offers consumers a significant cost advantage versus bottles.

The cask’s spigot, bag and box are less expensive than corks, glass bottles and labels, and the boxes offer lower distribution costs. Therefore, Corbett Canyon can market the same premium wine in casks that it sells in bottles — at a third of the bottled cost. The cost of wine in the cask works out to $2.50 per 750 milliliters.

In addition, the cask offers much longer shelf life than bottles after opening. The company offers consumers “The Corbett Canyon Cask Freshness Guarantee,” which states the last glass of wine in the cask will be as fresh as the first glass, for up to six weeks. This feature is attractive to drinkers who resist opening a bottle of wine because they only want a glass or two every once in a while.

The cask’s extended freshness is possible because the package structure protects the wine from oxidation. The package’s SmartTap spigot, which Corbett Canyon developed and patented, was designed to provide an oxygen barrier. In addition, the flexible bag inside the box collapses as wine is drawn out. This also prevents air from getting in.

“Packaging innovation that guarantees wine freshness is a key differentiator for Corbett Canyon. We have witnessed tremendous growth in the 3-liter cask segment with Corbett Canyon both domestically and internationally,” says Laurie Jones, Corbett Canyon spokeswoman.

She credits Corbett’s outstanding performance with playing “a critical role” in a recent honor for The Wine Group, Corbett Canyon’s parent company: The Wine Group was lauded as Winery of the Year at the 2005 Unified Wine and Grape Symposium, the largest wine and grape trade show in North America.

Consumers have responded enthusiastically to Corbett Canyon’s bag-in-box package, which is still a somewhat unusual packaging choice for premium wine in the U.S. According to the company, it sold more than 1 million glasses of wine in the cask package in the first eight months after the package’s launch.

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Birds Eye launches steam-and-serve

In the case of StarKist, Pringles and Corbett Canyon, a new package structure did all the heavy lifting in enhancing consumers’ relationship with the product. The product itself didn’t change at all. In other instances, a new package works with a reformulated product to bring the brand greater relevance.

Birds Eye Foods (www.birdseyefoods.com), Rochester, N.Y., currently is in test market with its new Birds Eye Steam & Serve products. These are frozen vegetables in sauce, packaged in a steam-and-serve package. In contrast to conventional boxes or pillow packs of frozen vegetables, the 10-ounce Birds Eye Steam & Serve tray goes directly from freezer to microwave to dish.

The primary package is a polypropylene tray sealed with a proprietary lidding film that vents the steam created during microwave cooking. The consumer does not need to peel or pierce the film before placing the tray in the microwave oven; the steam automatically escapes through a venting membrane incorporated in the transparent lid stock. The vegetables cook in six minutes.