Although it may still look and feel like winter in some parts of the U.S., the sun's rays are now much stronger, and the days are growing longer. Nature is waking up and giving us a new level of energy and creativity. The new season has also brought some exciting changes to our operation.

In March, we installed a Kongsberg XN digital cutting and finishing table, driven by Esko's i-Cut Suite. When we saw these at DRUPA 2012,  we knew that they would allow Bridge Premedia to expand and speed up our die cut prototyping capacity. By integrating these new tools with direct-to-substrate digital printing, Bridge Premdia has quadrupled our finishing speed for packaging comps.

Last month I attended a seminar on process color management for flexo print at Clemson University. It was held at the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics, an amazing facility that draws on resources from Clemson's graphic communications and packaging science departments. Experts from CSW, Inc. (the parent company behind Bridge Premedia) have been lecturing on package printing topics at Clemson for many years. Bridge Premedia's Division Director, Marek Skrzynski, gave three presentations at this seminar, from the science of color to hands-on demonstrations of measurement tools in the pressroom.

If you need to evaluate packaging preferences for an upcoming product launch, brand refresh or in-store promotion, contact the CUShop. They also perform research for private sector clients. And if you need package prototypes for that evaluation, or for focus group research, or for sales samples, consider Bridge Premedia. Our comps are realistic, cost-effective, and fast.

In the meantime, happy shopping!

Posted by Karen Leet, MarCom Manager

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions for 2013? Chances are it was one of these: lose weight, quit smoking, get organized, save money, or spend more time with family. That's all fine and good (and we wish you luck with those), but how about professional resolutions? If you didn't get around to it, we'd like to suggest a few:

If you need more ideas for personal or professional growth, we recommend Chicago designer Monina Velarde's New Year's Resolution Generator. Here's to a prosperous 2013!

Posted by Ingar Westburg

1)    Hero Comps:    For photo shoots and TV commercials, as well as PR opportunities, there is no substitute for a  packaging prototype to best represent your product.

2)    Focus Group:    To test consumer response to a product package, a physical comp/prototype can provide brand managers and marketers with the solid research results they need.

3)    Shopper Marketing Trial:    The tactile elements of a package, such as weight, surface texture, colors and size all combine to provide a preview of the brand experience of a consumer at the point of purchase.

4)    Sales Pitch:    For in-person sales calls and presentations, sometimes the only thing (short of the finished product) that can close the deal is an exact replica of the finished product.

5)    Planograms:    For live product retail simulation, packaging prototypes are used to build, manage and integrate planograms, providing detailed information to supplement virtual models and space planning software.

6)    Message and Design Evaluation:    During the creative development process, design and messaging variations are viewed as packaging prototypes to facilitate better internal decision making and speed the approval process, saving both time and money.

7)    Trade Shows:    Motivate your salespeople and share your brand experience with CPG retailers, manufacturers and consumers at industry events and trade shows.

8)    Color Verification:        High quality packaging prototypes can be useful in evaluating and confirming brand consistency, and can be the foundation for color studies verifying brand integrity across all relevant brand touchpoints.

9)    Test Markets:        For market research on a larger scale, packaging prototypes can be filled, sealed and finished to be sold at retail for genuine consumer feedback in the real world.

10)     All of the above:    Whatever you use them for, Bridge Premedia prototypes provide you with the support you need to connect with clients and consumers.

Way back in 1035, a Persian traveler visiting the spice markets in Cairo recorded the use of paper as a packaging material. Other forms of packaging such as baskets, wooden boxes, pottery, barrels, and woven bags had already appeared across many cultures and geographical regions. By the 19th century, metal cans, paperboard cartons and corrugated containers showed up in dry goods and grocery stores. Surprisingly, it was not until 1953 that Michigan State University offered the first university degree in package engineering.

Packaging today has come a long way since that Egyptian spice market. It plays a much bigger role than just protecting and transporting purchased goods. In the hands of skillful marketers, packaging is a powerful weapon, fighting for our attention on retail battlefields. Every day dazzling substrates, mesmerizing colors and cleverly designed structures continue to ambush us from the shelf, demanding us to surrender our wallets.

As in any war, there are often amazing victories and brilliantly executed attacks. Occasionally, however,  there are misfires, casualties or simply…tactical blunders. So, let's play armchair general and see what's going on in the retail trenches:
(Click to enlarge photos)

So, how can you avoid tactical blunders like these? We recommend pre-market testing before you embark upon full deployment of your product rollout. Taking the time to show your packaging to focus groups or smaller test markets may reveal holes in your plan of attack. And we're happy to provide support for that with prototypes, renderings,  sourcing and technical consultation.

Bridge Premedia was awarded third place in Digital Output magazine's Application of the Year Awards. We were already pleased and proud of the trade show giveaway folding carton we created for GMG America's presentation at FTA Forums. We're thrilled that Digital Output recognized us for our collaboration with GMG and Roland DGA. You can read all about it here.

Bridge Premedia is a division of CSW, Inc. Our parent company is celebrating 75 years of innovation in the packaging industry. As we look to past successes, it's only appropriate that we look forward, too.

This new division of CSW is about making connections – between converters, designers, merchandisers, brand managers, package engineers, and retail buyers. Bridge Premedia exists to make our client’s lives easier by improving communication and removing headaches.

Read some of our case studies, to see how we've done this for others. Check out our gallery of recent work. Connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn for updates on our latest projects, new products and services, and trending topics in packaging, branding, and image engineering.

And when you're done, contact us for a free estimate of our services. From prototyping to 3D rendering to photography and consulting, Bridge Premedia will help you close the gaps.