Patent Publication Number: US-2007095706-A1

Title: Package

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an improved package.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Consumer and other products are displayed and advertised in many different ways. Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to maximize consumer awareness of such products in order to increase sales of the products. One way to increase consumer awareness is to advertise the product. This can, and has, been done by many different means, including, but not limited to television, radio, print and other mass media, coupons, in-store advertising, direct mailing and e-mailing, catalogs and web site links and advertisements.  
      In other instances, the products may be placed in stores or shown on websites in ways to increase the likelihood that a consumer will see the product and purchase it. For example, retailers may place a particular product in a particular location of the store (e.g. the end of the aisle or along the check-out line) in an attempt to increase the product&#39;s visibility to the consumer.  
      Yet another way to entice consumers to purchase and try a particular product may be to provide the product with unique packaging. Such packaging may be unique in terms of its shape, functionality, appearance or any other aspect that may attract a potential buyer of the product. One proven method to gain and sustain product sales is to use unique identifiers on the product packaging, such as trademarks and/or trade dress.  
      However, despite the numerous and continuing attempts to make consumers aware of products and to maintain and/or increase sales of such products, there still exists a need to provide products with an improved method for advertising such products and/or the benefits of such products.  
      There also exists a need to provide an improved method for arranging a number of the same products or an array of similar products on a shelf or other storage device.  
      There also exists a need to provide an improved method for advertising a product or array of products on a website.  
      There also exists a need to provide an improved package including advertising the benefits of the product provided therein.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In order to address the above-mentioned needs in the industry, the present invention provides a package for a product having at least a first face and a second face. The first face is intended to be displayed to a consumer when the package is displayed for sale. The first face has a first face area and includes first indicia having a first area and representing the name of the product or the product manufacturer. The first face also has second indicia having a second area including an equity building advertising message for the product in the package. The second area of the second indicia is greater than the first area of the first indicia on the first face of the package. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a prior art package with a section cut away to show the product therein.  
       FIG. 2  is an isometric view of one example of an embodiment of the present invention with a section cut away to show the product therein.  
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of one embodiment of a package of the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a package of the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a package of the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a package of the present invention with a portion cut away to show the contents of the package.  
       FIG. 7  is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a package of the present invention with a portion cut away to show the contents of the package.  
       FIG. 8  is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention showing a number of packages on a storage or display unit.  
       FIG. 9  is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention showing a number of packages on a storage or display unit.  
       FIG. 10  is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a number of packages on a storage or display unit.  
       FIG. 11  is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a number of packages on a storage or display unit.  
       FIG. 12  is a plan view of an array of packages on a storage or display unit. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      As noted above, the present invention is directed to improved packages, arrays of packages and methods for advertising products. The following terms used herein have the following meanings.  
      “Array of packages”, as used herein, refers to an arrangement of at least two packages.  
      “Brand logo”, as used herein, refers to indicia associated with a particular product or product line. The brand logo may include any combination of words, symbols, pictures or other graphic or textual elements.  
      “Brand name”, as used herein, refers to a name for a product or product line. Generally, such brand names are trade names or trademarks, but can also include generic or descriptive language.  
      “Consumer”, as used herein, refers to any person that purchases, makes a decision to purchase a product or is contemplating making a purchase of a product. Typically, the Consumer will be the end user of the product, but the definition of consumer, as used herein is not so limited.  
      “Equity building advertising”, as used herein, refers to a message about one or more of the benefits of a product. The equity building advertising can include letters, text, words, graphics, symbols, pictures or any other indicia related to the benefits of a product.  
      “Package”, as used herein, refers to any covering material or wrapper in which at least a portion of a product is placed for shipping, storage and/or sale.  
      “Product”, as used herein, refers to any object, material or substance that is intended for use by a consumer.  
      “Promotional message”, as used herein, refers to a message that provides a consumer with information about a product other than the product on which the message is provided. At times, such promotional messages are not provided on the product or product packaging itself, but generally in close proximity to the product, such as, for example on the same store shelf or alternatively, provided via a separate medium, such as a coupon, a print, radio, internet or television advertisement or another form of a special offer, such as, for example, a prize, a give-away item, an offer to sell an item or items at a discount, etc. Such promotional messages differ from equity building advertising in that promotional messages do not provide information about one or more benefits of the product that includes the promotional message.  
      “SKU”, as used herein is a stock keeping unit. Stock keeping units are used to uniquely identify particular products. Generally, each product sold by a retailer will have a separate and unique SKU. Thus, all different sizes, forms, package counts, etc. will typically have a unique SKU. Often the SKU is provided as a series of numbers and/or a bar code and is often associated with the UPC of a product.  
      “UPC”, as used herein refers to a universal product code. UPCs are codes intended to help identify the manufacturer of a product. Accordingly, each manufacturer has a unique UPC. Often, UPCs are on packages in the form of a series of numbers and/or a bar code.  
      Package  
      As noted above, the present invention includes an improved package for products. As with most packages, the package of the present invention provides a means for storing, shipping, protecting, containing and/or displaying the product or products that are disposed within or partially within the package. Packages are also used to identify the product(s) therein and provide the consumer with general information about the product. The package of the present invention provides an improvement to prior art packaging in that it includes an equity building advertising message for the product that is disposed in the package. In certain embodiments, the package may include equity building advertising for products that are not in the particular package itself, but other products of similar nature (e.g. the same product in a different package, a similar product with a different aesthetic feature, sheet count or volume, products with the same brand name and/or products from the same manufacturer). In alternative embodiments, the package may include an equity building advertising message for products from a different manufacturer, having a different brand name, being dissimilar in nature and/or having no connection with the product in the package including the equity building advertising. Further still, the package may include an equity building advertising message that relates to the advantages of two or more products, including messages that describe the benefits of using the products together or otherwise in conjunction with each other.  
      An example of a prior art package is shown in  FIG. 1 . A portion of the package  1  is cut away to show the products  2  that are disposed within the package  1 . The package  1  includes a display panel  3  that is intended to be oriented such that the consumer can see the display panel  3  when the package  1  is displayed for sale. This particular package  1  also includes a brand name and/or brand logo  4 . The brand name/brand logo  4  is prominent on the display panel  3  and is intended to help the consumer identify the particular product  2  within the package  1  and possibly the manufacturer or distributor of the product  2 . The package  1  may also include decorative indicia  5  and/or technical or other written information  6  about the product  2 , itself. Typically, the brand name/brand logo  4  is the most prominent indicia on the display panel  3  and any other decorative indicia  5  or information  6  is of lesser prominence and or provided on portions of the package other than the display panel  3 , such as, for example, at least one side panel  7 , a top panel  8 , a bottom panel  9  or a back panel  10 . (Of course, not all packages will be designed so as to include all of the panels of a parallelepiped, but generally packages for consumer products will include at least one display panel  3  and portions that are not generally intended to be displayed to the consumer while displayed for sale.)  
       FIG. 2  is an example of one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the package  20  has a cut away section showing the products  22  disposed within the package  20 . The package  20  includes a display panel  24  that is intended to be oriented such that the consumer can see the display panel  24  when the package  20  is displayed for sale. The package  20  shown also includes a rear panel  26 , a top panel  28 , a bottom panel  30  and side panels  32 . However, the package of the present invention need not be of any particular size, shape or geometry. In any case, the package  20  will have a display panel  24 , as noted above, that is intended to be oriented such that the consumer can see the display panel  24  when the package  20  is displayed for sale. For packages with non-planar surfaces, the display panel  24  is that portion of the package  20  that the consumer sees when looking at the package  20  on display for sale without removing the package  20  from its display and under typical shopping conditions for the particular product involved. Thus, for certain consumer product packages  20 , the display panel  24  will be that portion of the package  20  that is seen by the consumer while the package  20  is on a store shelf somewhere between the ground and about  10  feet above the ground and when the consumer is viewing the package  20  while located within about  25  feet of the package  20 . (Examples of the package  20  being displayed on typical shelving of a retail store are shown, for example in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . However, the package  20  may be displayed in any suitable manner and normal viewing conditions may be different than those described above and/or shown in the Figures. Thus, the above description and the figures should not be construed as in any way limiting to the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of how a consumer might view the display panel  24  of a package  20 .)  
      The particular package  20  shown in  FIG. 2  includes a brand name and/or brand logo  34 . The brand name/brand logo  34  is disposed on the display panel  24  and is intended to help the consumer identify the particular product  22  within the package  20  and possibly the manufacturer or distributor of the product  22 . However, in some cases, the package  20  may not include any brand name/brand logo  34  on the display panel  24 . The package  20  also includes an equity building advertising message  36  (and thus, may also be referred to herein as an “equity building package  20 ”). In certain embodiments, the package  20  may also include decorative indicia  38  and/or technical or other written information  40  about the product  22 , itself or other information relevant to the end user of the product  22 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 2 , the brand name/brand logo  34  is not the most prominent indicia on the display panel  24 , but is of lesser prominence than the equity building advertising message  36 . In fact, in this particular embodiment, the equity building advertising message  36  is of greater prominence than any other indicia on the display panel  24 . In terms of prominence, there are a number of factors that can be involved with elevating or diminishing the prominence of a feature on a package, including, but not limited to the size of the indicia, the colors used, the texture, the area of coverage dedicated to the particular indicia versus other indicia, the location of the indicia on the package or display panel, the aesthetic appeal of the indicia versus other indicia or parts of the package and/or the message provided by the particular indicia.  
      In certain embodiments, as shown for example, in  FIG. 2 , display panel  24  will have a display panel surface area  42  determined by the length L of the display panel  24  of the package  20  and the height H of the display panel  24  of the package  20 . (Of course, packages with other shapes will have different measurements that go into determining the overall display panel surface area  42 , but in each case such measurements should be easily determined by one of skill in the art. For packages with non-planar display surfaces, the display panel is considered to be the portion of the package that the consumer is intended to see when the package is displayed for sale.)  
      As shown in the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 2 , the package  20  of the present invention may include an equity building advertising message  36  that is more prominent than the brand name or brand logo  34  in terms of the area that the equity building advertising message  36  covers on the display panel  24  versus the area of the display panel  24  that the brand name or brand logo  34  covers. For example, it may be desirable for the area of the display panel  24  covered by the equity building advertising message  36  (hereinafter “equity area”  44 ) to be greater than the area of the display panel  24  covered by the brand name and/or brand logo  34  (hereinafter “brand name/logo area”  46 ). The equity area  44  is the entire area of the display panel  24  that is covered by indicia related to the equity building advertising message  36 , including all text, graphics and background copy that relates to the equity building advertising message  36 . In  FIG. 2 , the equity area  44  is the entire area encompassed by the line indicated by the number  44 . The brand name/logo area  46  is the area of the display panel  24  that is covered by indicia related to the brand name and/or brand logo  34 . In  FIG. 2 , the brand name/logo area  46  is shown by the dotted line surrounding the brand name/brand logo indicia  34 .  
      In one example, the equity area  44  may be at least about 50% of the area of the display panel surface area  42 . In other embodiments, the equity area  44  may be at least about 60%, at least about 70%, at least about 75%, at least about 85% or any percentage greater than about 50% of the display panel surface area  42 . Likewise, it may be desirable for the brand name/logo area  46  be less than about 50%, less than about 40%, less than about 30%, less than about 25%, less than about 15% or any other percentage less than about 50% of the display panel surface area  42 . It may also be desirable that the equity area  44 , or the area of the equity building advertising message  36 , is greater than the brand name/logo area  46 . In alternative embodiments, it may be desirable that the equity area  44  be at least about twice as large as the brand name/logo area  46 , at least about  3  times as large as the brand name/logo area  46 , at least about five times as large as the brand name/logo area  46 , at least about 10 times as large as the brand name/logo area  46 , or greater.  
      The package  20  of the present invention may include more than one panel or face that has the equity building advertising message  36 , as described above. In fact, it may be desirable in certain situations to provide the package  20  with more than one panel or face having generally the same look and indicia. For example, on a package like the one shown in  FIG. 2 , it may be desirable for the rear panel  26  to be identical to or nearly identical to the display panel  24 . This can help ensure that the equity building advertising message  36  of the display panel  24  is displayed to the consumer even if the package  20  is purposefully or mistakenly oriented such that the display panel  24  is not facing the consumer when displayed for sale. It can also help ensure that the equity building advertising message  36  is displayed even if the package(s)  20  are not displayed in an orderly fashion, such as, for example, at the end of a shopping day when the packages  20  are not fully stocked and/or may have been re-oriented by shoppers. In other embodiments, any other panel(s) or face(s) of the package  20 , such as, for example, the top panel  28 , the bottom panel  30 , and/or either or both of the side panels  32  may also include the same or similar equity building advertising message  36  as the display panel  24 . The equity building advertising message  36  on such other panel(s) can be presented as described above (i.e. having the same or similar proportions of coverage of the panels as set forth above), or may be presented in a different manner or with different indicia.  
      The equity building advertising message  36 , the brand name and/or logo  34 , any decorative indicia  38 , written information  40  or any other advertising message, promotional message or other aesthetic indicia may be provided on the package  20  in any suitable way. For example, the display panel  24  of the package  20  may have the equity building advertising message  36  and any other indicia printed on the inner or outer surface of the material  48  making up the package  20 . In other embodiments, the equity building advertising message  36  and/or any other indicia may be provided on a separate sticker or label  50  or material that is temporarily or permanently joined to the display panel  24  of the package  20  (one example of which is shown in  FIG. 3 ). In other embodiments, the package  20  may be provided with an insert  52  that is provided within the package  20  and can be seen through an opening  54  in the package  20  (one example of which is shown in  FIG. 4 ) or through the material  48  of the package  20  (one example of which is shown in  FIG. 5 ). In yet other embodiments, the equity building advertising message  36  may be provided on one or more of the products  22  within the package  20  (one example of which is shown in  FIG. 6 ) or on primary packaging  56  within which the product(s) are packaged and then over-wrapped by the package  20  (one example of which is shown in  FIG. 7 ).  
      The package  20  shown in  FIG. 2  represents a package of rolled paper products, such as paper towels or bath tissue. However, the package  20  of the present invention is in no way limited to a particular type or category of products. Thus, the package  20  can be practiced with any product therein. For example, the package  20  may include products such as facial tissue, bath tissue, towels, paper towels, hair care products, food products, laundry products, fabric care products, oral care products, pharmaceuticals, over the counter medications, feminine care products, diapers, incontinence products, anti-persperant/deodorant products, pet food, cosmetics, batteries, coffee, food storage containers, garbage bags, surface cleaning products, soap, wipes or other consumer products. Further, the package  20  of the present invention may include a single product or several products (e.g. a multi-pack of paper towels or bath tissue.) Further, the package  20  of the present invention may include a number of different products, either of the same general type or class (e.g. paper towels with different prints or roll sheet counts, etc.) or of related products (e.g. a tube of toothpaste packaged with a toothbrush) or products that are completely unrelated to each other (e.g. a package of tissue with a hand cleanser).  
      The package  20  of the present invention may be made of any suitable material and may be of any shape or size. Although it is desirable in certain instances that the package  20  has at least one generally planar face, typically the display panel  24 , such should not be considered a requirement of the present invention. Further, there is no requirement that the package  20  have any particular number of sides. In fact, the package  20  may be cylindrical, conical, spherical or any other geometric shape or combination of shapes.  
      In some instances, it may be desirable for the package  20  to have a display panel  24  that is at least about 20 cm in length and a height of at least about 20 cm. In alternative embodiments, it may be desirable that the package  20  has a display panel  24  of at least about 30 cm, at least about 40 cm, at least about 50 cm or at least about 75 cm in length. Likewise, it may be desirable that the package  20  has a display panel  24  of at least about 30 cm, at least about 40 cm, at least about 50 cm or at least about 75 cm in length. Any combination of the above noted dimensions or any other dimensions may be used in the package  20  of the present invention. However, one advantage of the package  20  of the present invention is that it provides a medium for placing at least the equity building advertising message  36 , and thus, larger display panels  24  can provide the package  20  with a billboard-like effect for displaying the equity building advertising message  36 . This is especially impactful when the package(s)  20  are displayed in an array of packages or along side or surrounded by other packages.  
      Array of Packages  
      The present invention also includes an array of packages for storing and/or displaying products. One advantage of the array of packages of the present invention is that it provides a way to uniquely display the packages in a way that may help increase the visibility of the packages on display. The array of the present invention may also provide an improved means for attracting the attention of a potential consumer. Additionally, the array of packages of the present invention may provide an improved means for informing the consumer about the benefits of a particular product that may help build the product&#39;s brand equity. In yet other embodiments, the array of the present invention may provide a means for informing the consumer about the benefits of a particular product line that may help build the product line&#39;s brand equity.  
      As noted above, an array of packages, as used herein, refers to an arrangement of two or more packages. The array can include packages that are all the same in terms of size, shape, the product within the package, the package SKU or any other feature of the package, or may include packages of different sizes, shapes, products within the package, the package SKU or any other feature of the package. The packages may be arranged in a free-standing condition (i.e. standing and/or stacked on the ground or floor without any display structure holding them) or may displayed on a structure such as a shelf, pallet, hanger, in a cabinet, or any other structure designed to or used for storing and/or displaying the packages for sale. The array of packages can be located such that they are distant or removed from other products and/or packages or may be located next to or intermingled with other products or packages of the same or different manufacturer.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 8 , for example, the array of packages  60  is disposed on a shelving unit  62 . The individual packages of the array of packages  60  include packages  20 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66 ,  67  and  68 . In the particular embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 , the array of packages  60  includes a number of different packages  20 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66 ,  67  and  68  having the same brand name and/or brand logo  34 . In certain embodiments, the array of packages  60  includes different packages having the same or similar products therein. For example, the array of packages  60  shown in  FIG. 8  could represent an array of packages  60  including paper products such as paper towels, bath tissue or facial tissue, although any other product or products could also be in the array  60 . The different packages  20 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66 ,  67  and  68  could be different size packages, packages with different amounts (e.g. number of rolls or sheets) of product in the package, packages including products with different aesthetic, olfactory, structural or chemical features and/or packages with different SKUs and/or UPCs. Further, the array of packages  60  of the present invention may include a number of different packages including products that are not of the same type, but rather are related products (e.g. a tube of toothpaste packaged with a toothbrush) or products that are completely unrelated to each other (e.g. a package of tissue with a hand cleanser).  
      As shown in  FIG. 8 , the array of packages  60  includes at least package  20  including the equity building advertising message  36 , as set forth above. In the particular array of packages  60  shown, there are two packages  20  that have the equity building advertising message  36 , but any number of the packages in the array of packages  60  can include the message  36 . Also, as shown, the packages  20  having the equity building advertising message  36  are designed such that the equity building advertising message  36  is disposed on the display panel  24  such that the equity building advertising message  36  can be seen by a consumer looking at the package  20 , as it is displayed for sale.  
      The equity building package(s)  20  included in the array of packages  60  shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  have the characteristics of the packages  20  described above. That is, the brand name/brand logo  34  is not the most prominent indicia on the display panel  24 , but is of lesser prominence than the equity building advertising message  36 . In fact, in the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the equity building advertising message  36  is of greater prominence than any other indicia on the display panel  24 . As noted above, in terms of prominence, there are a number of factors that can be involved with elevating or diminishing the prominence of a feature on a package, including, but not limited to the size of the indicia, the colors used, the texture, the area of coverage dedicated to the particular indicia versus other indicia, the location of the indicia on the package or display panel, the aesthetic appeal of the indicia versus other indicia or parts of the package and/or the message provided by the particular indicia.  
      As noted above, the equity building package(s)  20  of the present invention may include an equity building advertising message  36  that is more prominent than the brand name or brand logo  34  in terms of the area that the equity building advertising message  36  covers on the display panel  24  versus the area of the display panel  24  that the brand name or brand logo  34  covers. For example, it may be desirable for the equity area  44  (the area of the equity building advertising message  36 ) to be greater than the brand name and/or brand logo area  46 . In one example, the equity area  44  may be at least about 50% of the area of the display panel surface area  42 . In other embodiments, the equity area  44  may be at least about 60%, at least about 70%, at least about 75%, at least about 85% or any percentage greater than about 50% of the display panel surface area  42 . Likewise, it may be desirable for the brand name/logo area  46  be less than about 50%, less than about 40%, less than about 30%, less than about 25%, less than about 15% or any other percentage less than about 50% of the display panel surface area  42 . In alternative embodiments, it may be desirable that the equity area  44  be at least about twice as large as the brand name/logo area  46 , at least about  3  times as large as the brand name/logo area  46 , at least about five times as large as the brand name/logo area  46 , at least about 10 times as large as the brand name/logo area  46 , or greater.  
      As with the packages described above, the equity building package(s)  20  of the present invention may include more than one panel or face that has the equity building advertising message  36 . In fact, as noted above, it may be desirable in certain situations to provide the equity building package  20  with more than one panel or face having generally the same look and indicia. For example, on equity building packages  20  like those shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , it may be desirable for the rear panel  26  to be identical to or nearly identical to the display panel  24 . This can help ensure that the equity building advertising message  36  of the display panel  24  is displayed to the consumer even if the equity building package  20  is purposefully or mistakenly oriented such that the display panel  24  is not facing the consumer when displayed for sale. It can also help ensure that the equity building advertising message  36  is displayed even if the equity building package(s)  20  are not displayed in an orderly fashion, such as, for example, at the end of a shopping day when the display shelves  62  are not fully stocked and/or the packages may have been re-oriented by shoppers. As with the packages described above, the equity building package(s)  20  may have other panel(s) or face(s), such as, for example, the top panel  28 , the bottom panel  30 , and/or either or both of the side panels  32  that also include the same or similar equity building advertising message  36  as the display panel  24 .  
      The equity building advertising message  36 , the brand name and/or logo  34 , any decorative indicia  38 , written information  40  or any other advertising message, promotional message or other aesthetic indicia may be provided on the equity building package(s)  20  in any suitable way, such as, for example, the ways and means described above with respect to the package  20  shown in  FIG. 2 . Further, as noted above, the package(s)  20  of the present invention or any other packages of the array of packages  60  may be made of any suitable material and may be of any shape and/or size. Also, any of the packages in the array  60  may have display panels  24  that include, but are not limited to those dimensions set forth above.  
      As noted above, the array of packages  60  shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  are representative of arrays of packages that include a number of different packages having the same brand name/brand logo  34 . The arrays  60  include packages of different sizes. The different sized packages may include products of different sizes or different numbers of products in each package. For example, if the products are rolled paper products, the packages may all include a single brand or line-up of bath tissue or paper towel, but may include different roll counts, roll sizes, substrates, plies, printing on the product or color of the product, scents, price, indicia on the product or package, usage instructions or other differences. Generally, such different packages will have different SKU numbers and/or different UPCs.  
      In the array of packages  60  shown in  FIG. 8 , the array  60  includes packages  20 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66 ,  67  and  68 . Packages  20  include the equity building advertising message  36 . The size and make-up of the equity building advertising message  36  on the packages  20  can be as set forth above. For example, at least the display panel  24  of the packages  20  may include an equity building advertising message  36  that is more prominent than the brand name/brand logo  34  on the display panel  24  of the packages  20 , as described herein. The rest of the packages, packages  64 ,  65 ,  66 ,  67  and  68  do not include the equity building advertising message  36 . However, such packages could include the equity building advertising message  36  as well as any other promotional, instructional or aesthetic features desired. In the particular embodiment shown, the packages  20  including the equity building advertising message  36  or the equity building packages  20  are located on the display shelf  62  such that at least one of the equity building packages  20  is adjacent at least one package from the same product line-up (e.g. having the same brand name/brand logo  34 ) with graphics or indicia that are different than the graphics and/or indicia on the equity building packages  20 . In an alternative embodiment, the array of packages could be such that the equity building package(s)  20  are separated from the other packages of the same product line-up, but still within view of such other packages. In yet other embodiments, one or more of the equity building packages  20  could be adjacent packages from the same product line-up on at least two sides, at least three sides or completely surrounded by such other products.  
      In the embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 9 , the array of packages  60  includes at least one equity building package  20  and at least one package  70  that is the same in all respects to the equity building package, but does not include the equity building advertising message  36  on the display panel  24 . Thus, for example, the packages  20  and  70  would be the same SKU and include the same products, but the equity building package  20  would include the equity building advertising message  36  and the package  70  would not, at least on the display panel  24 . In other embodiments, the array of packages could include the equity building package  20  and the package  70  which is similar in all respects, as noted above, but the package  70  does include the equity building advertising message  36  on the display panel  24 . However, in such embodiments, the equity building advertising message  36  on the display panel  24  is of lesser prominence than the equity building advertising message  36  on the display panel of the equity building package  20 . Of course, the array of packages  60  in any case could include any number of other packages, such as packages  64 ,  65 ,  66 ,  67  and  68 . As shown, such packages include the same brand name/brand logo  34  as the equity building package(s)  20 , but are different in some way, for example, different sizes, substrates, plies, printing on the product or color of the product, scents, price, indicia on the product or package, usage instructions or other differences. Typically, such different packages would have different SKU numbers and/or different UPCs.  
      The array of packages  60  of the present invention may be provided as a display of packages separate from other packages not in the array or may be located within a display containing packages other than those in the array of packages  60  of the present invention, as shown, for example, in  FIG. 10 . In  FIG. 10 , the array of packages  60  of the present invention is located on a display, shelves  62 , with other packages  80  that are not part of the array  60 . In the particular embodiment shown, the packages  80  that are not part of the array of packages  60  of the present invention include packages having a different brand name/brand logo  34  than the brand name/brand logo  34  of the packages  20 ,  65 ,  67  and  68  of the array of the packages  60  of the present invention. In the particular shelf setup shown in  FIG. 10 , the packages  80  represent packages of product that are similar in nature to the packages  20 ,  65 ,  67  and  68  of the array of packages  60  of the present invention. Thus, for example, the packages  80  could be another manufacturer&#39;s brand of paper towels if the array of packages  60  included packages of paper towels. Alternatively, the packages  80  could include any number of different products, including products of the same general nature, i.e. paper products but not paper towels, or could be completely different products from the products in the packages  20 ,  65 ,  67  and  68  of the array of packages  60  shown. Further, unlike what is shown in  FIG. 10 , the packages  80  that are not part of the array of packages  60  of the present invention could be any number of different brands and  FIG. 10  should not be construed to limit the particular arrangement of the array of packages  60  of the present invention or the surrounding packages  80 . Rather, the figure is just one exemplary embodiment used to help illustrate the impact of the equity building package  20  and the array of packages  60  including the equity building package  20 .  
      Method of Displaying an Array of Packages  
      The present invention also includes a method of displaying an array of packages including one or more products therein. In particular, the method includes displaying an array of packages in a retail or wholesale setting. The method includes providing an array of packages including at least one first equity building package having a first display panel including certain indicia, wherein the first display panel is intended to be displayed to the consumer when the package is displayed for sale. The method also includes providing at least one second package that includes indicia that are different than the indicia on the display panel of the equity building package.  
      In one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the method for displaying an array of packages  60  includes providing at least one first package  100 , such as one of the package(s)  20  of  FIGS. 2-10 , including at least one product  22  therein. The first package  100  has at least a first display face  102 . The first display face  102  has a first display area  104  and includes first indicia  106  representing brand name/brand logo  108  of the product  22  and or the manufacturer of the product  22 . The first package  100  also includes second indicia  110  including an equity building advertising message  112 . The second indicia  110  of the first package  100  cover more of the area  104  of the first display face  102  than the first indicia  106 . The method also includes providing at least one second package  114  (such as, for example one or more of packages  64 ,  65 ,  66 ,  67 ,  68  and/or  70  as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 ). The second package  114  includes at least one product  116  therein and has a second display face  118 . The second display face  118  has a second display face area  120  and includes the first indicia  106  of the first package  100 .  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, the array of packages  60  includes a first package  100  including a first display face  102  that includes first indicia  106 , as set forth above and second indicia  110  that does not include the equity building advertising message  112 . In another embodiment, the second display face  118  second package  114  does not include the equity building advertising message  112 .  
      The method of the present invention may also includes locating at least one first package  100  close enough to at least one second package  114  such that both the first package  100  and the second package  114  can both be seen by the consumer at the same time. In certain embodiments, it may be desirable that at least one first package  100  is located adjacent at least one second package  114 , as is shown in  FIG. 11 , but the packages  100  and  114  need not be adjacent each other in all embodiments. It may also be desirable to provide an array of packages  60  wherein at least one first package  100  is located such that at least two sides of the first package  100  are adjacent one or more second packages  114 . This too is shown in  FIG. 11 , wherein the first package  100  has a right side  122 , a left side  124 , a top side  126 , a bottom side  128  and a back side  130 .  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, an array of packages  60  is provided, as stated above, including at least one first package  100  and at least one second package  114 . In this embodiment, the first package  100  has a first SKU. The second package  114  that is provided has a second SKU that is different from the first SKU. In certain embodiments, the first product  22  in the first package  100  may be the same as the second product  116  in the second package  114 . In such cases, the first package  100  and the second package  114  with different SKUs will generally differ in at least one way. For example, the first package  100  and the second package  114  may have one or more of the following differences: product size or number or products in the package, amount of material on the product, indicia or graphics on the product, color of the product, product usage instructions or the like. In other embodiments, the first product  22  in the first package  100  may be physically or chemically different in some way from the second product  116  in the second package  114 . For example, the first product  22  could be a base or standard quality product and the second product could be a premium or economy product.  
      In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of rotating an array of packages  60  is provided. The method includes providing at least one first package  100 , such as one of the package(s)  20  of  FIGS. 2-10 , including at least one product  22  therein. The first package  100  has at least a first display face  102 . The first display face  102  has a first display area  104  and includes first indicia  106  representing brand name/brand logo  108  of the product  22  and or the manufacturer of the product  22 . The first package  100  also includes second indicia  110  including an equity building advertising message  112 . The second indicia  110  of the first package  100  cover more of the area  104  of the first display face  102  than the first indicia  106 . The method also includes providing at least one second package  114  (such as, for example one or more of packages  64 ,  65 ,  66 ,  67 ,  68  and/or  70  as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 ). The second package  114  includes at least one product  116  therein and has a second display face  118 . The second display face  118  has a second display face area  120  and includes the first indicia  106  of the first package  100 . The method also includes replacing at least one of the first packages  100  with a third package  132  (as shown in  FIG. 12 ). The third package  132  includes a third display panel  134  having an area and including third indicia  136  that includes at least the brand name/brand logo  108  of the first package  100 . In certain embodiments, the third indicia  136  may also include the first indicia  106  of the first package  100 . However, in such embodiments, the first indicia  106  covers at least as much area of the third display panel  134  as the second indicia  110 .  
      In certain embodiments of the present invention, the method of rotation of the array of packages  60  includes replacing at least one first package  100  with at least one third package  132  that includes third indicia  136  that are substantially the same as the second indicia  110  of the second package(s)  114 . That is, the third package(s)  132  and the second package(s) will all have a similar look, such as is shown in  FIG. 12 . The array of packages  60 , as shown in  FIG. 12 , where all of the packages of a particular product line are similar, is what is commonly used in retail settings today.  
      It may also be desirable to provide an array of packages  60  with similar indicia across the line-up, such as the line-up shown in  FIG. 12  prior to and/or after providing the first package  100  in the array. (Such an array could include a “standard” package having a display panel including standard indicia thereon, wherein the standard indicia are substantially similar to the third indicia.) Thus, the first package(s)  100  may be provided only temporarily in the array of packages  60 . In one embodiment, the first packages  100  are replaced with the third packages  132  as the first packages  100  are purchased by the consumer. Thus, where a number of first packages  100  are displayed at one time, the replacement of the first packages  100  with the third packages  132  will take place over some period of time, typically greater than 24 hours. In other embodiments, the first packages  100  are all replaced with the third packages  132  over a period of time shorter than 24 hours. This would likely be the case if the array of packages  60  were rotated during a single re-stocking or other similar event. In any case, it is contemplated that the method of the present invention could be implemented without having to change the normal distribution system for the packages of product in the array  60 . That is, the packages could be shipped in the normal course of business and there would be no need for any type of business interruption or special equipment to handle the method of rotating the array of packages  60 .  
      Such a method of rotating the first package(s)  100  in and out of the array of packages  60  may provide the array of packages  60  with improved visibility to the consumer and even an increase in purchase intent. This can be due not only to the change in the packaging in the array of packages  60  that makes the packages in the array of packages  60  stand out from other packages or arrays of packages, but also may be due to the equity building advertising message  112  that is provided on the first package(s)  100 . The equity building advertising message  112  that is provided on the first package(s)  100  can help provide increased visibility of the first package(s)  100  as well as the entire array of packages  60  and thus, can provide a means for increasing purchase intent for the product in the first package  100  as well as the products in any of the other packages in the array  60 . As such, in certain embodiments, the second packages  114  may benefit from or rely on the equity building advertising message  112  of the first package  100  to increase the equity in the product in the second package  114 . Likewise, in certain embodiments, the first packages  100  may benefit from or rely on the brand name/brand logo  108  of the second package  114  to provide an indication of the brand of the product in the first package  100 .  
      As noted above, the first indicia may include a trade name or trademark. Further, the equity building advertising message  112  may include information about the benefits of the product in the package itself, the packages in the array of packages  60  or any other product. Also, the equity building advertising message  112  may include at least one graphic element, at least one photographic image, text or any combination thereof. In certain embodiments, the equity building advertising message  112  that is provided on the first package  100  may include a graphic that includes a representation of the product in the package  100 , and possibly even a representation of the product in use.  
      Further, all of the other characteristics and embodiments of the package  20  and the array of packages  60  described above in the sections labeled “Package” and “Array of Packages” are applicable to the methods of displaying the array of packages described in this section and the disclosure in those sections of the specification should be considered equally applicable to this section and as if it were repeated in detail in this section.  
      All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern.  
      While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.