Especially for those of us trying to reduce our negative impact on the planet, the volume of waste generated by food packaging is discouraging. Cardboard cartons, plastic bottles and vacuum-sealed pouches—a single meal might produce a pile of trash. You can recycle, certainly, but it would be nicer to limit what winds up in a bin of any color.

That's why luncheon meats sold by Hillshire Farms hold special appeal, not because of the product itself but because of the standard-issue Gladware it comes in. Simply peel the label off of the lid, and you have small storage container—branded as Glad—that can be used again and again.

A post at the Recipeeps 4 Us blog notes that the decision to purchase Hillshire Farms ham and turkey was cinched by the container. "I liked the idea of being able to reuse the packaging instead of just throwing it away," the writer says, "plus I needed some more Gladware that size anyway. The price was right in line with all the rest of the lunch meat, as well."

Hillshire Farms delivers Marketing Inspiration by giving customers an added incentive to choose its products; they not only cut down on waste, they get a brand-name item that's probably next to the cold cuts on their shopping list.

More Inspiration:
Mark Ivey: Social Media and the Seven Marketing Blind Spots
Paul Williams: Hearing Your Shouting Doesn't Mean They're Listening
Mack Collier: Q&A with IBM's Sandy Carter

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