Upcoming Events

Packaging Your Invention To Sell by JoAnn Hines Packaging Diva

Even if you have a great invention without a package it will never sell. Lets face it consumers are a fickle bunch. It doesn't take much to turn them off. If fact, you only have 2.6 second to turn them on to your invention through your packaging. Yes, your package is your number one salesperson and once you have lost the opportunity you may never get it back.

People always contact me whenever they are in trouble. Most of the time it is after the fact and they want the quick fix to their packaging woes. Well, it doesn't work that way. Packaging is a complicated intricate process. Understanding it requires time and consideration. It’s not just about getting the product there. It’s also about getting the product to SELL.

That's where the unique role of packaging comes into play. Packaging is a complex equation. It IS the sales person. It IS your brand. It IS your company and if you haven't given it the consideration it deserves it will fail or most certainly not live up to its expectations. It’s a tangle of information out there and what you don't know CAN get you into trouble. Learn why you should always make packaging your first thought not your last.

Pick the Diva's Brain:

JoAnn Hines, the Packaging Diva, offers free 15 minute consultations to new clients who require the expertise of a packaging guru. Consultations are available to people and companies who are ready to take the next step in their packaging strategy or who need packaging solutions to an existing problem. Consulting with the Diva is the best option to transform your packaging problem into a winner.

For answers to packaging questions, your best option is to Ask The Packaging Expert.

You may email your question to PackagingDiva@aol.com  or check the website to ensure you question has not already been answered at

http://www.packagingcoach.com/ask_the_packaging_expert.htm.  

or

http://www.packagingdiva.com/pkgedutrainseminars.htm

Packaging BootCamp For Inventors

You have a product - RIGHT?

You need a package - RIGHT?

You realize your package is your best sales agent – RIGHT?

You know nothing or very little about packaging - RIGHT?

You have no idea where to start - RIGHT?

That's what this workshop is all about. It has been designed to give you the nuts and bolts for packaging. It offers all of the fundamentals necessary to package your product to sell.

Before you ask why you need this workshop think about this: without a package you can't have sell a product.

You want to sell your product - RIGHT?

If you plan on selling ANYTHING you better have the right packaging. The package is vital to your product’s success. You have invested in your product, don’t stop short of the finish line and leave out the most important component.

Spend half of a day with the Packaging Diva, the number one consumer products packaging expert, and learn how to package your product for sales success.

Session 1: What Is a Package Anyway?

• How can I use it to market my product?
• What packaging materials are available?
• What is the role of product packaging?

Session 2: Packaging’s Pesky Problems

• How should I package my product?
• How do I find a vendor for small quantities?
• Can I use prestige packaging on a shoestring budget?

Session 3: Understanding the Consumer

• What do consumers want on their product packaging?
• What will make a consumer pick your product up off the shelf?
• How can I differentiate my product packaging?

The Makeover Wrap-up:

Bring your concept, product or your package and get up close and personal with the Packaging Diva. She will give you her expert opinion on what's right and wrong with your packaging.

Who Should Attend

Small businesses, inventors, entrepreneurs . . . anyone who has a product that they want to sell.

Packaging Boot Camp is also for you if you reply “yes” to any of the following statements:

• I need a better package for my products.
• I want my package to capture the consumers’ interest.
• I plan to sell my product to major retailers.

Don't delay. Register early. The number of participants will be limited to ensure a productive learning experience.

SPECIAL BONUS: Get The Best Of The Diva CD Parts 1-3 at the conference ($25 value) and your Packaging Terms Directory.

About the instructor:

Member:

• Georgia Inventors Association
• United Inventors Association
• Institute Of Packaging Professionals Consultants Council

JoAnn Hines, the Packaging Diva, has more than 30 years of expertise in the packaging industry. She has been interviewed on TV and radio, traveled to China as a packaging summit guide, worked with the Small Business Administration (SBA), and spoken at the White House (twice). Why do clients seek her out? They flock to her because she knows how to package products so that people will buy them. When Faith Popcorn made her business trend predictions for 2006, she called JoAnn to find out what was going on in the world of packaging. Businesses large and small call upon the Diva to solve their packaging problems and to ensure that their packages work to sell the product.

JoAnn’s advice and articles appear in virtually every packaging industry publication, numerous business and international publications, and on many website portals. She is an accomplished author, speaker, publisher, marketer, and e-commerce expert. She has received numerous leadership awards and among other honors was named "One of the 50 most influential packaging leaders in the 20th century." She is the founder of Women in Packaging, Packaging Horizons Magazine, Packaging Career Hotline, Packaging Coach, Packaging Diva and Packaging University.

In her true take charge style, JoAnn is harnessing her many years of expertise to share it in an innovative workshop, Packaging BootCamp. This hands-on curriculum allows participants to get up close and personal with the Diva and provides ample time to pick the Diva’s brain for solutions to packaging issues and answers to how to package a product consumers will buy.

Recent Events

Mark your calendar for the Supply Side® Exposition in conjunction with the National Stationery Show at Jacob K Javits Convention Center in New York City on May 23.

MEET THE DIVA:

The Packaging Diva Is Coming To NYC May 23 & 24 and speaking at the Supply Side® exposition in conjunction with the National

Stationery Show at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.

Packaging for Profit: Attracting the Baby Boomers

Date: Tuesday 05/23/2006 Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

Location: Room 1C03

http://www.thesupplyside.com/content/programs.htm  

The Supply Side® is an annual exposition featuring suppliers to the social stationery, giftware and graphic arts industries will showcase advanced resources for publishers, manufacturers and designers. The show attracts reps from department, chain and specialty stores, boutiques, stationery, card and gift shops, import/export firms, distributors, bookstores, bridal shops, hospital gift shops, religious goods stores, garden centers, party stores, mail order catalogs, on-line retailers, premium buyers, general gift retailers and mass merchandisers.

For more information on JoAnn Hines and her programs, please email The Packaging Diva.

Packaging Diva Heads West to Share Knowledge and Experience

JoAnn R. Hines, Packaging Diva, will share her packaging expertise and knowledge in May when she appears as the keynote speaker at the 19th annual Poly Pack Symposium presented by the Cal Poly Packaging Association. Hines’ valuable life lessons and packaging know-how promise to provide the perfect balance of information to impact the audience. As the keynote speaker, Hines will proficiently blend real world situations with her skilled understanding of the packaging industry.

Various events emphasizing the connection of education with industry will take place during the week of May 9 th-12th on the San Luis Obispo campus. In addition to Ms. Hines participation, the Symposium is compiled of presentations by packaging professionals, facility tours, awards banquet, silent auction, student project presentations, the world famous Egg Drop Competition and best-ball golf tournament. This exciting event provides endless opportunities for both professionals and students and is not to be missed by anyone. For more information, please visit www.cppackaging.us  or contact Packaging Program Director Jay Singh at jasingh@calpoly.edu or (805) 756-2129.

For more information on JoAnn Hines and her programs, please email packagingdiva@aol.com  

JoAnnn Hines the Packaging Diva was a guest on the Lifestyle CEO Internet Radio Show discussing and sharing her packaging expertise on May 15.

You may here this interview live, click here to listen.

The Lifestyle CEO Show offers practical advice and workable strategies to achievement-oriented women entrepreneurs who are trading in the glass ceiling to build their own corporate ladders and create the lives they love. The Lifestyle CEO Show airs live on Monday's at 1:00pm EST on Global Talk Radio.com. All interviews are conducted via telephone conference bridge and are archived at our show website. Past guests have included Tamara Monosoff, Esq., author of The Mom Inventor's Handbook, Julie Clark, founder of Baby Einstein, and Jack Canfield, co-founder of Chicken Soup For The Soul and Paula Deen of Paula's Home Cooking of the Food Network.

Hear the Packaging Diva speak at Cosmoprof North America with 2 brand new programs:

Does Your Packaging Speak Human (Sunday 07/16/06 from 1:00-2:30pm)

Smart Consumer vs. Dumb Packaging (Monday 07/17/06 from 11:00am-12:30pm)

http://www.cosmoprofnorthamerica.com/educationatcpna.html  

Does Your Packaging Speak Human?

Information overload. We all suffer from it. With a plethora of external influences pulling at retail, what is going to convince the consumer to zero in and choose your product? More importantly, are you speaking the right language to sway someone to read the product information and make the purchase?

It takes about 2.6 seconds to make a purchase decision. Why will someone pick up your product instead of your competitor’s? What compels them to buy your product? What will make your product "connect" over another?

In this session you will learn about the "human speak" of the package. You will learn how to use it to effectively influence the consumer. Discover how "warm and fuzzy" translates into more sales. Hear how you can "connect" to consumers. You will also find out what turns off the customer. By the end of the session you will have gained the knowledge necessary to hear your package and see your product through the eyes of the consumer.

Smart Consumer vs. Dumb Packaging.

Wow! Look at all the choices out there. For every category, there are dozens of products just like it on the market. So, how smart are consumers? Can they make an informed purchasing decision? Do people really comparison shop or do they just grab the first thing they see from the shelf? What role does packaging play in their decision to purchase?

In this session, you will discover the consumers’ intelligence and the power of your package to take them to school. Are they impressed with labels and logos or are they looking for the best value? Who is the ultimate decision maker and what can you do to influence them? They aren’t stupid! The most valuable information you will gain is how to NOT alienate consumers.

If you don't recognize these critical factors in your marketing efforts your dim-witted package will secure the dunce hat for your product. The product will be dying -- not flying off the shelf.

HBA Health & Beauty America
M16 BOOMERS: A BOOMING BUSINESS
For more information, click here.

Moderator: Alisa Marie Beyer, President, The Benchmarking Co., afb@benchmarkingco.com  

Panel:

JoAnn Hines, Packaging Diva, packagingdiva@aol.com, "WHY BOOMERS?"

Susan Taggart, CEO, Ad Infinitum and Women's Marketing Group, sue@adinfinitumny.com  , "TALKING THE BOOMER WOMAN TALK"

Steve French, Managing Partner, NMI, info@nmisolutions.com  , "MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR TODAY'S BABY BOOMER PERSONAL CARE CONSUMER"

Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Location: The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City

I am pleased to announce that Planet Canit is the signature sponsor for The Packaging Diva's presentation "Why Boomers?” at HBA Health & Beauty America on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City.

Planet Canit is a marketing solutions company that helps its clients differentiate their products from the pack to drive exponential sales growth. Their specialty may be decorative tins but they don't believe in canned, one-size-fits-all solutions. The company’s marketing solutions are as different as its approach- and tailored to each client's specific needs and business realities.

With more than 30 years of experience in marketing, sales, strategy and packaging, the Planet Canit team helps guide the conceptualization, design, and creation of packaging innovations that help make brands succeed. From its products and services to its people and perspective, Planet Canit succeeds by acting and doing things differently - Beyond the Box. To contact Planet-Canit visit their website at www.planetcanit.com or via email vprice@planetcanit.com

Hear and meet the Packaging Diva @

PROOF: Market Research & Development for Package Design conference is scheduled for Sept. 25-27, 2006 at The Drake Hotel in Chicago.

The Senior Factor: How To Motivate Them To Buy Your Products

Every seven seconds, someone turns 50. With 76 million U.S. boomers in command of today’s buying decisions, the potential for profit and growth from this group is enormous. With 70% of all purchase decisions made in the store your product only has about 2.6 seconds to compel seniors to pick it up. (Or do they even want to be identified as seniors?)

This is your product's first moment of truth: your packaging.

Is it on target to capture the attention of the fastest growing and most affluent group of consumers – the Baby Boomers?

Do you know the right "hot buttons" on or in your packaging to compel this group to purchase your products?

Gain insights into the senior market and find out what packaging sells product, and the best ways for your packaging to connect with these lucrative underserved consumers.

4:30 The Packaging Diva’s Makeover Challenge

JoAnn Hines, Founder, Women in Packaging, Inc.

Enjoy a fun interactive session, facilitated by the “Packaging Diva.” This session has been formulated to link and validate everything you’ve learned throughout the day. The audience will be divided into teams, given a product and will be asked to critique and offer suggestions on improving its packaging based on a pre-assigned demographic. Learn additional techniques from an expert panel consisting of a researcher, brand strategist and designer on how to rebrand the package. Brainstorming is encouraged while you share ideas and get to know your peers. This session will motivate and challenge you with new strategies for reinventing the design process.

http://www.iirusa.com/packaging/1585.xml  

Flexpack 06 - http://www.4spe.org/conf/flexpack06/  

Saturday, December 16

8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Keynote: JoAnn Hines, “The Packaging Diva”