Over the course of the past year, many of our most avid BOLT! readers who are our clients in the licensing industry have asked us if we would address some very specific topics related to style guide and packaging program development in future issues. It's great to … Read More
About a year ago, I wrote an article about the downfall of the consumer product style guide as a highly-immersive, printed masterpiece that stopped us in our tracks and commanded our attention. In the glory days of the printed style guide, its purpose was to deliver brand … Read More
Not a single successful licensing program in the history of successful licensing programs has ever launched without exhaustive research first being conducted to clearly define its target audience. The key to success is having a deep understanding of a brand's market. And it's the only irrefutable way … Read More
When we think of a strong structural design strategy for a toy or entertainment brand's retail packaging, we imagine a dynamic, cleverly-conceived structural shape inspired by a dominant aspect of the brand that will resonate immediately with consumers. We envision that structural shape working seamlessly from blister … Read More
I decided to put our typical thought leadership aside for this month's newsletter to focus on something absolutely wonderful that's happening during this time of crisis. While we're all staying at home nurturing our families, practicing social distancing, thoroughly and frequently washing our hands and doing our … Read More
Although the simplification of package design has proliferated every retail category, as package designers, we still find ourselves engaged in an ongoing battle to eliminate visual clutter on-pack. Most brand owners know that, to effectively engage their target audiences, their packaging needs to adopt a clear system … Read More
It would be an understatement to say that not all licensed consumer products sell through at retail, regardless of how hot a property may be. More often than not, we can pin this on a poorly-conceived, visually disjointed or underachieving licensed product packaging program. Unlike traditional consumer … Read More
Restless consumers are hunting more than ever for products that deliver additional value. Co-branding a strong national brand with an equally-recognized licensed brand is one way in which to accomplish that. The goal: to pump up volume and to gain a competitive edge by attracting and retaining … Read More
Hasbro announced that, in 2020, it will begin phasing out plastics from all new toy and game packaging across its portfolio of brands. The goal of the initiative is to eliminate virtually all plastic components, including polybags, elastic bands, shrink wrap, window sheets and blister packs from … Read More
The trend of entertainment and consumer product brands from the past reemerging and banking on their rich heritage in today's marketplace continues to gain momentum. And I'm not surprised. While there are a lot of reasons brand owners are reintroducing these classics instead of investing in the … Read More
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