Elopak innovation drives brand values to more premium possibilities

With over 20 years as the dairy market leader in Greece, Delta Dairy S.A has placed packaging innovation central to its marketing strategy for the re-launch of its premium milk range in Diamond Pure-Pak® Curve carton, the latest Pure-Pak® innovation from Elopak.

Research has identified that the Pure-Pak® carton has intrinsic values of natural, premium, freshness; Elopak wants to continue building on these values to evolve design and functionality. This is a key for creating brand value as several price sensitivity analysis studies show a direct correlation between premium values and premium price – the higher the perception of freshness then the higher the price consumers are willing to pay.  As a result, marketers all across Europe are going back to basics to rediscover that our packaging solutions are a critical part of the marketing mix.

At Elopak, innovation is driven by consumer trends, and the Diamond Pure-Pak® Curve gives the familiar gable-top carton a new modern shape to appeal to modern values of quality and naturalness. Both the 5th panel curve and the diamond shape of the gable top gives the carton clear differentiation for stronger communication of consumer benefits and brand messages. The wider cap provides increased functionality with improved pouring, easier opening and closing, and drinking from pack, all of which make a better consumer experience of our customers’ products.

Consumer research by Elopak in Greece and across Europe clearly indicates that the improved benefits in use provided by a larger cap increases consumer satisfaction of the product and plays an integral role in the decision of re-purchasing of a brand and building loyalty. 

Thanos Theodoratos from Tesco Engineering, Elopak’s partner in Greece who led the project, explains:

“To the Greek consumer the larger cap and the new carton design provide better pack benefits for the everyday consumption of good quality fresh milk.   The bigger cap is easier to open and be tightly re-closed by all the family, and the wider opening makes an excellent pouring product. Consumer research in Greece also identified this package above all others for its ‘newness’ and ‘original shape’, and the 5th panel creates a shape which is easier to grip and hold while enhancing on-pack communication. The elegant curve design of the pack really makes it stand out from the supermarket shelf because they appeal to the consumer as interesting and different.

“For Delta, the Pure-Pak® technology provides the best protection from light, maintaining the vitamin content, shelf life, taste and overall freshness of milk, creating what they call the ‘Delta Fresh Box’. This packaging concept is a fundamental part of Delta’s marketing mix and is clearly communicated on-pack as a key premium brand positioning.”

Børge Kvamme, Executive Vice-President of Elopak Region EMEA says,
“Innovation in packaging must be driven by a strong consumer focussed approach in order to deliver higher value for customers.  For Elopak, the constant development of the Pure-Pak® solution and its intrinsic values enables customers to enhance the consumer experience by providing functional and emotional benefits relevant to the consumer’s needs.

“In January 2005, Delta and Elopak signed an agreement to switch all its branded premium milk products, to Diamond Pure-Pak® Curve cartons, seeing the first launch onto a major market of this packaging solution.  Over 2 million liters of fresh milk is consumed in Greece every day, and Delta is the leading producer of a Greek fresh milk market worth 750 million Euros with a 41% share. Providing an innovative packaging solution was paramount to Delta’s brand positioning.  With consumer focused development supported by research, this new packaging solution will reinforce Delta’s brand values by communicating messages of freshness, and premium quality, in addition to the superior handling performance that we know from research appeals to the Greek market.”

Borge Kvamme concludes, “2005 is a significant year for both Delta and Elopak. Delta’s ambitions have put Elopak’s packaging development into top gear, and mark the beginning of a new era of delivering total liquid packaging solutions that support our customers’ marketing and market leading strategies by offering them more premium possibilities.”