I remember not that long ago when, in the retail world, a logo on a shopping bag was considered an effective extension of a brand – a kind of free advertising. Customers would happily walk out of a store carrying a bag that screamed “I bought something at Canadian Tire… you should too!” And the retailer didn’t give it a second thought once the bag left the store.

Things have changed. With consumerism on the rise, and the addition of countless new retail stores over the past couple of decades, a simple logo and some branding just doesn’t get noticed among a sea of sacks. We’ve become desensitized to these ‘boring-bags’.
Thankfully for retailers (and consumers), marketers around the world have been thinking outside the bag, and have found clever ways to transform those ‘boring-bags’ into ‘brilliant-bags’ that truly engage our senses. By introducing an interactive component they bring the retailer’s message, the customer and the onlooker together for a shared experience.
Check out these great examples. I love how Lipton uses the illusion of a giant tea bag to grab your attention and promote a new product, while Canon provides an opportunity for customers to see how a new EOS Digital camera would look hanging around their necks. Stop’n grow makes use of the customers own hand in getting their message across (and creates a bit of shock value to boot).

Non-profit organizations can also take advantage of outside the bag thinking, and share their messages in meaningful, interactive ways – see the autism and blood-donor examples.
So now that we’ve been inspired, let’s all think outside the… and discover new ways to engage our audiences, share our messages, or just have fun! Hmmmm, think outside the napkin maybe? Or how about the envelope. What about paper coffee cups?
Posted by: Jason