The Challenge
A global beverage company recruited ThePackHub to compile eight innovation playbooks to guide their marketing teams to easily identify incremental packaging innovation readily available from their supplier base.
While much of ThePackHub’s work with the client is strategic and forward-looking, this project had a more immediate focus: helping brand and marketing teams identify what could be launched within a one-to-two-year timeframe.
The client needed to know which technologies were ready (operating at Technology Readiness Level 9), which suppliers could support them, what the likely costs and implementation requirements would be, and what potential pitfalls needed to be considered.
Our Approach
The project focused on eight packaging technology families across aluminium cans, glass bottles and labelling, building on a previous platform identification piece of work. These areas were selected to reflect upcoming technologies that were both important and exciting, while remaining relevant to the client’s current packaging formats.
ThePackHub worked with the client’s existing suppliers, identified additional suppliers of interest, and collated the information into an encyclopaedic playbook of market-ready packaging innovation opportunities.
The final output combined a visual playbook with a supporting database, giving the client both an accessible showcase of possibilities and a detailed resource containing supplier information, implementation considerations, costs and technology insights.
The Impact
The client was left with a practical resource in physical and digital formats that could be used across marketing and packaging teams to support near-term innovation.
The playbook helped the client save time, identify market-ready innovation opportunities, understand who to contact, and make faster decisions about which technologies to explore further.
By bringing supplier information, implementation considerations, watchouts and recommendations into one place, the project gave the client a clearer starting point for getting more innovative packaging solutions to market quickly.