‘Profession envy’ and promotional dysfunction evident
By Neil Kozarsky

Marlton, NJ One clear example of how poor a job the packaging industry has done in promoting itself is to consider that everyone knows what a company called General Electric does, and those same people think that packaging is basically about brown bags and boxes.

Another familiar situation that drives home this point is the good old-fashioned cocktail party (which could not be staged without advanced packaging and material handling technologies) and the most basic of ‘ice-breaking’ questions such as “so what do you do for a living?”

Packaging people are known to have developed ‘profession envy’ within minutes of attending their first such social gathering. This is particularly evident as the doctors, lawyers and accountants are so adroitly providing sufficient one-word answers through stuffed mouths while sipping drinks, holding plates and glasses and still shaking hands. The packaging folks may simply be shaking, as members of conversation circles suddenly see ‘must-have’ appetizers across the room or realize that their libations must immediately be topped off upon hearing that someone is in “packaging”.

After asking the doctor for advice about that nagging ache, checking with the accountant about an IRS issue or their take on the Enron thing, or simply telling an old lawyer joke, people may really benefit from learning a little about what packaging is all about. Forget the party food which would not be safe or tasty without packaging, and even ignore the plates, utensils, trays and glasses for the moment. The bigger picture is that civilization itself depends on safe and reliable systems for the delivery of food, water and medicine. In a nutshell, that’s what packaging is all about. And with all due respect to other industries and professions, that is just as important as what anybody else does.

Consumers may need to be reminded:

What would a six-pack be without a, well, six-pack?
How about a Kleenex without a dispensing carton?
What would you stick in a water bottle if the slender beverage pouch was not around?
Think about Ready Whip without an aerosol can.
Would anyone want to join the Club Store ‘Club’ were it not for unitizing packaging?
Who was it that solved the Tylenol poisoning crisis with tamper evident packaging?

The list goes on and on. And yet, packaging professionals and packaging continue to be considered synonymous with kraft paper in one of two forms. Perhaps there is a perceived value issue when, in fact, the first thing many people do with even the best packaging is throw it away.

There are a number of reasons why packaging is so misunderstood, ignored and ultimately held in such low-esteem by the masses. Unlike aerospace, energy, computing and retail, among others, there aren’t really any major companies in packaging that epitomize or represent the entire industry. In addition, the “industry” makes no real effort to promote or explain itself. It may be one of the most esoteric professions as it consists of about four major groups (glass, metal, plastics and films) that never believe they have cause to communicate with one another.

From a consumer standpoint, there really is no packaging ‘industry’ per se; rather, there are the above-mentioned commodity groups operating and producing independently. One hopes that it won’t take a global crisis, such as a bird-flu pandemic, or terrorist tampering plot to finally give the packaging industry and its professionals some overdue respect.

Arguably, Packaging is the industry that “brings good things to life”. It’s about time and only fair the people who make the cocktail party possible get some overdue respect.