Ball Introduces New Consumer Research at Its Packaging Solutions Forum

To appeal to this generation, packaging innovations must focus on nostalgia that appeals to younger generations, functionality and style, and avoid anything that makes this generation "feel old."

Aug 1 2011 --- The impact of emerging macro trends on consumer packaging highlighted Ball Corporation's 5th annual Packaging Solutions Forum (PSF), held today at the company's Broomfield, Colo., headquarters.

More than 35 influential consumer products companies representing hundreds of well-known brands attended the event, part of Ball's focus on consumer-centric packaging innovation. Ball, one of the largest packaging companies in the world, makes metal containers for beverages, foods, aerosol, paint and other products.

During PSF, Ball introduced its new, proprietary research on 10 change forces at the forefront of macro trends. Those change forces, which include "Dash Moms - Moms Doing More," a cultural explosion keyed to a growing Hispanic population and consumer demand for variety and healthy refreshment, are driving two universal consumer need trends important to packaging innovation:

* Home Improvement - Consumers of all generations are focusing more on the home as their center of relaxation. Homes are becoming command centers where the consumer can do it all: living, working and socializing. Packaging innovation must be outstanding, multi-functional and something to be experienced.
* Self-Expression - Millennials, also known as Generation Ys, are constantly connected to each other. Products, brands and consumption behavior express not only who they are but how they are different from the masses. Packaging innovation must provide an easy platform from which they can make a statement about themselves and makes products feel new again and again. Also part of this trend is the desire by Baby Boomers to rewrite the concept of aging as they approach their retirement years. To appeal to this generation, packaging innovations must focus on nostalgia that appeals to younger generations, functionality and style, and avoid anything that makes this generation "feel old."

"Effective packaging innovation addresses unmet consumer needs," said Jay Billings, Ball's director of packaging innovation. "At Ball, we have adopted a systemic and methodical approach to innovation where we look at consumer trends at a macro level then dial-in to a micro-level to balance consumer needs with a variety of other factors - customer growth opportunities, retailer growth opportunities and our Ball manufacturing capabilities."