end of year review - part 2

The Evolution of an Icon

When Fisherman’s Friend's iconic packaging needed modernising they turned to Amcor.

Amcor Flexibles Winterbourne Winterbourne Road Stoke Gifford Bristol BS34 6PT United Kingdom Tel: +44 117 987 2000 Fax: +44 117 987 2001

T

o re-invigorate the packaging of Fisherman’s Friend its owner, Lofthouse of

Fleetwood, approached Amcor Flexibles to develop a packaging concept that would refresh and modernise their brand. Lofthouse of Fleetwood wanted a solution with easy open and reclose as well as improved gas and moisture barrier to reduce product spoilage. Finally, the new pack had to improve the overall shelf impact whilst maintaining and further enhancing the brand image. The pack was initially to be launched in Asia, an important growth area for Lofthouse of Fleetwood. Due to the high temperatures and humidity in this region, coupled with the hygroscopic nature of the lozenge, there was a high potential for product spoilage, if the pack's barrier was compromised. The launch was to serve as a 'test bed' for the new pack format. If successful, it could be introduced to other markets.

The solution

Amcor chose to make the sachet

from a polyester, aluminium foil and polyethylene laminate as this helped to address all the customer, consumer and product technical requirements. Polyester because of its suitability for laser etching and high temperature resistance; aluminium foil for its excellent barrier properties to moisture, gas and aroma and finally a special polyethylene to provide hermetic seals around the integral zip, at the packing speeds demanded by Lofthouse of Fleetwood. Reverse printing the PET allows the ink to be sandwiched which eliminates scuffing. It also provides a glossy appearance which both modernises the image and allows the packs to be wiped clean - unlike the existing paper based pack. - which was a key requirement of the brief. Lofthouse of Fleetwood and their distributors opted for a sachet pack, incorporating a contour laser for easy opening and an integral zip for re-close. This option resembled the existing pack and fulfilled the brief of 'evolution, not revolution'. The final structure

would have a hygienic and modern appearance with greater resistance to tearing, scuffing and puncturing (reducing product push through) than the existing paper based pack.

The result

The stability tests confirmed that the material provided exceptional barrier compared to the existing material. The feedback from the consumer research was extremely positive and overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed new pack. With these results, Lofthouse of Fleetwood decided to accelerate the Singapore launch to October 2008 and Amcor Flexibles received the first order in May 2008 for a range of eight 25g packs. Since the launch, Fisherman's Friend sales in Singapore have enjoyed double digit growth in what is currently a declining market due to the global economic downturn. The product is now being rolled out in Malaysia with other markets in South East Asia to follow.

For more information visit www.amcor.com.

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