A clever illusion for 3M’s Scotch Magic Tape packaging in Germany drove home the “invisible” nature of the product by presenting consumers with a seemingly empty box holding five rolls of replacement tape. The limited-edition promotional package, launched in summer 2014, was the invention of Hamburg-based creative agency Kolle Rebbe.
“The idea originated here, where we are constantly coming up with product and packaging ideas for our clients,” says Sascha Hanke, Executive Creative Director of Kolle-Rebbe. “3M is a very innovative company with very innovative products, so naturally we asked ourselves, ‘Why not have innovative packaging?’
“Scotch invisible tape makes paper rips and tears magically disappear, so we chose to demonstrate that advantage with unique packaging and POS materials that visually stood out from related competitive products.”
The five-roll carton employs a specially designed ultra-thin mirror placed at a specific tilt inside the package that creates the illusion of an entirely empty box. “It is a strikingly simple mechanism that, when engineered properly, creates an invisible pocket in which the product can be stowed,” explains Hanke.
The carton is made from three elements held together by strips of glue. The inside of the box is printed with the Scotch Tape plaid design. According to Hanke, the color green appears prominently throughout the package design to underline the sustainable character of the brand. He adds that all the materials for the package were tested for sustainability in line with the Scotch Tape ethos of “A Greener Choice.”
In 2014, Kolle-Rebbe won a CLIO Award—likened by some as ‘the Oscar for advertising’—for the package, which has also attracted attention from around the world. Says Hanke, the attention has prompted work on a second edition of the carton: “Several major 3M markets showed interest in the packaging, and it received so many positive responses from bloggers and opinion leaders in the DIY sector, we are hopeful more units will be stocked and sold in more markets in 2015.”
