The Green Revolution in Product Packaging

Product packaging, along with all other aspects of the business world, has gone green. Organizations have found an opportunity to add value to their brands through sustainable packaging and can capitalize on the consumer goodwill which cultivates through such initiatives. Analysis allows companies to find opportunities for efficiencies and therefore reduce the overall long-term footprint of their product packaging. Emerging trends in from 2010 and into 2011 include:

• Design analysis –with the goal to reduce waste and utilize fewer, more sustainable materials

• Supply chain analysis – sourcing to local producers to reduce transportation costs and carbon emissions

• Active and Intelligent Packaging – allows for monitoring shelf life and reducing costs of product loss

The sustainable packaging industry currently generates nearly one hundred billion dollars in global revenue each year with biodegradable packaging as the fastest growing segment of the market.

Breaking the 'Code

Creativity expresses itself in many different forms and VanityBarcodes.com is a great demonstration of this idea. Rejecting the notion that barcodes, a functional feature of packages, are stale and unexciting they have updated the 'code with fun and inventive designs. Check out their site for the inspiration to create art where there was none before.

Architectural Video Mapping, the New Frontier?

Architectural video mapping (AVM), also known as digital projection mapping, which turns the sides of buildings into canvases for art, is fast becoming more and more commonplace. By projecting images into the façade of buildings artists are capable of producing some pretty amazing video-based creative pieces. The technique hopes to be a new frontier for advertisers in the future. AVM is currently being used by a variety of different companies in a wide range of sectors and has evolved to fit smaller objects including the New Balance shoe and the Toyota Auris as well. Polo Ralph Lauren recently used the technology in an event the founder’s son David Lauren calls “merchan-tainment” describing the technique’s ability to blur the line between commerce and entertainment.

2010 Web Summit 2.0

Web Summit 2.0 wrapped up yesterday in San Francisco. This yearly event brings “leaders of the Internet Economy” together “to debate and determine business strategy…Web 2.0 Summit gathers the intelligence, innovation, and leadership of the Internet and media industries for a conversation that never fails to stimulate, push, and surprise.” Broad topics such as free media and control of the social realm were all discussed over the three day conference by industry players such as Mark Zuckerburg (CEO, Facebook), Mark Pincus (founder/CEO, Zynga), Wim Elfrink (Chief Globalization Officer, Cisco), and many others. The Summit’s website contains lots of interesting content for anyone interested in keeping up with the current state of the internet and its many opportunities to shape the future.

Mobile Barcode Scanning Increases 700%!

You've seen the funny looking 2D barcodes that are showing up all over the place. Were you wondering if anyone is even using them? Well ScanLife just released the first ever ScanLife Mobile Barcode Trend Report. It highlights usage rates (up 700%), demographics, mobile platforms and popular categories. They also have a great blog that highlights best-in-class examples and news. Want to see some cool examples of who's using barcode technology? Click here.

Using Augmented Reality to Sell Goods

Shoppers in New York and LA had a unique opportunity to purchase a limited edition release of the redesigned classic Airwalk, JIM. Partnering with GoldRun, Airwalk placed virtual replicas of the shoe within pre-designated areas of NYC and Venice Beach. "To be able to buy one of 300 limited-edition pairs...shoppers had to locate an image of the shoe via augmented reality". Upon finding the virtual good shoppers could use it to purchase the actual product - the pop-up store made invisible. GoldRun, an augmented reality iPhone app, allows users to collect virtual goods much like a scavenger hunt. GoldRun expressed that their "ability to subtly deliver brand messaging through compelling game-like experiences that also provide immediate and relevant user rewards" make it a good partner to all sorts of companies who would like to play in this space. Their recent H&M program is another great example of similar work.

Kik It Up A Notch

Kik, a new entrant into the smart phone app market, has seen impressive growth so far. The company went from zero to one million downloads in fifteen days. For now, the app touts "Free real-time texting...By making Kik Messenger insanely fast, and by showing when a message has been sent, delivered, and read, texting with Kik feels like a face-to-face conversation." Created by Ted Livingston, Kik hopes to build its community and then given its capabilities eventually to roll out additional features. "Basically, Kik’s technology [will] let you wirelessly 'sling' any content on your phone to any device...I can go to my friend’s home and stream an HD movie from my phone onto his TV." While the app currently does not offer any of these features the advanced streaming technology could allow this application in the future. For now, Kik is very excited about the growth and is navigating legal red tape before releasing any music/video sharing technology.