IPE ADVICE: Annual Labelling Check-up

We are inaugurating a new section with brief advice about labelling and solutions in packaging.

Some of the advice will be about printing formats, recommendations about materials, well, "technical advice".

We will also publish advice focused on themes related to "graphic design for labels" and, lastly, we will talk about other more “marketing-like” themes aimed towards positioning and differentiating products through labelling/packaging.

We leave you with the first piece of advice from this section: ANNUAL CHECK-UP for product LABELLING/PACKAGING.

Just like many other things we do on a personal scale (annual medical check-up, annual car service, etc..) every company that commercialises a product must think about an “annual check-up” for its labelling/packaging.

It is true that this point enters into the company’s marketing and communication goals but, very often, as it is one point within a long list of variables and factor to be considered, this “service” can go unnoticed.

•          How can we protect and improve the visual image of a product?
•         Should we review the packaging from last year and think about new changes?
•          Is the label in line with the brand image and the values we want to transmit?
•          Can the level of packaging/labelling costs and materials be optimised?
•          Are there other applications that we could use?
•          What happens when a competitor imitates our label image and design? Does this weaken or strengthen our image?

............these are just some of the questions that are worthwhile considering to ensure that the labelling/packaging is fulfilling its objectives.

There are currently thousands of materials, different printing techniques, hundreds of finishes and labelling trends, and all of this leads to multiple combinations and that’s why we would recommend you to contact us so that we can help you to find the best solution that best adapts to your labelling needs, both from the technical and conceptual points of view.

The era of experiences: Marketing of Experiences

The marketing of experiences- also known as sensorial or experiential marketing – seeks to create bonds with the consumer through emotional concepts that humanise a brand. 

It is about reaching the "consumer’s heart" and creating a brand loyalty bond between the consumer and his/her relationship and experiences with the products.

And nowadays it isn’t enough just to have a good product!

A good product is something that is practically “taken for granted”; price has also lost power in the list of determining purchasing factors, times have changed and now it’s not about selling, it’s about betting on the consumer-brand bond that will allow for a long-term relationship and that will differentiate the product from the competition’s.

In order to work the marketing of experiences we need to “humanise” the brand and bring it to life. Know our consumers very well, what their daily life is like, their lifestyle, their needs beyond the product, advance their future needs, which means paying a lot of attention to the consumer and converting the product into a tool that not only fulfils its main aim but also offers him/her additional benefits.

Marketing professionals no longer speak about “normal consumers”, they speak about the Crossumer, a concept that defines the new consumer, more intelligent, more informed, more demanding, difficult to impress and who “passes the product barrier" looking for a purchasing experience.

In this sense the label can become another element within the brand’s marketing and communication strategy.

Much more than labels: different ways to interact with the consumer

• Aromatic labels:  Aromatic labels are an excellent option to incorporate standard or personalised aromas so that the label becomes a sensorial experience for the consumer.

• Thermo-chromatic labels: A fundamental help for some types of products given that, through the label, the consumer can know about – for example- the temperature of the product to be consumed. A good example of this type of label can be found in the label that IPE developed for FLOR DE VETUS, a label with thermo-chromatic ink that changes colour to indicate the ideal temperature to drink their wine.

• Scratch labels:  Scratch labels are another option to take into consideration if we are looking for experiences based on games, competitions, etc.. 

...... however, Interactive Labels  are ideal to create an experiences strategy around the brand as they undoubtedly offer many possibilities that can be included in the product and, through the labelling, a series of experiences that will establish a bond with the consumer associating a label with multimedia content that is highly realistic are undoubtedly a very powerful tool for the consumers to have unique product experiences.

An example of experience marketing:

The "most basic and simplest" label can also be used to create consumer experiences. Coca Cola recently announced its campaign called "Share a Coke" which will launch personalised labels in 32 countries.

In order to do so, Coca Cola compiled an average of the 150 most common names in each country.  The labels for all the names that don’t appear in the limited series can be ordered through a Facebook application. 

In this way Coca Cola seeks to get closer and to better connect with its consumers, undoubtedly a good example of experience marketing

IPE invests in the latest artificial technology in all of its production lines

ARTIFICIAL VISION: WHAT IS IT? Artificial vision is a technology that allows us to control the entire label printing process and to determine whether they reach quality standards.

HOW DOES IT WORK?  Through the installation of a camera and control software to compare the labels with the reference label.

1).-PRINTING:          
Exhaustive comparison between the label and the master.

2).-SUPERVISION:
Certification of what falls outside specifications.

3).-QUALITY CONTROL

Information about defects is sent to revision and cutting machines. 
The order to print is given once it has been verified that the labels to be printed are identical to the reference labels.



WHAT CAN IT DO? 
It can detect

• Bad print problems
• Dirtiness
• Undesired spots
• Verify texts
• Verify bar codes
• Colour deviations
• Lack of labels
• Off-register labels

WHAT BENEFITS DOES IT OFFER OUR CUSTOMERS? 

• Greater QUALITY
• OPTIMAL amount delivered
• Allows for the inspection of ALL TYPES OF MATERIALS (transparent, metallised, stampings, etc..)
• Have a supplier that invests in the  LASTEST TECHNOLOGY

When a label deserve to shine on both sides....

There are products that deserve to shine and stand out, for their quality, for their careful image, for their recognition, for their prestige.....

For a product like that and for a label in line with the exclusive image it wants to transmit we have an innovative metallised golden material for both the front and the back.

This novel product and its main feature (golden metallised effect on the front and back) offer a sensation of exclusivity and luxury. This is the ideal material for the transparent packaging of liquid products in which the label always stands out.

.... and that is not the only original touch: the label can be printed directly onto the adhesive which means the back can be printed and therefore take double advantage of the “gold” effect.

Ask us about it at marketing@ipe-innovaciones.com and we will be delighted to propose labels and sleeves that can incorporate this novel material.

Labels that help the consumer

Description of “label”(according to the dictionary): Brand, sign or tag placed on an object or on merchandise for its identification, evaluation, classification, etc.

Up to this point the definition, however, we all know that a label, sleeve or any other type of packaging is much more than just an element to identify a product. The label is an excellent communication tool between the brand and the customer and, in many cases, helps the consumer about how and when to use the product.

  

Clear examples of how a label can become more than just an element of identification are the labels on medicines or prescription free pharmaceutical products.

These types of products include, very often in leaflet form, an important amount of information referring to indications, warnings, dosage etc... but ...

• where does the consumer note down the last time he/she took the product? 
• when should it be taken again? 
• what product dose or amount should be taken next time?... 

these are just some of the questions that consumers frequently ask about products like vitamin supplements, de-flea products for pets, oral cosmetics, etc.. amongst other examples.

Even though there are ways to carry out additional controls for all this information, the simplest way to make use easier is to include a support in the product itself that allows us to note down the indications of use.

The multi-page-booklets labels  or  neck labels are ideal to satisfy this need.

We can also take a step forward and adapt to our new times with the interactive labels. 

The interactive labels use image recognition technology through a camera to identify any type of object in real time: photos, logos, drawings, faces, bidi codes, QR, barcodes. Once the image is recognised, the application searches for the associated multimedia content through the Internet and superimposes it dynamically, offering multiple interactive applications: animated 3D models, videos, images, texts, interactive menus, audio and music and social data or any customised programming that the brand has developed.

In this way the product, through an image on the label, can link to instructions of use, calendar for taking the medicine or any other application that eases and guarantees correct consumption and even help in the creation of alarms and warnings for the consumer directly into his/her e-mail or telephone.

It is therefore about looking for the most suitable option in every case in order to make the labelling more than just an identification element and to turn it into a real help for the consumer during his/her experience whilst using the product

BINOMIAL DESIGNER/LABEL MANUFACTURER. CABURÉ EXAMPLE

At IPE-Innovaciones Para Etiquetajes S.L.- we believe that there are no limits nowadays on how to communicate and transmit a product’s singularities through its labelling. 

The label must meet its goals from the design and image point of views as well as from the functional point of view, and just one thing is needed: good understanding between the client, the designer and the label manufacturer. 

An example of good understanding? Orujo Caburé, a project that we had the pleasure of participating in.

The graphic design and communication company Calcco proposed our participation in a communication project- thought up and coordinated by Calcco- for the launch of a unique product, Orujo Caburé, which represents the joint efforts of various collaborating companies* and materialised in a special edition of 150 bottles with a unique presentation and content.

IPE, Innovaciones Para Etiquetajes S.L., was entrusted to materialise the design and the features requested by Calcco for the Orujo Caburé labelling.

this is the end result...

*Collaborating companies:

Renocal Vinos y Licores, Saber Glass, Estuchería Vargas and IPE-Innovaciones Para Etiquetajes S.L. all participated in the project.