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Peacock Packaging Sometimes it takes more than a pretty bow to get the attention you want
One of my favourite companies (with some of the very best products I might add), simply wrap their goods up in a small layer of cardboard, the press release, a ribbon for decoration and pop the package in a standard courier bag.Peacocking: The art of dressing something up to attract attention One of the many perks of working in the magazine industry is the copious pretty parcels and packages that come across my desk each day. As a general informer, companies enlist our help to announce the happy arrival of their latest miracle cream or ‘how to’ book to consumers. As a ‘newbie’ to the office, it was my job to unpack these mascaras worth more than my day’s wages, and perfumes so shiny and new they hadn’t even hit store shelves yet. It felt like Christmas each time a big, brown box would arrive and I would be the first to open it and see what new product we could introduce to the world. On one occasion, after a long weekend, a collection of 5-6 boxes, each no smaller than a microwave stood towering against my desk. ‘We would surely have enough products to fill an entire magazine,’ I thought. As I began to open the boxes it was apparent the only feature I could construct with the days takings was a small column on overpriced luxury brand’s use of superfluous packaging. Over the years (GFC included), PR companies continue to indulge in ‘impressive’ boxes filled with tissue paper, ribbons and everything under the sun to peacock their way into our publication’s pages. But is this the best way to get noticed? Sometimes bigger does not mean better. Not once has the product been spoiled by its minimalistic protection and I, by no means, think less of the brand because it didn’t accompany its goods with chocolates or a potpourri of other ‘incentives’. If anything, I would be more inclined to give the brand its dues because I appreciate the fact that its promoters are actively trying to reduce their carbon footprint – a plight we should all, no matter what industry, be seeking to regulate. Bare PR Director, Rebecca Purdy, is a great example of someone who is eliminating the PR trail. Rebecca created her company with a culture of minimalism and makes a conscious effort not to abuse the 520,090 tonnes of paperboard packaging that is produced in New Zealand each year. While she admits to have been guilty in the past of the ‘bigger is better’ mantra, she has since heard the cries of publishers and cut back on what her company releases. “When I started Bare PR six years ago, we sent out our products in bright orange bags that people could reuse as supermarkets bags,” says Rebecca. “I remember going to a media launch where one editor brought all our bags along so we could reuse them again. “We’ll often try to talk our clients out of using big boxes and opt for a wow factor that doesn’t cost the earth, like a plant or item that can be enjoyed and reused in a different way.” Rebecca understands that the competition between PR companies to get their products into publications is high but she has committed to only work with clients that respect her company’s environmentally friendly position. So my plight to other PR companies that have not yet ‘got the message’… no matter how wonderful the product may be, we will always judge a book by its cover. And while peacocking may get you in the front door, there will come a time when every publisher throws tissue paper in the air screaming ‘enough is enough’. Nakita Ardern Tips for PR companies
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