I despise inconvenient packaging, and always wish the CEO who stands to profit the most from it, would be locked in a room and forced to open his company’s own packaging for several hours a day. That being said, I’m a little torn on the news below because I don’t think making junk food easier to eat should be a societal aim.
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Apparently Kraft Singles (for you Europeans, we have individually-wrapped slices of cheese sold in packs of 16—stop it, you guys have problems too) are really difficult to open; finding the seam of the clear film is something like trying to start a roll of packaging tape. In fact the company says “the inability to easily open the clear wrapper” is “the #1 consumer complaint.”
Below is an earnest, not satirical, 2-minute-plus YouTube video on how to open cheese slice packaging. #hellinahandbasket
So: The company’s package designers have added a textured flap that signifies the end of the film, according to a press release. The company also says their redesigned packaging, which includes a new appearance and a disturbing-that-this-is-a-bragging-point “made with real dairy” alert, are intended to appeal to Gen Z and Millennial buyers, who are apparently not Kraft Singles fans. “Among some, there is a general perception that processed cheese singles are artificial and don’t taste all that good. Kraft Singles also don’t connect all that well with younger demographics,” GlobalData Retail analyst Neil Saunders told CNN.
Left, old. Right, new. Problem solved?
I don’t think that younger buyers aren’t buying Singles because they’re hard to open; I believe Gen Z and Millennials are generally more interested in eating healthier food. Anyways, as a former package designer, my spirit shrinks at the thought of a Kraft exec walking into their Package Design department and saying: “Guess what? We’ve got a problem, and you guys are going to solve it!”
Source: core77