Canned packaging remains a staple form of food packaging - with brands such as Campbell's Soup finding its product in some of the most iconic art. When it comes to packaging, there is nothing that is particularly eye catching about these kinds of products, but its success continues to be well-documented.
Canned packaging is at best simple in design, but capable of keeping contents secure and free of contamination. In addition, the exterior provides viable space for which a company can leverage its marketing efforts.
Canned packaging remains a staple within the American household
Not surprisingly, a recent survey indicates that almost all Americans households store canned packaging goods in their kitchens, providing immediate acknowledgement of the well-accepted and tenured form of packaging. The study, commissioned by Cans Get You Cooking, an affiliate of the Can Manufacturers Institute, found that 98 percent of all Americans have canned foods in their kitchens. Furthermore, the average kitchen contains about 24 cans total! For deeper results into this study, take a look at the infographic by Cans Get You Cooking.
The can has seemingly remained unchanged for a number of years, however, it is making some big news in the packaging industry due to its convenience and branding capabilities.
"These results demonstrate the integral role canned foods play in America's kitchen," said Robert Budway, the CMI President in a press release. "The can is one of the best ways to get food from the farm to the family table, and most consumers keep a healthy mix of canned fruits, vegetables, stocks and meats on hand, allowing for a wide variety of nutritious and delicious meals that can be prepared any time."
The survey found that an average of five canned food items are used every week, making for an extremely common packaging strategy among the food and beverage industry.
Canned packaging offering a unique branding opportunity
Because canned packaging is found so frequently across the country, it can provide a lucrative opportunity to improve the branding of a company. The exterior surface provides a highly visible medium on which businesses can make a statement about their product.
One entity taking advantage of this opportunity is Idaho-based Sockeye Brewing, which is using its cans to help support cancer research.
The company's Dagger Falls IPA cans are pink and feature the Sockeye salmon logo, associating the brand with the benevolent cause. The brewery and its beverage packaging partner worked together to develop a strategy that created an eye-catching design, and a label that communicated the message that the Sockeye wished to distribute. Packaging solutions need not always come from a dramatic new design or strategy. The prominence of the can throughout the U.S. is indicative of this.
The success of the metal can could be attributed as a result of its ability to hit on the major tenants of packaging - both security and value. Due to the global increase of consumed food, being able to find a strategy that is cost effective, while ensuring the safety of a product is of the utmost importance and a quality that cans have been able to delivery consistently.
