Where Art Meets Innovation

Rockware Glass's third innovation event, 'Where Art Meets Innovation' attracted not only its largest audience, 120 marketing and packaging professionals from 30 leading food and drink brands, but also its most enthusiastic response.

One delegate summarised the general feeling: "There was so much new and useful information to take in, that I can honestly say that it has proved a most valuable experience. Rockware should be congratulated for their vision and effort."

Stuart Lendrum, Print and Packaging Manager, J Sainsbury's, urged delegates to be customer focussed in everything they do. " We need differentiation on shelf, but it has to deliver real benefits to customer. We have to work together to apply innovation with a purpose, and in this regard, we have adopted an open door policy, with a willingness to collaborate and listen to new ideas"

Speakers left-right: Pat Jordan, Jo Gourley, Jeremy Myerson, Nick Leon, Stuart Lendrum, Sharon Crayton, Ian Dent (Packaging Federation, who chaired the event)

Current areas of focus for packaging include tamper evidence, openability, resealability, disposal, product performance and shopability. Stuart emphasised that the environmental impact is becoming increasingly important, with a growing emphasis on closed loop systems and a move away from anything that it is not "practically recyclable".

Nick Leon, from Naked Eye, is beginning to establish a reputation among many brand owners for his ethnographic insights into how products are used, and particularly how consumers interact with packaging. He explained to delegates with several colourful examples that observation is a valuable tool for product and packaging development, but the approach has to be applied very carefully. "Treat people as experts, always be aware of the wider context, and be discovery orientated. Above all, let the subject behave as normally as possible."

"Inclusive Design" has become a key study area for one of the UK's most eminent design commentators, Jeremy Myerson, Professor of Design Studies, The Royal College of Art. He gave examples of how this process can create innovative packaging. "By 2020 half of Europe's adults will be 50+. In Japan, it is said that if you throw a stone, the chances are you will hit a senior. In the UK, over-50s hold 60% of all savings, and one in 4 people have a disability. Make sure that you consider packaging design that address the needs of the wider audience."

Professor Pat Jordan, Chair of Design and Marketing, Leeds University, founder "The Contemporary Trends Institute", delivered some prominent case studies looking at how the features and performance of packaging can be described through four pleasures: physical, psychological, sociological and ideological. "You must look at the emotional and practical aspects of how consumers use, and even challenge, packaging in relation to all four pleasures."

With these valuable insights, the audience was then asked to scamper by the final speaker, Jo Gourley from Disruptive Training. Not a fire alarm scare, but a creative tool developed by Jo to ensure that the 10 billion neurons in the brain are fully stretched. Delegates used SCAMPER - S (Substitute) C (combine) A (adapt) M (Minify/Maxify) P (put to other uses) E (eliminate) R (reverse) - to create some outstanding ideas for launching a new energy drink, a fitting finale to the Event.

Delegates examine some of Rockware's innovative bottles.

Ian Dent, Chief Executive of the Packaging Federation and Chair of the event, held at Manchester's Lowry Centre, summarised its value: "Packaging is an £8½b industry, employing 85,000 people, with one of the highest productivity records in British industry. It is about innovation, and packaging is the solution to sustainable development, not the problem.

"By linking ethnography and creative thinking with trends in packaging technology and presenting it to an invited audience of leading brand owners and designers, Rockware is demonstrating that the packaging industry at its best is proactive and genuinely innovative."

On display during the conference were examples of some of the work Rockware has been doing with the award winning Design Futures team at Sheffield Hallam University. Echoing some themes that emerged throughout the presentations, they
have identified a number of societal and emotional trends that will drive the market for drinks such as vodka and whisky in the future, and created bottle designs to meet these needs.

"One of the key challenges and opportunities in today's market is for brands to deliver better experiences to the consumer. From our perspective this should start with great packaging and to do this we need to convert consumers into participants," says Rockware's marketing manager and event organiser, Sharon Crayton.

She adds: "At our FreshThinking day we were delighted to share such valuable information with so many representatives from the food and drink industry. They took away the vital message that to deliver better product experience requires innovative packaging.