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Downloads have hit traditional entertainment formats hard, but packagers are fighting back with new effects and innovations, says Catherine Dawes

At the click of a few buttons you can download music, and even whole films, in digital format on to a computer – doing away with the need for CDs or DVDs and the packaging they come in. But multimedia packagers are used to dealing with rapidly evolving technology. Rather than giving up in the face of the online onslaught, or discounting down to the price of digital editions, packaging is being used to add value. Film studios are demanding packaging that will make consumers want to invest in physical films.

AGI Media, the multimedia division of MWV, was tasked with producing the packaging for a re-release of the Sex and the City DVD box set. The complete series 1-6 had been available in a DVD set and individual series packs since the TV show ended in 2004. AGI's revamp had to bring something new to the product to encourage consumers who perhaps already owned the individual series DVDs to splash out on a new complete edition, produced to coincide with the release of the show's big-screen spin-off last year.

AGI Media used its facilities in Slough and Swindon to create a pack that uses soft pink printing, black spot flocking and a tassel opener. The box set opens like a book, with its 19 discs held in hinged DVD trays inside. The Digistak format was chosen because it takes up far less space than using standard plastic jewel cases within an outer box.

AGI also produced a customised pack with a pearlised finish for retailer Zavvi and a unit with slide-out drawers for the French market. An AGI spokeswoman explains that it is becoming increasingly common for studios or retailers to ask for bespoke solutions for different outlets, to give the product exclusivity.

Martin Still, special projects manager at St Ives Music & Multimedia, says that while studios are keen to make products stand out, cost is always a consideration, especially when competing with the much cheaper download market. "Often the answer is to take a standard jewel case, that is economical to produce, and then change it slightly to add value," he explains.

One way of doing this is the humble slip tube – a boxboard sleeve that goes over the plastic DVD case. The boxboard allows for the use of special finishes such as embossing, foil blocking or spot UV varnish. "Using a mirror or holographic board means the pack will reflect the light and stand out. With a slip tube you can layer the graphics. You can then reveal areas of the graphics on the case inside through die-cuts in the tube," says Still.

Staying special
Creative agency Hicksville works with a number of major film studios. Rennie Mitchell, managing director at the London-based firm, argues that while special finishes can help a DVD stand out from the crowd, it only works if the crowd isn't employing exactly the same tactic. "Lenticular DVD cases can look great, but there was a point early last year when there seemed to be a lenticular release every week," he says.

Mitchell also says that if the consumer is intended to see a particular type of DVD case as special or limited edition, then it should only be used for these products. Steelbooks – metal tins used to house jewel cases and promotional extras – were originally used for computer games and were later brought into the DVD market.

"They were always perceived as something special. There would usually be more than one disc and they were only used for limited editions. When they are done well, with embossing, they look fantastic – and really warrant the higher price," he says. However, if used too frequently and for general releases, even such a premium pack can become ubiquitous and lose its connotations of prestige.

Another way for studios to add value to a DVD release is through additional discs. Martin Watson, sales director at multimedia packaging manufacturer Coral Products, says there has been a definite increase in packs containing multiple discs – either for bonus features or film sequels.

"The days of fancy cardboard packs that cost pounds rather than pence to produce are gone. The studios are looking to spend less and putting three discs into one case is a lower-cost option than three separate cases," says Watson.

In October, Coral launched the Collection case. A single Collection DVD case can hold up to eight discs using hinged trays. Watson says this gives the client the flexibility to decide how many discs to include, and this can be finalised at the last minute. Single- or double-disc trays can be clipped in to add storage. 

Coral manufactures at its Merseyside base and says its biggest competition comes from the Far East. "Chinese packs fall into two categories. There are very good quality products and there are the less scrupulous. Some of the DVD cases from the Far East stink. They are made from 'recycled materials' and contain unpleasant chemicals and all sorts," he says.

Coral Products has projects in place to take back damaged or unsold DVDs and chop up and remould the packs.

However, Watson says he wouldn't recycle packs from an uncontrolled source where he couldn't be sure of the quality.

The recycling agenda has boosted the popularity of card DVD packs. Wewow in Bradford, which replicates CDs and DVDs and makes packaging for these markets, offers a number of eco-friendly alternatives to the plastic jewel case, including a paper foam tray and the Jakebox and Wowpaks made entirely from cardboard. These are also lighter for shipping and posting than a jewel case.

Marketing executive Rebecca Ruddock explains that the Jakebox uses a mechanism called a claw to present the disc in a pop-up format. "The Jakebox hides quite a lot of the disc so we designed the Wowpak, which is similar but reveals more of the product and uses less card," says Ruddock.

Following the success of the Wowpak, at the end of last year Wewow launched the Wow wallet, which is more similar to a jewel case in shape, with a cradle holding the disc.

Further innovations
Branded Media in Basingstoke offers a host of different CD and DVD packaging options, including the Jakebox and a number of other environmentally friendly packs.

Managing director Sean Fergusson says that the company is actively pursuing other avenues outside of music and films for its disc packaging – it produced the packaging for the UEFA Euro 2008 corporate hospitality packs, for instance. The company has also produced a mailer pack, designed to be posted out without an envelope.

The mailer is sealed with a perforated label and can be printed on directly with graphics and address details. Fergusson says promotional campaigns and marketing mail-outs for organisations such as charities are a rapidly growing part of the business.

Another area the company is currently very excited about is packaging for USB sticks. "Everyone is struggling to add value to USB sticks. Our moulded tray and card outer 4pp pack is the first of its kind for the USB market," he says. The pack can contain a booklet and most of the USB devices on the market at the moment. "People do judge a book by its cover and our USB packs really raise perceptions."

So while the digital revolution may pose a threat to the future of the CD and DVD packaging markets, it may also bring with it new opportunities, in the form of new markets and new products for multimedia packagers to apply their expertise to.

Metal marketing
Heavy metal band Metallica wanted packaging for its album Death Magnetic that would rekindle interest in buying 'physical' CDs. However, the cases had to fit within the exacting standards set by the major music retailers for shelf stackability.

Design consultancy Turner Duckworth used a layered die-cut to create a three-dimensional cover image. "The songs are about how death and life repel and attract us. Our image expresses the theme with a white coffin resting in a grave, surrounded by a magnetic field," says Turner Duckworth partner David Turner.

He adds that the image also had to be recognisable on a mobile phone screen: "It's not just about sleeve art any more, it's about creating icons that work across media."

Turner Duckworth also created a special edition version of the album, shaped like a coffin, as well as other promotional materials.

The album design has been nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Recording Package category. The winner will be announced in February.

CD and DVD markets
While the doomsayers may be prophesysing the end of the physical music CD, unit sales of DVDs have risen over the past few years. And while the CD singles market may have nosedived, album sales are faring better.

Even better news for packaging manufacturers is, according to research conducted by market information provider TNS, special packaging can have a big impact.

The survey, conducted on behalf of the British Video Association, found that 'special packaging' has encouraged 25% of people to buy a DVD when they were not intending to buy one. This same group of people buys 39% more DVDs a year and spends 5% more per DVD than the average.

Around 84% of the people surveyed said special packaging makes a DVD stand out on a shelf, while 52% said it makes it feel more premium. One in five said they were prepared to pay more for a DVD with special packaging.