Put It in Writing: Marking the Contents of Your Food Containers

I have a basic rule about branding: Great success is the result not of revolutionary advancement, but evolutionary change; the creation of something consumers already need and want, though they may not have a name for what that product or service is.

Think about the practical, not the theoretical.

Think by seeing; by looking, specifically, at the contents of your refrigerator.

If you are like me, you do not want to guess what that so-called mystery meat is: You do not want to lift the lid of a food storage container, so you may find yourself on the kitchen floor; so what you smell requires smelling salts to raise you from that tile or linoleum surface.

All of which brings me back to my initial point about utility.

Opportunity rests in efficacy and simplicity.

Take, for instance, this announcement from Stor-All Solutions, a leading provider of innovative food storage containers. (The company’s EZ Wipe™ collection solves the age-old questions of “What is in my container?” and “How old is it?”)

I cite this example for several reasons.

First, if you want consumers to buy something – if you go through the difficulties of manufacturing a product – then you must ensure it is an item they need.

Secondly, shoppers want convenience. We all want a product that is easy to use, free of instruction manuals, parts and assembly.

Thirdly, consumers demand clarity. This is a literal truth, as it relates to writing – and being able to read – the names of the foods they store and refrigerate in food containers.

And finally, consumers value affordability. Do not, in other words, give them a solution that works with a price tag that does not.

These rules are straightforward.

They are maxims to remember, because innovation is the key to prosperity.

(Disclosure: I am not an employee of, an investor in or a consultant to any company referenced in this piece. I maintain a strict code of professional independence, free of conflicts of interest.)