Packaging Those Items

It's quite often part of the process that we don't think of as business people. It's natural to assume that research, development, promotion and advertising will take up a fair portion of the time and effort required to get a product to the customer, and it's easy to overlook one of the more essential elements that will make or break a product or service and that's the packaging. First off, people often need to change their perceptions about what constitutes successful product packaging.

Of course we all like to tear the bright shiny packaging off Christmas presents and get to the gifts underneath, but in the business world and particularly when we're dealing with products that are sold by direct response television (DRTV), the packaging needs to send a different message. To increase the benefits of word-of-mouth positive responses, the packaging needs to convey a sense of value as well as worth. As well, all thoughtful companies need to consider the fact that the product could well be traveling for some distances and will therefore need to be packaged to keep it safe through all the jostling and bumping that can happen in transport.

The experts in the field all agree. It's best to balance design with practicality. The cost of the packaging needs to be weighed against the cost of the transportation. This means that there is obviously little or no use in shipping something with a cheap carrier if there is a chance it will arrive damaged. It is also necessary to decide what kind of final destination the product will arrive at. Whether it's destined for a trade show, direct mail, or some other use, it's necessary to decide how much of the cost will be spent on aesthetics. It stands to reason that something bought on DRTV and destined for a product launch does not necessarily need to have anything but the most functional packaging.

The choice of materials is also extremely important. Especially in today's climate, many people prefer to package with environmentally friendly materials. Still, most suppliers report that the corrugated box is still the most popular choice, but the important point to consider is that no matter what packaging you use, the products must arrive in pristine shape.

The Future of DRTV

There's no doubt that some of the most wildly successful advertising campaigns of all time have been on television. Without going into specifics, we all remember the jingles and images from some of these. Many of these legendary television advertisements had something to do with the things we needed or found in our homes. More recent times have seen a change in the kind of successful advertisements we've seen on television, but even the advent of direct response television (DRTV) in the form of the infomercial hasn't changed the context completely. Housewares are still one of the biggest sellers to date.

Although strictly defined as things that are used in the kitchen, the modern definition of housewares also applies to things that are found anywhere in the home. One of the most famous examples is of course Ginsu Knives. While many of us remember this definition of housewares as only pertaining to things that were more or less gadgets, the current definition encompasses a broader spectrum. It seems that inventors have taken a more practical approach and are now designing products that are winding up on direct response television commercials that are much more practical in nature.

In the past five years alone, some of these new products that wound up on infomercials have ranged from a smoke detector with a better design to a cell phone device that alerts parents when their children are having inappropriate communications over the Internet. Of course with this new shift in product development and the corresponding need for DR TV campaigns, it is necessary that marketers be able to identify the market they are striving for. According to the experts, this new demographic is made up of people with more time on their hands. Specifically, one of these target audiences is women 35-years old who stay at home.

This of course affects the style, content, and length of the infomercials that marketers want to put out. This new demographic means that the 30-minute direct response television commercial is a natural fit. But according to other experts, the 30-second to two-minute spot will remain the most popular. Adding to this recent trend is a growing market for places like the Home Shopping Network. As well as more practical items, wonderful and unique things are still finding their way into direct response television.