It is mooted that in the not very long term, the only printing that would take place would be on packaging. Whether or not this is the case, it is clear that printed packaging markets are likely to grow and these companies will come together for the usual reasons: synergy, access to one another's customers, a broader geographic footprint, one-stop supply of various products, integration and access to complementary technologies.A good example of corporate finance activity in printed packaging is the equity stake taken by Sun European in Paragon Print and Packaging, as heard in our article with our closing keynote speaker Michael Kalb. Paragon prints labels, carton board and flexible materials and another of the Pira Packaging Summit speakers, Nicholas Mockett, of Moorgate Capital believes that the attraction for private equity investors is the robust and defensive nature of many types of packaging, such as food, where the fundamentals are strong thanks to demographics and trends in convenience and reducing food waste.
Given the fragmentation of media, which has had an impact on the traditional print channels, the role of packaging in the marketing mix is increasing. More decisions are made in store at point of sale so the ability of packaging to influence the consumer carries more weight than when there was one commercial TV station. The printing on the packaging along with its physical properties will be a differentiator and attract strategic investors.
We have all seen the Coca-Cola campaign, designed to help Coca-Cola engage directly with its consumers in 32 countries. It substitutes the iconic Coca-Cola logo on bottles of Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola light and Coca-Cola Zero with 150 of the most popular first names, nicknames and terms of affection in each country. Supported by a fully integrated marketing program to connect consumers online, the campaign reinforces Coca-Cola’s position as an innovator within the consumer retail space. All of which was made possible by combining conventional printing technology with HP Indigo Digital Printing to create 800 million high-quality personalized labels. This campaign alone is, hence, a great example of the marketing potential of packaging.
At the Pira Packaging Summit delegates will hear from representatives across the packaging supply chain and hear perspectives on all that is currently developing in and around packaging today. M&A has critical impacts to your supply chain and competitive landscape and Nick Mockett of Moorgate Capital, will bring you up to speed on how all the recent flurry of M&A activity in Europe in the last half year could affect you. In addition to this HP will give their perspectives on digital print and short-run packaging, coupled with future developments set to influence the way your packaging can communicate and benefit consumers.
Register your place today for this year's conference to ensure that you will be amongst the finest packaging representatives and hearing about the biggest topics in London at the Pira Packaging Summit 2013.
