Study the habits of the precise demographic target. In this particular case, the target was women who don’t mind buying and using paint, but do mind the dripping and overall inconvenience involved with a steel can.
Have the committed backing of the CEO.
Marketing, R&D, sales, legal, operations, plant engineering, outside partners—all must contribute.
You don’t change a 110-year-old icon without encountering some hurdles. Be ready for them.
Protect intellectual property, secure confidentiality agreements, and clarify licensing arrangements.
The first Twist ’n Pour can to reach store shelves was black, not white like the container seen today. The Sherwin-Williams team believed the black container was eye-catching and elegant, sure to attract the consumer in the store. But when the container was tested in stores, the portion of the retailer’s plannogram that held the black containers looked like a black hole. “It was a valuable lesson to learn,” said MacDonald.
The conference on The Universal Package: Designing Packaging for Everyone was held June 16-17, 2004, at The School of Packaging, Lansing, MI.
