ASI Media’s 2022 Product of the Year: Packaging

The secret is out of the bag – or rather, the box.

After decades of being an afterthought, boxing and branded packaging have taken on a starring role, connecting the recipient to the brand through the entire delivery process.

"Packaging is the quintessential promotional product – it conveys branding, is elegant, tells a story, and raises the perceived value of the products inside," says Andy Griffin, managing partner of Keepsake Products USA (asi/64180).

While suppliers have been offering branded boxes and packaging for years, they were traditionally considered more of an "accessory," Griffin says. Then the pandemic hit. Meetings and events were immediately shut down, work from home emerged, and both companies and distributors needed to engage end-users in a whole new way. Drop-shipped packages and kitting became huge, and people started to see the value of the total branded experience, says Mallory Ebrahemi, vice president of Top 40 distributor Nadel (asi/279600). "It became cool to start engaging the recipient from the time they received the package, and then it became ‘how can we tie it into social media buzz?" she notes.

Produced for a toy company, this custom box transformed into a 3-foot ramp to race toy cars on. From Keepsake Products USA (asi/64180); keepsakeproductsusa.com

"The demand for creative and custom packaging was like an F-15 taking off from the airfield," adds Griffin. "With communication and meetings taking place virtually, people were bombarded with social media and email blasts, but nothing tangible that they could touch or feel. People wanted to make an impact, and packaging accomplished that."

As live events returned, buyers sought out more giveaways, and drop-shipping wasn't the only game in town. Still, nearly 30% of people continue to work from home, according to an analysis of November U.S. Census data (a year-over-year drop of .4 percentage points). E-commerce continues to grow at a remarkable pace, and kitting remains very popular. Society has fundamentally changed, and packaging is a natural fit for the post-pandemic world.

"Our clients want the ‘wow’ to start as soon as a gift arrives on the doorstep," says Nat Antman, account manager for Top 40 distributor Drive Marketing (asi/183590), adding, "It's now an integral part of the unboxing process."

The e-commerce boom has given rise to heightened scrutiny on the sustainability of shipping. Wasteful, excessive or bad packaging – it goes by many names and has been the cause of thousands of social media posts. "We’ve all gotten an Amazon box where a small item arrives in a huge box," says Nat Antman of Top 40 distributor Drive Marketing (asi/183590). "Sending an item or kit in an oversized box is wasteful and starts the unboxing experience with confusing expectations."

"Clients are absolutely looking for sustainable packaging options," says Lee Fine with Juice Marketing (asi/237786). "Fortunately cardboard is reused and recycled, but we spent a great deal of time with our factories to avoid including plastics in their packaging to us before the fulfillment stage begins. It doesn't make sense to ship things in cardboard only to have a pound of bubble wrap inside," he notes. Fine adds that Juice prefers paper sizzle to plastics inside its shipments.

"The standard used to be bubble wrap and a mountain of peanuts – now there are more eco-friendly alternatives like Spiropack, Ecoshred and Ecofetti Foam," notes Antman. Drive Marketing believes in promoting sustainability, and includes insert cards to highlight the sustainable components of a gift.

The box materials are also important. "Some 60%-80% of what we use is post-consumer recycled materials, and 100% recyclable," says Mary Dobsch, owner of The Chest (asi/44830).

At Gemline (asi/56070), the supplier's in-house mailer box that distributors can purchase is made with recycled materials and features messaging that reads, "This box has up to 7 lives, our planet has one," along with a reminder to recycle and a QR code to box2nature.org that features recycling information and a quiz.

That sustainability message extends to suppliers’ entire operations (a key selling point that distributors can convey to clients). Four years ago Keepsake Products USA (asi/64180) invested $4.5 million for an onsite solar panel array that covers almost every inch of the 250,000-square-foot facility and its carports; 100% of the company's machines and power run on solar energy. The Chest's factory as well uses solar energy, and the company has an organic garden. "Everything we take off a box is baled and recycled," Dobsch adds.

But more than just a way to engage remote workers or amp up an online purchase, packaging has proven itself to be a fundamental part of any brand experience. It's a guaranteed way to upsell and add serious value to an order. It's ultra-creative and highly customizable – often with dazzling full-color graphics. And as social media is awash in tales of wasteful and excessive packaging – particularly from a certain mega online seller – branded packaging is showing that the promo industry can deliver major impressions in a way that still prioritizes sustainability.

For those reasons, packaging is ASI Media's 2022 Product of the Year. It's an afterthought no more.

"Packaging has become part of the whole experience of receiving a gift," says Dawn Ring, senior marketing communications manager for Gemline (asi/56070). The Top 40 supplier struck a partnership last year with BuyBoxes (a division of Rand-Whitney Container) to provide fully customizable gift boxes to be used in conjunction with Gemline's kitting and fulfillment services. "It's that first ‘wow’ you experience when a gift is delivered to you. We see this not only as it relates to kitting, but also with individual products. Retail and retail-inspired packaging experiences are true selling features."

Mary Dobsch, owner of The Chest (asi/44830), credits influencer boxes with jump-starting the trend of promoting a "wow" packaging experience. You’re familiar with it by now: packages are shipped to influencers with strong social media followings; the boxes contain branded items for the influencer to share with their audiences.

"Unboxing" videos create huge additional buzz for brands on social media and have made the packaging and presentation part of the gifting experience. "We’re seeing more influencer kits than ever – even 4-year-olds are getting in on the act, watching other kids opening packages with toys on TikTok," says Dobsch.

Package branding goes far beyond influencers. Dobsch notes the entertainment industry is back, and is creating super creative media kits to promote events such as movie premieres. Companies too are readily using packaging to connect with employees and buyers. "The unboxing experience isn't just for influencers on Instagram or TikTok – it's just as prevalent for employees or end-users in the corporate world," says Lee Fine, head of sales and strategy for Juice Marketing (asi/237786). "The outside of the box sets the tone for the inside," he adds.

Here are four questions that Dawn Ring, senior marketing communications manager for Gemline (asi/56070), recommends considering when selecting packaging design.

What would appeal to the recipient, and make this gift and unboxing most memorable?

What message am I trying to convey to the recipient and how can the packaging enhance this gifting experience?

How can I ensure the gift is eco-friendly and the packaging not only looks good but sends an important message?

Is this gift and packaging something they are going to want to keep and use long past the gifting experience, leaving a lasting brand impression?

Approximately 15%-20% of the packaging orders for Top 40 supplier Tekweld (asi/90807) are for turned-edge boxes – "the ‘Bentley of boxes’ because they’re a high-end, high-impact product," says Ray Rodriguez, Tekweld's vice president of sales and marketing. ("Turned edge" refers to the thick sturdy material the supplier uses for the box.) And while they’re a popular choice for influencer kits because of the incredible impression they make, they’re becoming increasingly sought-after by other markets. "We do sales presentation kits for manufacturing companies that want to introduce a new line of cleaners," Rodriguez says, "or welcome aboard packages for new hires of companies that want to convey a high-end look."

Juice Marketing begins the conversation about packaging at the very start of a project. "It's routine for us to ask our clients if they would like us to including custom packaging in our presentations," says Fine.

Dobsch echoes that sentiment. "There's no such thing as too early to think about packaging," she says. "We tell our distributors to send us links to what items will go in the box as soon as they know, and we tell them what size box to use." The Chest uses a CAD system that virtually places the items in the box, so the client isn't overpaying for boxes or freight, she notes.

Keepsake's Griffin recommends bringing up packaging in every presentation. However, the details can be intimidating to many distributors, so education is critical, he notes. Keepsake has prepared webinars and printed material like checklists to educate distributors, and conducted one-on-one meetings in person and over Zoom to highlight the benefits of packaging and go over proven sales strategies for distributors to use with clients. "We find that most distributors who work with us who were nervous in the beginning, seem to become comfortable by about their third order and become experts by their sixth," says Griffin.

These turned-edge custom boxes are built with sturdy materials and decorated with eye-catching full-color graphics. From Tekweld (asi/90807); tekweld.com

Top considerations when it comes to packaging are budget and the in-hands date, says Rodriguez, because those will drive what goes into the package, as well as the objective of the promotion.

Budget matters because boxes can get surprisingly high-end. Keepsake, for example, has boxes that range from budget-friendly to as much as $550 a box. "The high-end ones might include features like video screens in the middle," Griffin notes. The extra cost can lead to some serious creativity. One box that Keepsake and a distributor produced for a toy company turned into a 3-foot ski slope-style ramp when opened.

"I have clients ask how much a specific box is," says Griffin, "and if I say $12, they say ‘whoah, that's a lot of money.’ I say, ‘You pay $7 for a Hallmark card and the impact is nowhere near the same.’"

Still, a small investment in packaging can yield a big impact. One of Keepsake's most popular boxes is also its least expensive – a corrugated box that's unprinted on the outside and taped on top but has branded images on the entire inside.

Nadel's Ebrahemi has created extremely high-end, custom packaging options for nightlife and festival clients, though notes her corporate and other clients are clamoring for more budget-friendly presentations. "I’m doing a lot of readily available corrugated boxes that are decorated both inside and outside, but look custom," she says. "They might include features like a custom insert or crinkle paper to hold the branded merchandise, a note from the CEO. I love a message or theme on the outside, and then a tie-in like a letter or pattern that carries you down into branding inside and outside."

Kitted packages and custom boxes don't have to take weeks if time is tight. Swag.com (asi/287954) started offering "Swag in a Box" custom boxes in 2019, (where customers create, package and ship custom boxes) but noticed in late 2021 that some opportunities were being missed because clients came to them last minute wanting packaged holiday gifts. It was too complicated a process to create, produce, ship and finish on such a short timeline, says CEO and co-founder Jeremy Parker. "We realized some people were OK with a brown box that had custom tape with a logo, so we introduced our new Super Speed line for quick or last-minute turnaround," he explains. More than a brown box, Super Speed still allows Swag.com customers to choose a custom box color and custom tape and fill it with a selection of readily available, mainstay products from the distributor's trusted suppliers.

This custom decorated corrugated gift box (CGC10104C) can be filled with multiple items and includes a 4x6 card. From SnugZ USA (asi/88060); snugzusa.com

From just a logo on a box to full-color images, patterns and designs, the look of packaging has certainly evolved.

"We’re still seeing a lot of requests for full-color packaging and kitting," says Brandon Brown, vice president, marketing for SnugZ USA (asi/88060). The Top 40 supplier launched Boxcar Custom Packaging in 2021 to meet the increased demand for packaging and fulfillment.

For the launch of one of its new ships – a high-profile christening with Katy Perry performing on the inaugural sailing – Norwegian Cruise Lines and its distributor vendor wanted to create a splashy promotion. Enter The Chest (asi/44830), which designed a package that was sent to 3,000 frequent travelers that weren't on the maiden sail but were hopefully going to pursue future trips. "The box was a teaser to spark interest," says Mary Dobsch, owner of The Chest.

Each recipient received a printed corrugated box which contained a locked wooden box with a card glue-dotted on the lid. The wooden boxes resembled crates that had washed ashore, and the card on top instructed them to tune into a radio station about a week after receiving the box to get the code to unlock it.

Inside were a variety of items to use for celebrating when the ship left the dock, including coasters, ice molds, cocktail mixes, eye pads and bath salts. "The project," says Dobsch, "was a huge success for The Chest, our customer, and the end-customer."

"Custom full-bleed printing will always be the most desired preference for packaging, if doable and within the client's budget," says Juice Marketing's Fine. He adds that clients are trending toward calls to action on the packaging. "QR codes are back and bigger than ever," he says. "Messaging driving people to do, or get something, works well too."

Decoration can create something unique. Spot varnish is an important decorating trend, says The Chest's Dobsch: "We do a matte color box, then the logo in a different color in the varnish and it jumps out. This is more of a gifting package, such as for influencers or movie premieres."

In addition, companies continue to innovate with new printing techniques. Keepsake is presenting a new patented sensor-activated technology called SunMotion, licensed from Sun Chemical, that provides illuminated moving imagery with transparent ink printed on clear plastic. When the edge is lit, the images fluoresce into full-color graphics, which display motion and colors.

Beyond being the first impression, packaging can fit seamlessly within a coordinated branding effort, incorporating visual elements in multiple ways across many items. "At Drive Marketing, we’re always striving to go ‘beyond the logo’ with decoration so that the brand, event logo or tagline is integrated in a more thoughtful and playful way," says Antman. Examples include simple coordinated zipper pulls, second messages imprinted in non-standard locations such as inside a jacket, or as a tone-on-tone logo on a sleeve, he offers.

The total effect of successful packaging is, as Dobsch describes, a "return on experience, versus return on investment."

"It's more memorable, is shared with more people and leaves a positive impression," she adds. "In the long run, that will provide a much greater ROI."

Jean Erickson is a freelance writer for ASI. She received two ASBPE awards and contributed to several Neal award-winning articles. Email: [email protected]