PURPLE IS PURRFECT FOR WHISKAS

HomegrownHEINZ WELCOMES WEARY TRAVELLERS HOME

world news

can & aerosol news

brought to you by

FUTURE FOR DEODORANT IS CRYSTAL

CLEAR

Issue 86 08.07.10

Aerosols are taking an increasingly dominant position in the Australian deodorant market, thanks to innovative new packaging and products, as evidenced by the new Rexona Women ‘Crystal’ from Unilever.Continued over page...

can & aerosol news

Aerosols account for some 57.1 per cent of Australia’s $246.1 million deodorant market according to the 2009 Retail World annual report, up from 50.4 per cent in 2008 and 47.1 per cent in 2007.

In terms of volumes, which totaled 56 million units, aerosols captured 51.8 per cent of the market, well ahead of roll-ons (33.7 per cent), body sprays (10.1 per cent), solid sticks (2.4 per cent) and pump sprays (1.9 per cent).

Unilever dominates the deodorant market with 66.6 per cent of total sales value and is even more dominant in aerosols with 73.6 per cent of the $140.6 million market (29 million units).

Unilever’s Rexona brand accounts for some 63.6 per

cent of aerosol deodorant sales, with stablemate Dove in second place with 10.0 per cent, just ahead of rival Nivea with 9.4 per cent, then Sprayfresh (4.7 per cent), Norsca (4.5 per cent), Dry Idea (3.5 per cent) and Mum (2.8 per cent).

Consumers seem to prefer the national brands when it comes to deodorant, with private labels capturing just 0.4 per cent of sales, well below other health and beauty products such as tampons (6.7 per cent) and soap (4.9 per cent).

Rexona Women recently introduced its “tight top friendly” Crystal aerosol deodorant, which it says “has been specifically developed through new manufacturing techniques and two new ingredients” to minimise

white marks on the skin and especially on black clothing.

In Germany, it was launched with a novel campaign in which fashion and beauty enthusiasts could apply to have their dream of a custom-made black designer dress fulfilled by leading Berlin fashion label Kaviar Gauche.

Unilever said it used the campaign to showcase the new deodorant with the platform “Schwarze Mode” (“Fashion in Black”) as a take on the “black dress” theme from classic advertising.

Consumers could assemble their own black evening gown using the fashion label’s patterns and specifications via a dedicated website, then upload the finished designs to

an online gallery. The winning design was then created by Kaviar Gauche.

On the men’s deodorant front, Unilever Australasia has

been celebrating the 2010 World Cup with an attractive limited edition Rexona Men Sport Fresh 250mL gold and black can from Impress.

Issue 86 JULY 2010

FUTURE FOR DEODORANT IS CRYSTAL CLEAR cont.

02

can & aerosol news

Issue 86 JULY 2010 03

Brand owners will be interested to hear that Mars Australia has been given the green light to register a colour – now known as Whiskas purple – as a trademark for cat food.

The Federal Court heard that the colour (CMYK: 40 per cent cyan, 100 per cent magenta) was created in 2000 “from scratch” for the Mars group in Europe.

Justice Annabelle Bennett ordered that the Mars application should proceed, after rival company Nestlé withdrew its seven-year opposition. Nestlé is understood to have reached an agreement with Mars that allows it to continue to use purple on the packaging of its Purina-branded cat food.

The June 22 Federal Court decision has caused some concern in marketing circles, with one expert predicting a corporate rush to claim every shade imaginable.

However, while the protection given to colour marks is still relatively new in Australia, Whiskas purple is just one of more than 300 colour trademark registrations, as registering distinctive colours is becoming an increasingly popular option for companies seeking to protect key elements of their brand identity.

Five shades of purple for chocolate wrap were registered by Cadbury in November after it settled a well-publicised 10-year legal fight with Darrell Lea, while BlueScope Steel has light blue registered for

steel and Telstra yellow for phonebooks.

The same colour can be owned by more than one company, as long as it is being used on different types of products. For example, Reckitt Benckiser owns pink for household cleaning products while the National Breast Cancer Foundation claims the colour for its charitable purposes and Glacier Ceiling Battens has it for building materials.

Justice Bennett said that Mars had worked hard to give the Whiskas colour the capacity to distinguish its products from those of other traders.

This decision should encourage brand owners to consider protecting

non-traditional marks such as colour and shapes, though registration of a single colour as a trademark will not be easily obtained.

Intellectual property expert Mark Hilton from UK company Bird & Bird said that trademarks are incredibly important in the food industry. “Brands compete in an

extremely competitive marketplace, all trying to get shelf space in supermarkets, so having well-known and well-trusted brands is absolutely essential.

“Big food companies understand the importance of intellectual property, but smaller ones don’t always think about it,” he said.

PURPLE IS PURRFECT FOR WHISKAShomegrown

can & aerosol news 04

worLD newS

Issue 86 JULY 2010

A landmark decision by the European Parliament to adopt front-of-pack food labelling – very similar to the system used by Australia’s food industry – has been applauded by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC).

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) also rejected “traffic light” food labels on June 16, which AFGC said was a step in the right direction to help consumers make informed nutritional choices.

AFGC chief executive

Kate Carnell said the EU’s decision was an important outcome, especially in light of the current Review of Food Labelling Policy and Law in Australia.

“We hope that the Blewett Review will take note of the EU’s ruling on front-of-pack labelling, which empowers consumers to make more informed food choices and improve their diets,” Ms Carnell said.

Under the EU decision, companies will now use Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) to label the energy, sugar, salt and fat content on the front of food packages, as well as protein, unsaturated fats and fibre.

Ms Carnell said this is a “very similar” model to

Australia’s Daily Intake Guide (DIG) front-of-pack labelling system that lists the amount of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt in a recommended serve of the food and what this represents as a proportion of average daily intake.

The DIG system, launched in Australia in 2006, is now used by the majority of leading brands on more than 2500 food and beverage products in supermarkets and convenience stores. This is a massive increase from 2007, when DIG was used by major brands on only 58 products.

DIG is also being progressively added to private labels in major supermarkets including Woolworths, Coles and IGA.

EUROPE FOLLOWS AUSTRALIA’S LEAD ON FOOD LABELLING

TOP SAFETY AWARD FOR IMPRESS NORWICHThe British Safety Council (BSC) has presented its prestigious International Safety Award to Impress Norwich.

Following an independent adjudication, Impress Norwich won the 2009 award for achieving the highest standards of health and safety in the workplace, thereby helping to prevent injury and ill-health.

To celebrate their success, staff from Impress Norwich joined other winners at a black-tie ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 21 May.

Impress CEO Francis Labbé said: “Health and safety in the workplace are our number one priority and we continually strive to raise the bar, so it is extremely satisfying and rewarding for our Norwich factory to receive BSC recognition. This will act as a stimulus for our other Impress locations to follow.”

can & aerosol newsNEWS

can & aerosol news 05Issue 86 JULY 2010

Ever the innovator in marketing, HJ Heinz has created its own arrivals lounge at Gatwick airport in the UK to welcome back holidaymakers with some of their favourite foods.

Research commissioned by the company in March showed that more than 21 per cent of adults said they miss traditional comfort foods like Heinz Beanz on toast, chips with sauce and tomato soup.

“The weather might be fine, but after two weeks of ‘fishy’ paellas, mushy moussakas, dodgy tummies and peculiar TV, many holidaymakers find themselves longing for the familiar comforts of home,” said Heinz spokesman Nigel Dickie.

“With an estimated 60 million Brits packing their bags and heading for foreign shores this year, there are set to be more than 12 million holidaymakers with a serious case of home comfort-sickness.”

To cure holidaymakers’ home comfort blues, Heinz set up the ‘It has to be Heinz’ arrivals lounge at Gatwick’s busy South Terminal.

Resembling a giant Heinz can, the lounge serves some of the household brand’s most iconic products and is designed to provide travellers with the comforting feeling of home the moment they touchdown on British soil.

Heinz is also in talks with World Duty Free to sell its products in airport duty free shops, allowing holidaymakers to stock up

on their favourite comfort foods whether they are passing through departures or arrivals.

“For people arriving back from foreign travels there is nothing better than settling into a relaxing, homely atmosphere, and that’s what we want to provide with the arrivals lounge,” said Mr Dickie.

Shortly after the airport lounge opened, Heinz also announced the appointment of a new chief marketing officer for the UK and Ireland, Matt Hill, a former vice-president for brand development at Unilever.

Mr Hill starts with Heinz in August, almost two years after Suzanne Douglas left the post to join Heinz Australia.

HEINZ WELCOMES WEARY TRAVELLERS HOMEworLD newS

ANOTHER COFFEE MAKER RETURNS TO USING CANSNo sooner had we published last issue’s cover story about Costa Coffee switching to metal cans from plastic pouches than The Canmaker magazine reported that another coffee maker is doing likewise.

Whittard of Chelsea, which markets premium teas and coffees in the UK and also has an outlet in the Sydney suburb of Gordon, is launching similar 99x130mm decorated cans supplied with an aluminium membrane lid from Impress and plastics overcap.

Customers are moving towards the use of metal containers to convey a high-class image that plastic pouches cannot equal, and also because they are fully recyclable, helping brands that have environmental concerns.Source: The Canmaker

can & aerosol newsNEWS