-- Packaging Digest, 7/1/2010 5:53:00 PM
Pop Secret® Premium Popcorn was acquired by Diamond Foods Inc. in September 2008, and since that time Diamond has mounted strong efforts to lift this well-known brand image. These efforts were greatly aided by the launch of a new product: Premium Jumbo Popping Corn for stove-top popping or use with a popcorn popper.
The introduction of this new product called for an innovative packaging design to set this offering apart from the competition. Diamond Foods selected Silgan Plastics to assist in the design and manufacture of the jar.
New entry, new look
The popcorn category has been dominated by microwaveable popcorn for many years, and Pop Secret is a strong player in that segment. Plain popcorn kernels, on the other hand, has been a small part of the category, and relatively drab in terms of shelf presence, which is one reason that it occupies the bottom shelf in most grocery stores. That packaging ranges from stock square jugs to flexible bags, mixed in with a rare few custom bottles that by association find themselves also relegated to the obscure lower shelf.
“For this introduction, we wanted a package that would be both functional and attractive, consistent with the Pop Secret brand image,” says Jerry Johnson, Diamond Foods’ vp of Popcorn Operations. He also points out that, in this era of health-conscious consumers, the company wanted the package to reinforce subtly that this is a healthy, natural product.
“And, of course,” he adds, “we also wanted the package to have more consumer appeal than other popping corn products.”
