When limited becomes the new limitless

When the world goes into recession we can all feel limited, limited in our spending, limited in our options and limited in our freedom.

Packaging often reflects this. During recession the high street makes us feel depressed, yes everything is cheaper, but everywhere I look I see yellow, magenta or cyan flashes staring back at me.
Marketing Managers have no budgets for their multi channel campaigns so they give up the ghost and packaging (at the bottom of the budget list) gets recycled again and again and again.

If we generalise for a minute and say that a decent Ad campaign will set you back £2 million no wonder board directors go weak at the knees, in economic uncertainty surely being prudent is better.

A brand redesign may be a better route and is likely to set you back about £60,000 - £100,000 this is a fraction of the cost.  In a recession however is it really worth re-positioning your message when your not sure what the long term message will be and I bet you're then going to proceed by putting the cyan, magenta and yellow flashes straight back on.

What I want to see more of are LIMITED EDITIONS

Limited editions allow your brand to be free, to pull down the economic gloom and change the mood of the consumer. Limited editions by their very nature are engaging, quirky and full of story telling. They have very little brand architect to maintain, minimal colour retention and confined only by the canvas they belong too. A designers and marketers dream at a fraction of the cost of both Ad campaigns and Brand redesigns.

A selection of some of my recent favourites

Diesel Aftershave in conjunction with the Captain America film release.

Rizla's.
The designer Steven Camp states

'A limited edition Rizla packet was designed to be given out at festivals and night clubs. The design evokes the late night theme of the events by using glow in the dark ink, this gave the brand more stand out within the environments in which it was distributed.
A fluorescent nu-rave pack design was created as a nod to current club culture. '

And a wonderful annual competition for the makers of 1800 tequila.
1800 proudly introduces 12 new limited edition artist designed bottles. Featuring 11 user generated designs and 1 design from a celebrity artist ...

LIMITED EDITIONS ARE LIMITLESS

Packaged, wrapped and slightly opinionated