JKR

8. The magic word is “pilot scheme”.

So many good intentions run aground on the rocks of capex. The obvious answer is to test the waters via co-packing. This allows for limited editions and other initiatives that will find favour with supermarket buyers, who are tasked with building up a more robust body of green activity. Learnings made on shorter runs can be converted into activity that has more fundamental implications for your brand, but this limber approach avoids the inertia that proposing wholesale change on day one can risk.

Aveda acts as L’Oreal’s “think tank”, and famously shares the benefits of its eco- (innovation) learnings with the whole world. Promoting ones own brand as a think tank for larger corporate behaviour might just get your pet project the traction it needs.

9. Finding and losing your “ullage”.

“Ullage” is the technical term for the settling of cereals in transit that results in a lot of air at the top of the box. Cereals conventionally can end up with 50% air in the box. Kamut Crisp is just one brand aiming to reduce this footprint (which results in a smaller box with less shelf presence, but, they claim, no negative impact on sales). The Holy Grail for cereal is presumably 0% ullage, a half size box, more convenient for consumers, and twice the shelf facings in the same space a single conventional box currently occupies.

Similarly, Nokia offered customers the choice of their new phone with or without charger. Those who felt the drawer full of chargers they already possessed was quite enough got their phones posted through their letterboxes, with no need for a bigger registered mail delivery. And the Co-op realised there is no need for tomato puree tubes to come with an outer box. Somewhere along the line most brands have ullage. The trick is in finding it and getting rid of it.

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