Nowhere is the selling environment more of a tie-up than in big-box stores. Creating a package for cordage, otherwise known as rope, that can fit within the shelves of a Home Depot store but won't end up swinging in the wind, is a challenge, but carries a measurable payoff for Wellington, Inc.'s cordage products. For packs that stand out in a warehouse setting, design firm Proteus Design (www.proteusdesign.com) re-envisioned the entire rope product category. The products are typically sold in film bags labeled with product length and weight limits that may not be easily understood by everyone. To make it easy to distinguish differences not only between brands, but also between the various products, Proteus assisted with a complete facelift. Wellington had light, medium and heavy-duty rope categories. Color coding them with a "good/better/best" display encouraged trading up. Each new package includes a photo of the rope in use and a multipurpose Velcro® strap to hang the product at home as well as in-store, which keeps the brand name in view at all times.

The new packaging also includes a large paperboard face label that clearly states each product's purpose, which together with the strap, really changes the way the cordage category is marketed at point-of-sale. The new packaging makes it possible for consumers to determine which rope suits their needs. The results of the new approach have gained more shelf space. Wellington's spool-like packaging allows consumers to neatly store the rope and to cut off the desired length needed, while the remaining rope is left neatly in the original package. An updated logo and tagline, "The Rope Authority," demonstrate to consumers Wellington's category-leader position.

The flexo-printed paperboard labels include one for marine cordage, comprising an .018 paperboard laminate, while hardware cordage features a .020 C1S paper label with an aqueous coating. The packaging, which serves more than 400 stockkeeping units, is produced by various sources in Asia, Mexico and the U.S.