How often is packaging treated as its own product?

We have seen all cases of "overpackaging"... personally, I have seen some pretty ridiculously oversized packages from online retailers and shipping fulfillment from local stores. We're talking a 6" long brick of AA batteries in a 24"x24" box... and no filler.

For better or worse, no matter what a company does to use less materials and energy in the product, that isn't the first thing to hit someone when they open the box. The first thing they see is the box itself.

It seems that the Leaders both on the industrial and consumer side treat the package literally as its own product. When you take that kind of approach, you end up with packaging that is an ASSET to your company and brand as opposed to neutral or negative. We're talking about those packages you open and say, "Wow, those guys are really smart."

For example, Arctic Cat's new oil packaging:
http://www.greenerpackage.com/source_reduction/stand-_lubricant_pouch_stands_out

I think we are beginning to get to the point where more and more companies outside CPG are seeing packaging not as a cost, but as a potential asset and differentiator from competitors.

I'm curious to see how many of us are seeing more attention to industrial package/shipper designs... or are we still seeing packaging as an expense to be minimized at all costs?