How can the consumer packaged goods industry save $5 billion per year? Drop down to just 6-colors for package printing.
Sounds simple enough, but when even the slightest edge in terms of recognition and attracting attention on overcrowded store shelves can make or break a product, dropping extra colors in the package printing process can be a big deal.
Enter LFH. The brand identity consulting company out of the U.K. created a patented system that it uses to analyze the colors in a package design and then provides a reduced color palette that creates almost the exact same look. In fact, a survey of marketers conducted by LFH showed that 8 out of 10 could not tell the difference in packaging before and after LFH modified the color palette, and the final 2 stated that the difference was was barely noticeable.
LFH is currently working with Unilever to revamp much of its packaging in Europe. The change to 6-color packaging is expected to save Unilever up to hundreds of millions of dollars per year, which can then be invested in other ways. It’s expected that other companies will start taking a serious look at using fewer colors in packaging, which not only saves money but also reduces waste at the printing facility – a point that is of great interest to green business and sustainability groups.
Has your company looked into using fewer colors to produce its packaging? If not, it’s definitely a concept to bring to the table.
Image: Flickr
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
