Six steps to powerful promotional packaging: on-pack, in-pack and other types of promotions lift sales. But these campaigns work best when they build brand equity, too.

In-pack, on-pack, contests and other types of promotions are "shouting" in greater numbers across many different aisles of the store.

Marketers are turning to promotional packaging because it:

* Adds value to a brand.

* Grows product volumes and sales.

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* Drives impulse purchases by motivating consumers in-store.

* Allows control of the brand's message. Retailers and the media can "filter" much of the brand marketer's message.

* Breaks through the clutter on the shelf. Some retailers don't want point-of-sale materials in their stores. Promotional packaging overcomes this obstacle.

* Rejuvenates and brings a sense of "new" to a brand.

* Allows consumers to interact with the brand in unique ways.

But often, the promotion focuses too much on the "giveaways" and less on how the promotion fits the brand strategy The short-term sales goal supersedes long-term brand building.

How can you create effective packaging promotions that appeal to your target consumers, grow the bottom line and build brand equity?

Here are six steps to powerful promotional packaging.

1. Start with a good promotion Your promotion should be relevant and believable to your target consumers. It should be consistent with your brand positioning.

A recent packaging promotion from Campbell Soup achieves this synergy. The company produced limited edition soup cans bearing Andy Warhol's colorful renditions of the classic tomato soup label.

The special soup labels come in green and red, pink and orange, aqua and indigo, or gold and yellow. A copy of Warhol's signature appears on the side of each label.

Campbell's markets the cans in a shrink-wrapped four-pack at Giant Eagle supermarkets in Pittsburgh (Warhol's home town), western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and parts of West Virginia.

Andy Warhol is a pop icon and tomato soup is an iconic brand, says Len Herstein, Senior Marketing Manager for Campbell's condensed soup. "The promotion links to the past but is relevant for today."

Like Warhol's paintings, tomato soup is an art form. Consumers can enjoy it alone or add condiments to create a custom dish, Herstein says.

Campbell's is targeting moms with "tweens" and teens and 55-plus consumers.