CHAPTER I
WITHIN the last few decades the paper box manufacturing industry of the United States has grown to tremendous proportions, due of course to the ever-increasing demand for paper boxes of every kind imaginable. The manufacturers have kept in steady progress with the times, and so efficiently have they organized and managed the industry that today it ranks among the largest and most important in the country. The business is rapidly developing on every side. New uses for paper boxes are constantly being discovered. In many instances, paper boxes, on account of their neatness, lighter weight and economy, are taking the places of those made of wood or tin.
Comparatively few people outside the industry ever stop to consider the fact that the paper box business has been responsible for the success of many another business. Manufacturers of the many different varieties of packaged-goods which are sold over the counters of retail stores, advertising experts and salesmen, know well that attractive, graceful paper boxes help wonderfully in selling the goods. But, the buying public in general gives little thought to this truth. With the exception of advertising and first class printed matter, handsome paper boxes today are one of the greatest selling forces in business.
It has been only during recent years that manufacturers, advertising men and salesmen have been giving closer attention to the selling power of high grade paper boxes. In days gone by the quality and appearance of paper boxes received little consideration. Some years ago, a plain, commonly-made box was considered good enough for the purpose, but not so in these days. In this age the average buyer would not be interested in a nationally-advertised product if it were packed in a mean-looking box, no matter how excellent the product may be. This explains why we see such a large number of display advertisements on bill-boards, in the street cars, and in newspapers and magazines, including the statement, “Packed in a Neat Box.”
In the present time, after a large manufacturing concern has perfected all arrangements for making perhaps, a new breakfast food, a new perfume, toilet soap, candy, tooth paste, or some other desirable article, the next step that is taken to market the product is in organizing a good sales force. Then, the manufacturers consult with one of the big advertising agencies for the purpose of launching a national advertising campaign. Among the first features of the campaign to receive close study by the advertising experts is the style and appearance of the paper boxes which are to contain the product in question. Often, many different shapes and colors for the containers are planned and tested before the right design and color scheme are decided upon. The broad-minded manufacturer will not object to paying substantial prices for attractive paper boxes any more than he would object to paying high prices for advertising in newspapers and magazines, as the advertising men can easily prove to him the fact that beautiful paper boxes will help in selling the goods.
QUALITY IS ESSENTIAL.
This does not mean that any manufacturer could succeed with the aid of attractive paper boxes in selling anything that is not of good quality. He would possibly sell an inferior article, by means of advertising and appealing paper boxes, for a limited time, but the public would soon learn whether the article was good or not. But, the manufacturer of a high grade product may always depend on good advertising and attractive paper boxes to help him in making a success of his business, and this is the point that the writer wants to make clear to the reader. The psychology of a handsome paper box is something wonderful. Women, particularly, delight in buying candy, perfumes, and many other things packed in beautiful paper boxes and tied with colored ribbons. Men, too, derive pleasure through buying goods packed in attractive boxes. All of us like dainty packages, whether we admit the truth or not.
When paper boxes are made and used for the purpose of carrying goods to retail dealers, in cases where the dealers unpack the merchandise and sell it in loose form to the public, it is not necessary, of course, to have such fine boxes as those which go into the possession of the buying public. Large size shirt and hosiery boxes, for example, seldom pass into the hands of customers of retail stores. Boxes of this class should be neat, strong and of good appearance, but there is no reason for having them expensively finished. The larger-size boxes which are to be found upon the shelves of retail shops are usually covered with glazed paper, in colors such as buff, red, light blue, pink, etc. Store-keepers prefer boxes covered with glazed, colored paper for the reason that colors, and the high gloss of the paper help in making their sales-room look attractive.
These are very important facts that every paper box manufacturer must keep in mind, and the more attention that is given to the aesthetic side of paper box making, the better for the business in general. The field for fine and fancy paper boxes, as well as for plain boxes, is without limitations. It is a rich, fertile field, and the manufacturer with new ideas and good business management can “plant and grow” all the orders for paper boxes that he may care to handle.