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DS Smith challenges packaging industry with new campaign
Packaging strategist pledges to constantly challenge the status quo to ensure customers realise the true value of packaging.
DS Smith has unveiled its new pan-European marketing campaign “Keep on Questioning” – a concept which underlines the company’s commitment to continually question perceived norms and challenge the packaging industry as a whole.
In a bid to engage new audiences, the creative concept will be rolled out across advertising boards, at trade fairs, on customer communications, online and through social media channels. It aims to spark interest amongst the business community and communicate the potential packaging has to be a game-changer and revolutionise the way a business works.
The campaign embodies DS Smith’s relentless will to innovate and challenge the status quo by asking the right questions about every aspect of the supply cycle. The leading provider of corrugated packaging in Europe hopes that this eye-catching campaign will capture the imagination of future and existing customers, and employees, and draw them into the conversation.
Vanessa van Dongen, European Marketing & Communication Director at DS Smith explains: “We like to question everything because we’ve seen that even questions that seem silly at first can lead to brilliant ideas. We are committed to creating a culture of innovation and collaboration and questioning is a key part of this.
Our ambition for this campaign is that it might cause us to see everyday elements of our work with fresh perspective and potentially change the way we, and the entire industry, operate.
— Vanessa van Dongen, Marketing Director
“In devising the campaign, we have tried to engage different stakeholders and understand our customers better, delving into their world, and therefore answering the questions that really matter to them. Our mission is not just to make boxes; it’s about delivering results and providing real solutions to our customers’ problems. Many in the business world do not fully appreciate the power of intelligent packaging so we hope this new campaign will begin to challenge their assumptions and excite them about how smart packaging can transform an entire business.”
The fully synchronised European Campaign comes at a key time for the company. The business has more than doubled in size in the last four years through acquisitions and investment. Within the last year, it has continued to invest in key personnel and develop a dynamic, overarching sales and marketing strategy, and has appointed two new marketing agencies, Speed Communications and BBDO. It has also opened significant facilities across Europe, including a Display & Consumer Packaging site in Germany, and will have almost 50 PackRight Centres and Impact Centres across Europe by 2018.
Examples of questions which will appear on the marketing collateral include why do you pay to transport air; why should packaging be the fifth P in the marketing mix and why should your company have a CPO as well as a CEO?
This “Keep on Questioning” approach has been tried and tested by DS Smith for years. When its design team meets with existing or potential customers, it asks them a series of questions to help them see how they can get the most from their corrugated packaging. Off the back of these sessions, it creates bespoke solutions which make a tangible difference to the bottom line. For example, DS Smith’s recent design for a global electronics manufacturer reduced the amount of “empty” space within its packaging and improved truck utilisation by 17%. Similarly, a recent project where DS Smith met with and questioned the in-house team at Jaguar Land Rover resulted in a new multi-pack design which enabled 125% more bumpers to be shipped per vehicle and increased warehouse storage efficiency by almost 100%.
To bring your question or bugbear to the attention of DS Smith, please visit: www.dssmith.com/askwhy.