We are always trying to stay close to you, the reader, in the hopes we offer the best editorial package possible. Sometimes, I have to admit, you are a moving target with mergers and acquisitions, jobs or project changes, or even layoffs.
Nothing is worse for a publisher than getting a mailing label with a note scratched across the name, “no longer employed here.” Not because we’ve lost a reader, but a fellow packaging professional is out of a job. We discovered more and more readers requesting to receive the book at home in case of sudden need for a career change. Healthcare Packaging has transcended from being important for your job, to being critical to your career.
And once in a while we discover something we were not even looking for! Like in the case of a new product launched a few weeks ago by our sister publication, Packaging World.
Research had revealed that readers were looking for more evergreen “how-to” content and we answered the call by developing three Playbooks, one for labeling, another for flexible packaging, and one for rigid containers. These playbooks represent deep dives into the topic and readers must answer questions concerning ongoing projects in order to receive this valuable gated content.
The great news is the playbooks are a success. The surprising twist is that for two playbooks, flexible and labeling, a third of all the leads so far come from pharmaceutical, medical device, or veterinary health companies with an active packaging project.
Heck, expand that to nutritional supplements and functional foods and beverages, and the total is almost half. These projects involve labeling machines, labels, flexible pouches, and bags.
Theoretically, only about 20% of Packaging World’s readers are in the pharmaceutical/medical device space, so a third or more of active projects coming from the healthcare market is big news indeed.
So the takeaway from our playbook series is that even though some of you are retiring (greybearding!), being made redundant, or even moving into situations with different corporate owners (always a real drag), or switching teams or duties—a hefty chunk of pharmaceutical and medical device packaging professionals are moving forward with active projects. And that represents a little ray of sunshine for our market.
--Jim Chrzan, Publisher [HCP]
