<p><strong>THE PRODUCT</strong>A fast, easy breakfast that’s delicious every time—who wouldn’t enjoy that? This is exactly what Mom Brands wants to bring to breakfast tables across the U.S. with innovative packaging of its Better Oats Instant Oatmeal packaging.
The package uses traditional materials—a paperboard carton that houses plastic-lined paper packets—but cleverly decorates the pouches to awaken a new level of functionality. Each pouch includes a fill line that transforms the tall, slender packet into a measuring device.
The measuring packet helps deliver a more consistent product experience because consumers don’t have to guess at the amount of water needed just because a traditional measuring cup isn’t available.
The tall, slender structure of the packets and their carton also enables more boxes and thus more varieties of Better Oats to fit in the same retail space. Mom Brands reports that retailers were so excited about being able to stock more variety in less space that Better Oats reached 80 percent all commodity volume distribution the first year after launch.

But what do package designers think?

<strong>THE VERDICT</strong>
Mom Brands has done a great job of re-imagining what oatmeal could look like. Often, we as designers and brand managers take for granted category assumptions like oatmeal always being in a square pouch and in a horizontal pack.
Why not change it up and go vertical?
Fresh thinking, while maybe not sexy, can resonate with consumers and where they store their food, e.g., the pantry or cupboard. Retailers probably love fitting more packs on shelf! I love the extra thought behind creating a stadium die cut to remind consumers how many pouches are left as well. So often consumers look at a closed box and think that it’s full—this is a constant reminder: Go buy more of me!
Sean Huls, brand-design manager, ConAgra Foods

The outer carton speaks to healthy, while the inner pouch conveys sustainability and convenience. For a brand preaching innovation, the inner pouch contains no logo or brand identifier that enables the brand to take credit.
Rick Barrack, chief creative officer, CBX

One of the interesting design features of this product is its inner pouch functioning as a measuring cup. This feature, coupled with the pouches’ clean, easy to read and use graphics, is smart design!
Busha Husak, creative director,
The Design Company

Being an oatmeal lover, the interior measuring packets are a very smart solution. However, the secondary packaging is a disconnect from the primary package. The primary is a ubiquitous replication of big-brand cereal cues, while the interior is a good stab at simplicity using materials with a natural look. It’s a shame the interior aesthetic wasn’t translated across the brand.  PD
John Nunziato, founder and creative director, Little Big Brands

<a href="http://www.packagedesignmag.com/content/measured-results-innovative-pouches-make-breakfast-delicious" target="_blank">http://www.packagedesignmag.com/content/measured-results-innovative-pouches-make-breakfast-delicious
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