Web Changing

The Bud Light Can House

Has the web changed how you do business? In an era when the giants of the past decade are busy swallowing up nimble little start-ups who have something they want (such as Google recently acquiring photo editor Picnik), many companies are harnessing the power of the social web to reach their target market. This is particularly evident in recent worldwide campaigns from companies like Coke, which is making sure it doesn’t ignore its growing online constituency around the world. Many people now take instant information access for granted, and if it’s not online it’s not there.

There are also changes afoot offline as companies merge and acquire to become better and stronger. As we were about to publish online this issue of Canmaking News, the news broke that Impress Group had acquired Service Tool International, as part of its strategy to boost metal packaging. Cevolani has also been snapped up and we’re sure it’s not the last acquisition news we will hear this quarter.

Many companies are reflecting on the past financial year and a tough trading period for many, with the consensus being that they have emerged better than before. After a year of paring down and cutting back, many are poised to ride out 2010 in a stronger position. Consumers have also been tightening their belts, resulting in great results for those in the food can industry. Check out Crown’s feature on why we shouldn’t write off metal packaging just yet.

On another tack, we’re always happy to hear cans being used in innovative ways. One recent example was the aluminium house built from 14,000 cans featured in recent SuperBowl ads. Cans can be fun!

Sharon Hurley Hall
sharon@canmakingnews.com

Janis Osborn
Publisher
janis@canmakingnews.com