This past weekend I went to an amazing wedding.  As with many of my excursions, I was checking out all of the products and seeing what is new.  Weddings in general are an interesting product development industry.  In one sense the ceremony and the reception are based in tradition and often includes the same elements, but every wedding wants to be unique.  There is always a cake, flowers, food but what can really change is the appearance.  The change is not just color or design, but packaging and staging using shapes and framing the products in different ways.  I’d like to highlight one of the major elements, the party favor, the souvenir or the guest gift.  In the wedding last weekend, it was a small jar maple syrup.  Most people are thinking something like this…

A very typical maple syrup bottle, and that is great.  Everyone loves maple syrup and if maple syrup is the gift then this is perfect.  But instead we got something much more…

Sure it still holds maple syrup, but I am sure my girlfriend will hold on to the container as a trinket for ever.  With just a little repackaging, some maple syrup has transformed into timeless souvenir.  Although many inventors are focused on packaging, design and appearance few really digg deeper than trying to get attention on the shelf.  This quick example shows how the packaging of a simple product can deliver more than just the contents.