Cardboard, foil, paper, tape, string. It may seem that packaging products are a few well-known solutions that have been around for years, and their distributors can only compete on price. This situation is quite a challenge for PR experts. In reality, the packaging industry is full of innovative technologies, and the right communication facilitates their launch and supports sales. It also builds the desired image of the client.
For 1.5 years, the B2B communication department of Good One PR agency supported the Polish branch of the international RAJA group - a distributor of packaging materials and equipment for companies. The agency's task was primarily to raise the awareness of potential contractors about RAJA's offer and its competitive advantages. One of these is a strong focus on socially and environmentally responsible activities. The RAJA - Danièle Marcovici Foundation, associated with the company, has been supporting women all over the world for years. The main focus of the communication, however, was on eco-friendly packaging solutions for use at different stages of the supply chain
Take as much as you can out of the box
Packaging manufacturers and distributors have faced a huge challenge in recent years: how to combine growing expectations for the environmental neutrality of packaging materials with the desire of logistics operators and manufacturers to cut costs. Combining fire and water, we got steam to drive the engine of our communication efforts. Facilitating this were the genuine eco-innovations found in the client's portfolio. RAJA has launched solutions such as bubble paper, stretch paper, a cushioning envelope made without foil or 100 per cent paper insulating inserts. The history of paper, especially the small rigid bubbles that provide very good shock resistance and can effectively dampen vibrations and replace foil, has found fertile ground.
In planning the communication for RAJA, the agency primarily intended to reach those responsible for supplying packaging lines, who are keen to introduce eco-friendly solutions to increase efficiency at this stage of production. The second audience was the e-commerce sector, for which packaging is not only the protection of the parcel, but also a marketing medium. For it is in e-commerce that the importance of matching the aesthetics of the packaging to the product and the company's philosophy is most apparent. The experience of the customer unpacking the product is often a key moment in the decision to make a repeat purchase.
The expert knows what he is talking about
The main means of communicating the offer was through press releases targeted at trade media, particularly logistics and industrial media. A key task for the agency was to combine the client's expectations of promoting specific product solutions with the preparation of media-worthy press releases. This was achieved by showing innovative products and technologies in the context of industry trends and developments. Another way to attractively present the client was to arrange cross-sectional articles addressing the latest trends, forecasts, events, as well as expert commentary by RAJA representatives, which were used by industry and business editors.
A topic that was very well received by editors and readers alike was the issue of the impact of e-commerce on the packaging and logistics market. In it, the RAJA company was shown as an expert that keeps its finger on the pulse and creates solutions in line with current market needs. The publication appeared, among others, in the logistics section of rzeczpospolita.pl and in the print version of the magazine Nowoczesny Magazyn. The agency also promoted the brand as not only following but also creating trends through publications on automation in the TSL sector, e.g. in Gazeta Wyborcza and on the revolution in the packaging market, which appeared, for example, on WiadomosciHandlowe.pl. These activities helped to create a consistent image of the company and its experts as a leader in innovative solutions.
We have evidence of this
To support the client's image as a manufacturer and distributor of the most innovative technologies, the Agency reached out to external authorities and entered RAJA products in competitions in the area of ecology and innovation. Adequate justification and product description allowed RAJA packaging materials to win an award "Diamonds of Innovation"At the Executive Innovation Forum 2023.
Regular contact with industry and business media, as well as consistent communication based on the client's product offering, has allowed the company to establish itself as a distributor of materials for industries that care about increasing efficiency, optimising costs, but also sustainability. Tailored PR activities have shown potential customers that there is no such thing as an uneven carton, and that packaging says a lot about the packer, so it is worth thinking about it in terms of image, not just production.
