Despite the yearning for disruptive marketing ideas, the challenge in much of the day-to-day world of marketing is identifying and applying new ways of thinking about existing products or services.

Take canned vegetables. The process of canning goes back about 200 years. So what’s the marketing team assigned to launch a new brand of canned vegetables to do?

Use packaging innovation as a marketing change agent.

South Carolina-based McCall Farms has introduced a new brand of ready-to-eat vegetables called Glory Farms. The kicker: the products are packed in “see thru” composite containers.

Credit: McCall Farms/Glory Farms.

The packaging innovation achieves three crucial, marketing and sales objectives:

1. Creates consumer news in an “old” and boring category
2. Gets the attention of retail decision-makers (buyers and category management gurus)
3. Reinforces the brand positioning (“Lets you see the vegetables you’re buying, giving you the feeling that Glory Farms is proud of the farm-fresh vegetables it uses. See the Glory. Taste the Difference.”)

And, the website presentation is terrific. The homepage has a simple, yet effective graphic demonstration of the evolution from a plain can to the new container. It makes the point in a few seconds.

Credit: McCall Farms/Glory Farms.

I’m a big fan of the role packaging can or should play in the marketing mix.

Give packaging its marketing due. On a regular basis, make sure packaging, especially structural packaging, gets proper attention and consideration in your marketing strategy/plan development.

To read other posts about how packaging makes a difference in marketing, select “Packaging” in the drop-down category list on the right-side column of this page.

(For technical details about McCall Farms and the Glory Farms rollout, go to Packaging World.)

Harvey Chimoff is a versatile marketing and business team leader who believes good marketing sells. Contact him at StratGo Marketing, a “plug-in marketing department” strategic resource.