Does your package give consumers new ideas on how to use the product? The new design for Velcro does. As part of a two-year rebranding effort, the company developed packaging that shows how versatile the popular “fastener” product is for helping out with do-it-yourself projects in the home, the office or the garden and more.

Jurjen Jacobs, vp of global marketing and innovation at Velcro Industries, gives Packaging Digest an exclusive on details about the packaging:

How did you select the colors? What do the colors signify? That is, what are the seven product families and which color goes with which family?

Jacobs: Colors were selected based:

- Adhesive Backed Products—Red—this is because it is our biggest category and that also represents our corporate color so therefore represents our brand the most
- Ties/Straps—Blue—we wanted to use a primary color to represent our second largest category
- Garden—Green—obviously, because of the category, green made sense

Additionally, these colors were based on having a visual presence with colors consistent in tone and for a balanced look:

- For Fabrics—Orange
- Office Solutions—Purple
- Heavy Duty—Black
- Specialty—Dark Green (not shown in the image)

How did you develop these product families?

Jacobs: There were originally more categories but to simplify the shopping experience/product selection for consumers, we felt it would be best to regroup the products based on how consumers were currently shopping and using our product.

Are the product applications new or are these ones that people have been using Velcro for all along?

Jacobs: The ideas are a mix of new and tried-and-trusted ideas based on 25+ years of experience selling product to consumers all over the world.

What does the consumer get exactly by scanning the QR code?

Jacobs: It drives them to the product’s specific website. Some websites feature uses, images and videos but each features product info and specifications. For example, the One-Wrap Ties page features a video on the “million” uses of One-Wrap.

http://www.velcro.com/Products/Ties-and-Straps/Ties/One-Wrap-Ties.aspx#.Uz2XDvldVBk

Are all the products peggable? Is this how they are displayed in stores?

Jacobs: All of them are peggable—we do have larger boxes that would typically sit on a shelf but we have peggable options for these as well.

Was all the packaging design work done in-house or did you work with an outside firm? If outside, who did you work with? 

Jacobs: We worked closely with our agency, Breakaway Innovation Group.

[UPDATE 4-6-2014: Packaging Digest has since learned that Rohrer Corp. printed and supplied the paperboard packaging for this project.]

What is the secondary packaging? Any retail-ready display tray or other style of secondary packaging?

Jacobs: Point-of-sale (POS) displays and shelf-ready packaging are always available upon retailers’ requests—for custom integration.

Has the new packaging/application uses helped open up new distribution/sales channels? If so, where?

Jacobs: The new look and feel of the packaging is part of our overall growth strategy that is based on the foundation of our new branding.

Here is the company’s press release:

Velcro Industries Completes Rebrand Effort with Launch of New Consumer Packaging

New Packaging Arrives in Retail Stores and Company Enters Second Year with Brand Ambassador and DIY Star Brit Morin

MANCHESTER, N.H., April 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- VELCRO® Brand fans can expect to see new consumer packaging for their favorite hook and loop fasteners in the next few weeks as the company rolls out its new color scheme, branding and logo to retail partners across the country. Marking the completion of Velcro Industries' rebrand effort, the new consumer packaging launch coincides with the company's continued engagement with DIY maven, Brit Morin, who creates exciting and practical ways for consumers to incorporate VELCRO® Brand products into their home, office, work, and outdoor spaces.

The new packaging was developed to create a simple and efficient way for consumers to select among available VELCRO® Brand fastening solutions. The simple and clean package layout includes multiple visual cues, such as prominent color coding to differentiate the seven product families (ranging from heavy-duty to garden to office solutions). To help shoppers better understand the product application, the packaging features images of example uses, care instructions and a QR code that, when scanned, launches the product's page on Velcro.com. Some of the new packaging also includes a cut-out window that allows customers to feel the product and see its texture.

"Velcro Industries is a pioneering company whose inventions have helped to simplify our lives on a daily basis since George de Mestral invented the hook and loop technology more than 60 years ago and we're continuing our heritage of innovation today," said Jurjen Jacobs, Vice President of Global Marketing and Innovation. "As the final step in our rebranding effort, we re-imagined our visual representations to better communicate our focus as a lifestyle brand that answers consumer needs and contributes to their interests."

The new consumer packaging is the result of a major rebranding effort that spanned two years. In early 2012, the company began the thorough process of overhauling and unifying its branded visual assets and logo in 90 countries where its products are distributed and sold. Since then, Velcro Industries has completed a variety of initiatives ranging from the newly designed Velcro.com to creative workshops at The Home Depot®, a new tagline (There is Only One™) and a first-ever office in Boston, MA near its American headquarters in Manchester, NH. As part of the rebrand, the company began working with Brit Morin to bolster and evolve its consumer appeal.

"The range of organizational and DIY projects that can be enhanced with VELCRO® Brand products is nearly endless," said Brit Morin, CEO and Founder, Brit + Co. "I'm honored to work with Velcro Industries to help transform everyday objects and to create functional, practical projects designed for everyone, from parents to teachers to kids, to better organize their busy lives."

In 2013, Velcro Industries was included in a list of the world's most effective rebrands in the REBRAND 100® Global Awards. The recognition is the highest recognition for excellence in brand repositioning, and is the first, only, and most-respected global program of its kind.

Learn more about the Velcro Industries brand via the video here and follow the blog for Brit Morin's inspiring and creative tips and projects.

About Velcro Industries
Velcro Industries together comprise a technology-driven, global organization providing fastening solutions that solve problems in simple, elegant and surprising ways for businesses and consumers around the world. With more than 50 years of experience, Velcro Industries is proud of their heritage in innovation. Velcro Industries B.V. owns over 300 active patents and numerous trademarks, including the VELCRO® mark which is registered throughout the world.  Velcro Industries offer global resources for world-class solutions, with manufacturing locations in Spain, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China and sales offices around the world. "Like" VELCRO® Brand on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/velcrobrand or visit www.velcro.com/press-lok for more information.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140402/CG96556-a
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140402/CG96556LOGO-b  

SOURCE Velcro Industries