The Heinzeroth Blog

Before Covid-19 safety measures became part of the shopping experience, the role of product packaging and P.O.P. was mostly to provide an immersive consumer experience for your brand. Capture attention. Generate interest. Convert browsers into buyers. (etc.).

And while those in-store merchandising tasks are still important, consumers are expecting more from their shopping trips these days. As reflected in national surveys, consumers prefer safe practices by the retailer. But taking this to a level that possibly affects your merchandising, how might those shopper expectations about safety carry through to preferences in packaging? And if you provide signage, custom racks or other physical display systems, is the format helping to make the shopping experience as safe as it can be?

After several years of subdued gray tones and whites dominating (or should we say “minimizing”) the design landscape, it’s nice to see that more vibrant colors may be back as inspiration for graphic design and marketing overall. This shift is trending in recently announced paint colors by major coatings brands as well as in the predictions of leading influencers such as Color Marketing Group, Pantone and others.

If your company manufactures do-it-yourself products, chances are good that new product development is a key part of your strategic plan. New products often serve as the life-blood of DIY categories that have come to expect a continual flow of new choices. As you look at current revenue and profits, you might ask how much of that financial performance was due to products you've introduced in the past 5 years alone. In many categories that number can easily exceed 50%. To make sure your new product development process is doing all it can for company growth and your brand position at retail, here are some practices we have noted to be successful in the DIY channel.

View These Winning Designs Announced At The 2016 NRHA Awards Program

If you are considering an update to your packaging and in-store POP merchandising, there are some great idea starters represented in this year’s awards program sponsored by the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA). Full disclosure: because the top packaging honor went to Heinzeroth Marketing Group for a Rain Bird package, we have a special interest in this awards program. But despite that small qualifier, we do think all of the winning designs are worth sharing.

A smart redesign can maximize message impact and space efficiency

As shoppers, we’re creatures of habit. When it comes to our favorite products, we gravitate toward the familiar because it eases the shopping process. So when I grabbed the recently updated Dean’s cottage cheese container out of the grocery display case the other day, I was taken aback by the sleek new rectangular design. Cottage cheese, sour cream, spreads and other dairy products are always in a circular tub. Right?

Although I consider myself a bit of a progressive thinker, especially when it comes to marketing innovations, I have to admit that I was uncomfortable with the new shape and grip of the Dean’s package. Humans don’t like change, and I was no different.

Heinzeroth Marketing Group has received a national design award for its work on Culligan Water Filtration Cartridges packaging.

Sponsored by the North American Retail Hardware Association, the award competition honors brands that help hardware stores grow their market influence through better in-store merchandising and packaging. Culligan's refrigerator cartridge packaging received honorable mention and will be among winning entries spotlighted at the Packaging and Merchandising Awards Ceremony at the National Hardware Show May 6-8 in Las Vegas.

Heinzeroth was chosen by Pearson Fastener, a custom fastener manufacturer located in Rockford, Ill., to help reintroduce the brand to its key target audiences, beginning with a much-needed identity refresh.