By Abbas Fazalbhoy

On my visit to the PACK-EX Exposition last week, I had an opportunity to get a holistic view of the latest and greatest in the distribution and packaging industry. One company that really caught my eye was Amsico Group; a European producer of advertising magnets. Amsico’s plethora of products includes magnetic notepads, bookmarks, postcards and puzzles.

Packaging is an integral component of product branding. Successful branding leads to differentiation and cultivates brand loyalty. There is a reason why we choose P&G products over other identical ones or choose one soft drink over another. Creating fans, not just customers, is the focus of branding and packaging is a significant component.

Imagine a company that manufactures individual sized yogurt containers. To this lean pack of 6 or 12 boxes, adding promotional items such as coupons and giveaways is fairly difficult. Moreover this is accompanied by additional packaging costs and also escalates the chance of in-store theft.

Amsico’s innovative patented packaging technology adds these giveaways to the inside of the package during production. Being magnets, these can be placed on home appliances such as a fridge; directly in the view of the customer at all times. A simple, yet novel idea that can be incorporated into mass production and mitigate theft concerns. Being a magnet, it also helps the customer keep track of their coupon before the next trip to the grocery store.

Before I left their booth, we exchanged business cards – mine; an inconspicuous piece of paper, theirs’; a colourful magnetic bookmark. What a neat marketing idea!