Scissors not included - new Oreo packaging

I was never much of a snacker, so my rendez-vous with Oreo cookies was limited to watching my nephews savor every last crumb. And then, my little boy came along - and of course, the Oreo's :-)

When I first began buying Oreo's 2 years ago, they came in a flat plastic case, with the outer package/wrapping crimped at either end. So you had 2 options with the packaging:
- Cut it open fully on either end and transfer the cookies right away into an air-tight container; enjoy each cookie by daintily picking them out of the container when you needed one: that's the Martha Stewart option;

- Make a tiny opening on one side and wiggle your fingers in to get out the cookies you needed; store the cookies in the package they came in. Needless to say, this was the much-followed-Archita-option, practiced in my house :-). It kept the cookies (reasonably) fresh (i.e. they did not get damp/ soft). But it was a minor challenge and irritant to coax out the cookies without ripping off the packaging...


A few month's ago though I was about to cut open the low-fat Oreo's I bought, and noticed directions about using the flap at the top. There was a red "STOP" sign followed by directions: "Open with Pull Tab on top!"... I flipped the package and that's when I saw that our friends at Kraft had made a simple but brilliant change to the packaging: on the surface that had the logo and product name, they had added a re-sealable flap. Open the flap and you can reach the cookies right away. Keep it closed, and it's a pretty air-tight and non-Martha-Stewart-container. Snack 'n Seal, they called it.

My verdict: 6 out of 6 stars!!!
I don't know (or care) what it cost Kraft to add the flap - all I know is it my made life one, tiny bit simpler. And I don't remember paying anything more for the change - if I did, as L'Oreal would say, I'm worth it ;-)

I admit, this change only caters to the my type of person, with a 'pantry' that's a hodgepodge of mismatched containers and who can be wooed by a tiny convenience. I also admit that a sample drawn out of my own, immediate circle (my Mum and sister) would indicate that 2 out of 3 people might not value this change as much as I. But hey, that translates roughly to 1 out of 3 people being like me - a pretty good number for any marketer to chase, me thinks! Add to that the fact that kids can open it with equal ease (at least Kraft would say that's an advantage!) as well as any one who has trouble with fine motor skills (folks with arthritis) - the numbers are likely to be a bit higher.

As for me, the Target Audience - hey: scissors not included is, as Ms. Stewart would say, "A good thing" ;-) I totally appreciate the change and the new packaging gets 6 stars from me :-)