Sadashiv Nayak, CEO, Big Bazaar, set the tone of the discussion with his keynote remarks. Nayak said, the packaging is like storytelling, it’s flirting, and it’s channel-agnostic, and it needs the involvement of all stakeholders. Nayak pointed out that the joy of unboxing is a trend that is catching up and how it can work for Indian sweets. 

DY Works, managing director, Alpana Parida stressed on how packaging can be a strategic solution to a business problem. Parida shared examples where packaging influenced the product performance on the shelf. Parida said, “Consider Amul Kool, it used to be lassi in a Tetra Pak. When packaging format was changed to bottles, the passive habit of drinking was transformed – using straw like a child to drinking from a bottle. This packaging shift alone has led to over 400% increase in the sales.”

During the panel discussion on Share A Coke campaign, Mahak Mittal of Coca-Cola highlighted how variety was important for the campaign, and digital printing helped the brand achieve multiple combinations.

A Appadurai of HP said, “Digital printing is also for the smaller players who want to compete with the bigger market.” He further spoke about how digital printing can help with anti-counterfeiting. “Counterfeiting is a major problem in all industries. 50% of all air accidents happen due to counterfeit parts and the same applies for packaging and digital is one of the best ways to fight counterfeit,” added Appadurai.

Siegwerk’s Jatin Takkar spoke about achieving safety in packaging using an integrated approach.

The other highlight of the Masterclass was the panel titled The Carton Opportunity wherein four top carton markers – Aditya Patwardhan of Manohar Packaging; Akshay Kanoria of TCPL Packaging; Ankit Tanna of Printmann Group; Harsha Paruchuri of Pragati Pack – shared their best work and highlighted the trends in carton industry. The panel was moderated by ITC PSPD’s SN Venkataraman.