Shelf Life Blog
Brand Stories From Worldwide Supermarkets
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13th May 2013Continuing the theme of American packaging from the previous blog, this time we look at some other product categories and seek to distinguish universal from local cultural references, in deciding what sells from the shelf. The world already knows a lot about American visual culture from movies, TV...
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17th April 2013As the spiritual home of both branding and the supermarket (‘the natural habitat of the package’), it’s been a lot of fun to check out the state of play in American packaging design. Design in general tends to reflect both cultural norms and emerging trends, but the balance varies markedly across...
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27th February 2013Recently I read one of the (buzzword approaching) go-to books in Marketing right now - Professor Byron Sharp’s ‘how brands grow - what marketers don’t know’. I was so impressed that I’ve been giving away copies to clients, often finding that they already have one. Never mind, my advice is to read...
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1st February 2013Last time we looked at appetite appeal in food packs, but what’s the equivalent for drinks? Refreshment, of course, but what exactly does that look like? And how can you brand it, thus refreshing the parts (of the consumer mind) that Private Label cannot reach? Twist off the cap and pour...
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30th November 2012Apologies for the rather long gap between this blog and the last. Over the past few months I’ve been doing a lot of writing for marketing publications, sharing practical knowledge built up on recent projects. I’ve already recycled opinion pieces on Packaging for Kids and Authentic...
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17th August 2012Since I last blogged on this topic OP has been working on 4 separate projects for Kids, and whilst I can’t claim that any of this work derived from those earlier observations, it seemed like a good time to share what we’ve been learning. I also took advice from a leading research firm specialising...
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13th July 2012After seven years of planning, preparation and creation the London 2012 Olympics are finally upon us. Whilst the architecture and showmanship might not be quite up there with Beijing 2008, the project has redeveloped a neglected area of London’s eastern suburbs, and built excellent stadia for the...
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1st June 2012Times of uncertainty always create a resurgence of nostalgia, defined as ‘a yearning for the past, often in idealised form’. So as the World heads into choppy and uncharted economic waters, what could be more reassuring than a nice cup of tea, a biscuit and a spot of flag-waving? Nostalgia for us...
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25th April 2012We might as well start with the dictionary definition: 1 Of undisputed origin; genuine: authentic 14th-century furniture. 2 Made or done in the traditional or original way: authentic Italian meals. 3 True to one’s personality, spirit or character: an authentic blues singer. Over...
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16th February 2012Welcome to the new edition of Shelf Life, with more ‘stories that sell’ from the supermarket. It’s always exciting to explore the shelves of a country that I’ve never visited before, because it gives me the chance to be surprised by the exotic and the familiar in equal measure. Saudi Arabia didn’t...
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