The article is written by Ted Mininni, President of Design Force, Inc., USA

Packaging has to deliver the brand and deliver positive consumer experiences. It can’t do that or sell the product unless it tells the brand story. Brands, licensed or not, have equitable assets that must be leveraged. It’s important to delve deeply into these properties to uncover both overt and hidden values to deliver the essence of the property.

After collaborating with Campari on the brand’s annual calendar, Penelope Cruz decided that she definitely needed some coffee to re-energize, so the Hollywood A-lister agreed to star in a new Nespresso USA TV ad. The brand from the Nestlé portfolio launched the first TV campaign by Interpublic’s Martin Agency in the USA earlier this year, and it hopes that the new phase featuring one of the hottest female celebrities will help it stand out this season. Until recently, the brand has been focused on the markets located outside the USA—in 2006, the brand launched a gorgeous campaign starring George Clooney, a true US man, to promote the capsules in Europe. Now, Nespresso has hired a non-American female to appeal to US consumers.

Heineken teamed up with LA-based retail store Union LA and fashion designer Mark McNairy to create a new stunning product as part of the ongoing creative “Heineken 100” project. Together they have created a new  kelly green colorway for McNairy’s classic saddle shoe as part of the program, which mission is to champion “Men of the World,” visionaries and tastemakers.

This holiday season, Gap is celebrating all forms of love, from sibling and modern love to married and self love to name but a few, by launching a new multi-platform marketing campaign titled “Love Comes In Every Shade” in the USA and Canada. The latest colourful marketing initiative from the brand features a roster of celebrity groups (mostly tandems), which represent all forms of one of the greatest feelings in our world. The brand also encourages its consumers to get engaged into the campaign by using the themed app and participating the holiday give-away.

Diesel has announced some plans for the upcoming year. The brand is teaming up with the EDUN label founded by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson, a global fashion brand bringing about positive change through its trading relationship with Africa,” to launch a new collaborative collection in spring 2013. So far, the brands do not say much about the new line, but considering Diesel’s braveness and EDUN’s Africa-benefitting philosophy, the denim range is expected to combine a creative twist and a social/eco conscious approach.

Why should aspirational products be the only ones that are well branded when actually these untouchable items say far more about our chosen lifestyle than any other?

It’s that time of year again. Time for the Christmas List. Or, lists plural, to be precise. As the battle of the brands hots up for Christmas 2012, we are inundated with lists of the best food choices, the best price deals, the top ten toys…

Campari officially cancels the end of the world. The brand, which last year launched an apocalyptic calendar fronted by Milla Jovovich, has released a new edition for the year of 2013, in which the life goes on with a new dose of passion. The 2013 Campari Calendar features one of the most gorgeous celebrities, Oscar winning actress Penelope Cruz, who pays tribute to the life’s vibe with her braveness and gorgeous looks in blood-red gowns.