Tissue Packaging: Time for a Change?

Recently the chewing gum category has gone through a change and a revival. During the 1990s, the chewing gum category was slow and saw a negative Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CARG) for the last 5 years of 1990s. The use of the blister packaging commonly used for Dentine Ice and Eclipse gum created a buzz and sent the into a period of sharp growth. This strategic move to differentiate the products and new brands by their packaging fueled double digit growth since 2000.

Recently, the introduction of "fridge packs" by Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola has spurred the soda market. More so than the blister packaging, the "fridge packs" were design to get consumers to drink more sodas and thus buy more drinks. The problems with the old packaging was that it didn't fit conveniently inside consumers' refrigerators. Because of this, consumers would open the packaging and place a few cans inside the refrigerator and place the remaining sodas and box some place else; most likely either in the pantry or garage. Once consumers drank the cold sodas, they were not replaced by new beverages because of the inconvenience having to walk to the secondary storage place and back to the refrigerator. Because there were no cold sodas, consumers would be less inclined to have a soda and would move on to something else in the refrigerator. Thus the "fridge pack" was born and the entire container and all 12 sodas could fit conveniently in the refrigerator.

The packaging for facial tissues has not really changed over time; as it has slightly evolved from a rectangular shape to a more small, box-like container. The images on the boxes has evolved as well, now instead of a big brand name on the box, there is usually some sort of floral design.

As a way to differentiate itself from the competitors on the shelves of the supermarkets it is seemingly possible for a new container for facial tissues to grab the attention of consumers at the point of purchase. Maybe cylindrical packaging my spice things up or a more radical design with the use of holograms? Or possible a more permanent holder, with refillable tissue packages, one that resembles a flower or bouquet; here the tissue can be stored in the stem of the design and the tissue is released as part of the flower. What ever it is, new packaging could spur the market and differentiate a brand from the competitors.