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Heinz Ketchup upside-down bottle
Goal: Increase functionalityBackstory: Heinz revolutionized the 170-year-old industry in 2002 when it introduced its inverted bottle (consumers had complained for years about how hard it was to squeeze out that last bit of ketchup). The Pittsburgh-based company spent three years designing the convenient container, which is equipped with a vacuum cap that stops irritating crustiness from forming around the lid. "Companies make a lot of money by making things less annoying," Panjabi says. Bottom Line: A year after the bottle's debut, Heinz ketchup sales rose 6 percent, while the overall ketchup industry increased only 2 percent. |
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