A great packaging idea is often all you need to get noticed. Now that's not to say you don't need a great product offering – they're both important. But great packaging certainly helps. So when I came across the packaging idea by East 9th Brewing Company in NYC, I thought it was a brilliant idea. They've wrapped their individual bottles of beer in brown paper, replicating the often stigmatized look of a squatter and their bottle of whatever it is they've chosen that day.

I think this is clever in a few ways: 1) It definitely helps the product stand out in a cluttered marketplace 2) It's a great play on a social stigma without being insensitive 3) It's a great buzz builder and PR tool that's going to create some noise and, probably, win an award or two.