Packaging as Part of the Product?

August 13, 2012 at 3:38 pm by Ted Mininni

Once in a while, I come across something so innovative and clever that it makes me wonder why it’s never been done this way before. You know, an “Aha!” moment. And, here’s one of them.

London designer Oscar Diaz developed a line of toys for NPW that incorporate packaging as part of the product. Tube Toys incorporate sustainability in an ingenious manner. By developing “parts” for simple toy cars, tractors and fire trucks, then utilizing a tube-style package as the “body” of the vehicle, Diaz offers a clever solution to an age-old problem: packaging waste.

I love this package solution. Over the years, when developing package structure for toys, I’ve been an advocate for the “package as part of the product” approach. Since these kinds of toys appeal more to specialty store buyers rather than to their mass market counterparts, it’s likely going to take some time to catch on in a big way. Paraphrasing the typical response I’ve been told more than once: “Unfortunately, Walmart doesn’t give you scorecard points for doing this.” I’m not picking on Walmart here; the company has made inroads with manufacturers since late 2006 to push sustainable packaging, achieving significant results.

What I am saying is that when the large toy retailers get solidly behind this, it will spur manufacturers on to create more package solutions like this. Sustainability aside, don’t you think that parents and kids will gravitate to toys that are presented in such a fun, unique manner? Package designers will be able to get even more creative with innovative toy package solutions that are sustainable in nature. And that might ignite more interest and sales for their brand owners, in turn. What’s not to love about this proposition?

Have you seen or purchased a toy where packaging was part of the product? What was it and how did it appeal to you?
What do you think of the idea of this kind of packaging for toys to minimize the amount of package material that is thrown out?
Should major toy retailers and manufacturers lead on this and begin to offer more sustainable toy packaging, or will they eventually follow the example of specialty toy brands?

What do you think about this issue? As always, all points of view are welcome.

Categories:

Package Design, Structure Design, Consumer Products, Marketing Thought Leadership, Sustainability

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