The title of this post doesn’t refer to Angelina Jolie action figures or to or females with all of their body parts squished into Spanx. Women in Packaging, Inc is “an international, nonprofit, professional packaging organization dedicated to the growth and success of packaging professionals.” There. Now you know. In addition to Women in Packaging, there are numerous companies and organizations (and actual coaches) that deal with product packaging in all its forms.
Packaging affects much of what we buy. Some might say it affects everything we buy. Or who we will marry (which in some cases, is the same as what we buy.) And, in recent years, it has influenced manufacturers in their attempt to separate Boomers from their inherited wealth hard-earned money. And, because women make 80% of buying decisions for households, this equals an amount of money that comes pretty darn close to what Imelda Marcos got when she sold off her shoe collection.
So, what do Boomer Women want in product packaging? The answers are:
- Colors other than pink. We are getting really tired of this, and we stopped having pink bathrooms in 1964 so it won’t match anyway.
- Photos of 20 year old women on boxes of hide-the-gray products. We feel really bad that there are so many women in their 20s who have grey hair. So let them have their own products.
- Tiny print on anything. Especially those pesky words, “This product may be hazardous to your health.” Or worse, “This product may cause you to gain ten pounds and then have a really bad hair day the likes of which you have never had before.”
- Simplify the ingredients list. Instead of “sodium anisate,” can you just say “basil extract?”
- Package products in a way that doesn’t necessitate a scissors, butcher knife, screw driver, pliers, and chain saw to open.
- Use a minimum amount of packaging. It’s not necessary to encase products suitable for donkey journeys across the Eurasian steppe.
- Truth in advertising. Instead of a face and body cream saying “Takes away all wrinkles and lifts boobs in seven days!” be realistic. Say, “May, in rare instances, have a temporary, minutely positive impact on a couple women who you don’t know.”
On second thought, scratch #7.
Life in the Boomer Lane 
Reena
February 17, 2011
Amen, Sister! It always amazes me how light bulbs, so fragile, are packaged in such minimal protection. Good post!
lifeintheboomerlane
February 17, 2011
Thanks, Reena. Wow, I kept staring at your comment. Such a great observation. I never thought of that.
Tori Nelson
February 17, 2011
Hilarious! And true for just about EVERY woman. #5. I broke my finger when I was 8 months pregnant. I was so infuriated that the jumbo bottle of Tums wouldn’t open that it became a fierce competition of wills. Plastic wrap, protective seals, one chipped tooth, and a broken finger later, I gave up and settled on having heart burn.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 17, 2011
Thanks, Tori. What a horrible example of what I was writing about. I’ve gotten to the point where I refuse to buy anything (unless it’s to save my life or give me a good hair day) with a lot of packaging.
36x37
February 17, 2011
Great observations. The 20-year-olds on packaging drive me crazy, too.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 17, 2011
Ugh. And the ones in magazines are worse. There’s always something about a product or technique for looking younger and the photo is of a twenty-something. Does she want to look like she’s in elementary school?
planejaner
February 17, 2011
Oh, funny, Renee!
I hate packaging–the ones that menace me most terribly are the CD wrappers and the packaging on new DVDs.
trying to find a spot to pull away…then having to scritch away at the security tape, then on and on and on.
by the time my new items are opened, they are pretty much ruined=-=the cd box is cracked, the dvd case is bent.
I hate packaging.
blessings on your Thursday!
jane
lifeintheboomerlane
February 17, 2011
Thanks, Jane. Grrrrr. And I have damaged things when I lose patience and attack the packaging.
Kaylor Hildenbrand / PackageSPEAK
February 17, 2011
Love the commentary! I’m a qualitative research consultant and publisher of PackageSPEAK.com – I do a lot of packaging research, gathering consumer insights, and Boomers do have specific needs and wants. Some are light-hearted like you have shown, but some are also very frustrating, such as when you mentioned not being able to open a simple package. Hoping that with more people talking about wanting change, good things will happen. Thanks for sharing your take on things!
lifeintheboomerlane
February 17, 2011
Thanks for reading, Kaylor. I have to tell you, I was blown away by all the packaging sites I found when I was researching for the post. And yes, there are some very serious issues with packaging.
Donna Maria Coles Johnson
February 17, 2011
Hi there,
Nice blog post. My friend, Jo Ann Hines, leads Women In Packaging. I bet your readers would love a link to her site as a resource, so I’m including it here http://www.womeninpackaging.org/
You probably already know this, but her blog is here http://packaginguniversity.com/blog/
I hope you don’t mind my sharing. I think those are useful resources to further inform your audience.
Have a great day!
lifeintheboomerlane
February 17, 2011
Thanks so much, Donna Maria. And thanks for including the links!
TexasTrailerParkTrash
February 17, 2011
Talk about truth in advertising, how about that Andie McDowell? Does she really look that good or does she have a portrait of herself hidden in the attic (a la Dorian Gray) that’s loaded with liver spots, silver hair and sagging jowls? Inquiring minds want to know.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 17, 2011
Don’t even get me started about all the celebs who hawk anti-aging products who have had cosmetic surgery or whose photos have been airbrushed into oblivion. That makes me completely crazy.
Debbie
February 17, 2011
Interesting points, Renee, especially #3! Anybody over 40 knows that if you have to drag out your readers to see the ingredients or the warnings, you’ll just leave the blasted thing on the shelf!
lifeintheboomerlane
February 17, 2011
Yes. And I didn’t mention it, but prescriptions come with an entire book of precautions. It takes so long to read it, I just toss it.
e6n1
February 18, 2011
Great post and I’m fed up with the constant rose-tinted packaging too. But then again, guys must be soooooo sick and tired of blue.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
Thanks for reading. And agreed. And I didn’t even get started on magazine advertising. That’s next!
sunshineinlondon
February 18, 2011
What an interesting post, Renee! I get so frustrated at pasta and rice and breakfast cereal packaging that NEVER opens as it should. The number of times I have thrown rice and pasta all around the kitchen in an attempt to open the packet and then it rips down the middle. Scissors required, for sure. Aaarrghhh.
I’m glad I’m not alone picking up macaroni from under the fridge.
Sunshine xx
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
This post was written for examiner.com, in my new incarnation as their Boomer Humor person. It’s so funny: When I think of the “Boomer Humor” me as opposed to Renee, I think in a totally different way. Both of the columns I’ve written for them so far are topics I never would have thought of for my blog. Whe you read a blog from me and I write “I” that’s just me blogging. If it’s a short piece and written from a universal perspective and uses the words “boomer” a lot, it’s written for examiner. And: I’M COMING TO LONDON NEXT MONTH!!!
sunshineinlondon
February 18, 2011
YAY! That’s so exciting, Renee! Lovely news xx
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
I just got off the phone with my daughter. Let’s make plans to meet!
deliriouslydivine
February 18, 2011
Who knew packaging was such a big issue. Though seriously, my biggest beef is with the overdone packaging and all the little mini-snacks separately wrapped etc.. I won’t buy a product if it’s been wrapped in what I consider an environmentally unfriendly way.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
The new trend in placing each piece of fruit in its own hard plastic biosphere is disturbing beyond all reason.
JoAnn Hines
February 18, 2011
Thanks for sharing your insights on product packaging for women boomers. Its been a very popular topic because it’s one that people never think about as an issue. Using humor in packaging really helps people understand more about those hidden issues. My boomer packaging research shows that women over 50 are almost totally overlooked by marketers. Or at the very worst they slap a stereotype on the packaging.
At the Marketing To Women conference where I shared my research all the boomer women commiserated about the lack of age specific products and packaging.
I love packaging pro and con and one of the reasons behind my packaging blog “Packaging News You Can Use” is to help people understand the important role of packaging in modern society. I’m always thrilled to see other writers outside the industry bring awareness to the consumer about packaging. I enjoyed this post immensely and hope you will write more about packaging.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
Thanks for reading, JoAnn, and for all of your comments. I wrote this piece for http://www.examiner.com (I’m their Boomer Humor person) and they put a limit on the number of words. I could have said a lot more, so I’m sure I’ll write about it again. Packaging is everything, isn’t it? I’d also like to tackle how older women are portrayed in magazines and commercials. There’s a lot of material there!
writerwoman61
February 19, 2011
Amen, Sister! #5 is also one of my personal pet peeves! Since I live with a computer geek, he buys every new thing going, and they all come packaged in an assortment of cardboard, hermetically-sealed plastic, and wire ties. We recycle our stuff…this fills my recycling bags really fast!
My other personal pet peeve is childproof pill containers…other than when Elise visits, there is no one in my house under 12. I always leave the arrows lined up in the “pop off” position on the acetominophen. Whoever came up with the “push down with your palm while turning” closure should be covered with honey and set loose in a chicken factory!
Wendy
lifeintheboomerlane
February 19, 2011
Both of those are completely maddening. And I’ve seen fruit sold where each piece is in a plastic bubble dome. I am a crazy recycler. It makes my head explode to think of all the people who just toss this stuff.
Allison
February 20, 2011
Abby’s toys are insanely packaged. A dancing Tigger doll was actually screwed to the box. She got a SCUBA Barbie doll that was actually wirebound in several places to give the illusion of swimming against a blue cardboard backdrop.
The best packaging is no packaging at all. Case in point– scooped candy from bulk stores. Instant gratification.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 21, 2011
Horrible. I agree. Someone asked why light bulbs are so-underpackaged. It’s so true. None of it makes sense.
elifair
February 22, 2011
Speaking of bad hair days, why can’t those gray-haired 20-year-old packagers create shampoo and conditioner bottles with print large enough to see without glasses? A giant “S” or “C” would do. I don’t wear my glasses in the shower, except when I forget to take them off.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 22, 2011
Thanks for visiting my blog! Yes, the print on things is ridiculous. Not only is it too small to read, it’s excessive on some packaging. My meds might cause me to become deranged if I take them with water, but I don’t have time to slog through all the precautions.