This strategy can be effective in aisles where product communication is confusing, and it’s playing out in light bulbs. Montreal-based Globe Electric markets one of the smallest-size CFL bulbs in
Globe Electric produces its own products and packaging overseas for Globe Enersaver. The brand is marketed in mass-merchandise stores, supermarkets, and drug stores.
Both the bulb and packaging are smaller than previous sizes, yet the bulb produces the same illumination output as its predecessor, says Lisa Zentner, Globe Electric’s director of marketing. The bulb and packaging use 38% less plastic, 16% less glass, and 23% less mercury than previously. “Cube savings” on the shelf is as high as 50% from previous packages. “We can pack a lot more bulbs in a container shipment,” Zentner says.
The package makes extensive use of visual shorthand to show that less energy is used with the same light output. The bulbs are secured in two die-cuts in the graphics card. To the right of and below the bulbs, the card prominently displays line drawings and charts that let shoppers assign dimension to the savings they can achieve with various Globe Enersaver bulbs—they use up to 70% less energy than standard bulbs yet last up to six times longer. A large red box on the graphics card includes line art of the Globe Enersaver bulb alongside two standard-size bulbs. A ruler on the front panel invites comparisons of blub sizes.
Elsewhere on the package front, line drawings representing lighting fixtures cement the notion that the bulbs are for household use.
