THE MEDIUM IS THE MASSAGE
Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore

Marshall McLuhan was a cultural icon of the 1960s.
His impeccable vision of what was to come/what is today, is uncanny.
Dozens of universities awarded McLuhan honorary degrees and he secured a Schweitzer Chair in the humanities at Fordham University. NBC aired ‘This Is Marshall McLuhan’ in March of 1967.
The Medium Is The Massage is McLuhan’s  quirky assessment of twentieth century communication, politics and philosophy; augmented by Quentin Fiore’s frenzied photographic surrealism.  

McLuhan chanted:
“We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future.”
“The ignorance of how to use new knowledge stockpiles exponentially.”
“Politics offers yesterday’s answers to today’s questions.”

He’s enlightening, alarming and, above all, futuristic.
From the book:
-    The dominant organ of sensory and social orientation in pre-alphabet societies was the ear – hearing was believing. The phonetic alphabet forced the magic world of the ear to yield to the natural world of the eye. Man was given an eye for an ear.
-    Everyone is in the best seat.
Everything we do is music.
Theater takes place all the time, where everyone is.
-    At least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.
-    Real, total war has become an information war. Whenever hot wars are necessary these days, we conduct them in the backyards of the world with the old technologies.
The latest technologies have rendered war meaningless.
The hydrogen bomb is history’s exclamation point.
It ends an age-long sentence of manifest violence!

Brands needn’t go to market naked in support of our planet’s deteriorating eco-system; they just have to be packaged more appropriately. Sustainability is equally compatible with ultra premium, upscale or modest product offerings. You want a commanding environment enveloping your product. You want the brand to look brilliant, to quickly engage your shopper, and outshine your competition to the right and left while conveying “take me home!” No problem; do it, trim down, lose weight, look svelte and reduce that footprint. And, yes, size does matter. You may no longer oversize. You’re a brand new Brand. The terms green, sustainable, and ecologically friendly are bantered about, often misused, and frequently misleading. Sustainable packaging is manufactured using substrates that have a neutral effect on the planet’s ecological system; acting to preserve our environment and without consequence to individual health. Ideally an environmentally safe packaging life cycle would encompass material sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, consumer use, and reprocessing. The object is to utilize materials that have been recycled, are recyclable, biodegradable, or possibly compostable. These materials are then converted and produced with environmentally clean processes, using minimal energy resources and transport volume. Brand owners are experiencing enormous rewards for becoming environmentally responsible. By implementing an intelligent ecological strategy corporations have achieved stunning results; a measurable contribution to a sustainable environment, a ‘greener’ bottom line attained through material reduction and process refinement, consumers’ awareness that the company is aligned with socially responsible actions, and a positive acknowledgment from the corporate board of directors as well as shareholders. Brands like Eco-me.com, Aveda and Toms have diligently embraced sustainable accountability. 
Planning to achieve a sustainability proposition:
1. Analysis of existing structures, footprint, decorative/print specifications, and materials to achieve a net reduction in both environmental impact, overall cost, and “cradle-to-cradle” resource recovery.
2. Assessment of all packaging substrates to establish which materials represent the key targets in minimizing packaging impact.
3. Evaluating alternative materials with higher recyclate content from knowledgeable sources.
4. Examining the manufacturing consequences of new package designs on clean converting methods, energy sources, transport fuels, and eventual disposal of materials.
5. Initiating the re-design, alternate material selection, package component and composite testing, revised specifications, and quality management.
6. Strategic sourcing, procurement and tracking verification.


Ecologically prudent materials and benchmarks:
- Paperboard with up to 100% recycled fiber.
- APET thermoforming plastics containing up to 90% recycled material.
- PLA (Polyactic acid) 100% biodegradable corn derivative plastic for injection molded parts, thermoformed inserts, and clear folding cartons.
- Agri-Soy Inks containing zero petroleum additives and releasing minimal VOCs (volatile organic compounds.)
- Hybrid UV and Aqueous coatings that exhibit up to a 46% reduction in VOCs.
- Synthetic reflective emulsions utilizing 90% less metallic than traditional reflective foils.
- 100% recyclable and biodegradable molded pulp from discarded newsprint.
- 100% biodegradable and compostable film, principally from wood pulp and sourced from 100% managed forestry.

Ultimately zero packaging would end up as trash. The package would function to display, sell and protect the product; have secondary value, and finally re-cycling into a renewed source.
Right now it’s about corporate responsibility, adhering to current and ever more stringent regulations, and being open to informed consumer scrutiny.

Our worldview has shifted to a new understanding of social responsibility and environmental impact concerning the extraction, processing, consumption, disposal and recovery of our resources. We must forever alter our behavior in a qualitative and quantifiable manner.

“We didn’t inherit the land from our fathers.
We are borrowing it from our children.” Amish saying

Our current lifestyle is pressuring consumers to make quicker decisions at the point of purchase. Raising a family, working, exercising and down-time absorb the time allocated for shopping. Our sensory filters are tighter, less gets through, and it takes an extraordinary package to trigger the consumers’ attention. With approximately 4 seconds to capture that shopper’s eye, the package must have phenomenal impact, brand recognition and instant engagement or you’re runner up.

Our current lifestyle is pressuring consumers to make quicker decisions at the point of purchase. Raising a family, working, exercising and down-time absorb the time allocated for shopping. Our sensory filters are tighter, less gets through, and it takes an extraordinary package to trigger the consumers’ attention. With approximately 4 seconds to capture that shopper’s eye, the package must have phenomenal impact, brand recognition and instant engagement or you’re runner up.

Package designers face the challenges of overcrowded shelves, an array of competitive options, private labeling, an indistinguishable sea of skus&flavors, substitute categories and, as usual, cost constraints – do more with less.

Marketing invests significant time and funds developing the brand’s personality, its heritage and its authenticity. Advertising, PR, social media, and events have conveyed that message. It’s essential that this energy has continuity and intensity at the point of purchase where your package must clearly translate and reinforce that imagery.

How do you successfully execute this final touch point within your brand’s unique voice?
How do you maximize package impact, thereby retaining loyalty and persuading transition from brand Y to your product?
How do you close the deal? – All within a synapse!

First of all, you do it in an environmentally sustainable manner!
Our company is committed to global ecology and the preservation of our ecosystem.
We urge you to adopt environmentally prudent, sustainable packaging utilizing recyclable materials and clean production processes. http://tiny.cc/4k32p

You do it by creating emotional, evocative connections with the shopper.
Engage the eye with color, typography, photography, neoteric shape & structure, and a myriad of extraordinary, available decorative techniques.
Ignite touch with material, texture and laminations.
Amp up your tone with a stunning narrative.  Use the power and magic of words to amplify your remarkable message.
Provoke scent with micro-encapsulated scented coatings.
Technological innovation brings light, sound and movement into the equation for reusability and special edition packaging.
Embedding QR (quick response) coding to initiate mobile apps leverages your package’s reach.

You cannot do everything.
You can’t afford everything.
You wouldn’t want to do everything.
And the package surface does not allow for everything.
Today’s value and simplicity consciousness translates into doing more with less. A clean, uncluttered presentation amidst this crowded environment is an intelligent approach.
It’s wise to execute the design without appearing to be over the top or wasteful. Size matters. Do not oversize your package. 

The success of your brand is heavily dependent upon the environment surrounding your product. Your package at this final touch point must be building, revitalizing, and winning the confidence of the consumer.

Answer me this: how many packaging designers does it take to light up a shelf?