02.04.09
| The Black Mark colognes by Jack Black utilize two hot-stamp foils and multi-level embossing printed by McDowell Label. |
Label Intensive
From sustainable materials to brand security, there’s more to labels than meets the eye—and decorative effects are more dramatic than ever.
By Leah Genuario, Contributing Editor
Whether used to improve shelf impact, communicate regulated information or deter counterfeiting, labels go beyond providing a pretty face for a bottle or carton. In fact, a well-planned and executed labeling system helps boost revenues and brand awareness.
The most distinctive aspect of a label is its billboard: the small space affording brands the opportunity to catch someone’s eye, make a connection and drive home the sale.
“Labels are extremely important in selling a product as they portray its image,” says Don Earl, president of Overnight Labels, Inc., Deer Park, NY. Manufacturers must consider their targeted demographic, “determining whether they want the label to stand out because of its uniqueness, aesthetic appeal, appearance of a high-end product or to display a specific image,” he adds.
Printing technology has seen major improvements in recent decades. Elements such as color-shifting inks, specialty varnishes and coatings, holograms, and advanced printing processes have resulted in brilliant graphics and more eye-catching labels. These technologies can be used alone or in combination with multiple other technologies, and with the option of a variety of substrates.
“The most exciting and dynamic shift is that we can accomplish [innovative technologies] on virtually any substrate—shrink sleeves and flexible packaging, as well as labels. This gives brand owners complete and creative flexibility in syncing products or a family of brands,” says John McDowell, vice president of sales for McDowell Label & Screen Printing, Plano, TX.
Label converters have many decorative options to help brands add pizzazz. Earl says his company is receiving more requests for cold foil, sparkle lamination and spot colors.
Tom Mason, VP sales and marketing for Topflight Corporation, Glen Rock, PA, says, “We see more techniques being tested to increase shelf appeal—from holograms, which also have security features, to silver and gold foil printing and specialty inks.
| Overnight Labels was tapped to create this label for Baby Oh Baby Body Oil. |
Economic Impact
Has the economy hampered the use of added-value decorations this year? Converters have seen both ends of the spending spectrum—those spending more to try and pick up market share as well as cautionary types who save every penny. No matter what the strategy, converters caution against cutting decoration to the point of degrading the brand.
“The successful brand owner recognizes that the consumer has an experiential/emotional connection with their products. We have seen some brands attempt to downgrade the level of sophistication and prestige in their package, and yet strive to maintain their retail selling price. “I’ve yet to see a case study that proves this to be a successful long-term strategy,” quips McDowell.
Touch and Feel of Labels
Visual elements have long been a popular tool for increasing a label’s shelf impact. However, many brands are also exploring the use of tactile elements to generate new business. “You’re trying to get people to touch the product, because if they do, the odds are they’re more likely to buy the product,” says Todd Ostendorf, corporate marketing manager for WS Packaging Group, headquartered in Green Bay, WI.
“We are noticing that customers are considering more “experiential” packaging,” agrees Lynda K. Lundstrom, national accounts manager for Quality Assured Label, Hopkins, MN. Quality Assured Label offers a number of different label textures and interactive features. It has the capability to recreate the feeling of bark, leather and water droplets, for example, and has also successfully leveraged thermochromatic ink to increase a customer’s interaction with the label.
Aim to Sustain
In addition to choosing innovative graphics and textures, brand marketers are also increasingly interested in making a clear statement about environmental practices through the use of environmentally responsible label materials. Choosing “green” labels, however, can quickly become a confusing matter.
“The buzzword is sustainability,” agrees Paulette Carnes, Multi-Vision product development manager for WS Packaging Group, but “there is so much gray area.”
“For example, if you take a paper label and put it on a plastic container, it’s no longer recyclable. The best thing to do is find a similar film to match your container. So, a BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) label would go on a BOPP-like container,” adds Ostendorf. “Using different materials actually degrades the recycling stream.”
Utilizing post-consumer recycled materials within the substrate is often a prudent choice
for environmentally friendly brands, but this, too, can pose challenges. For one, it is a pricier option compared to using virgin films and papers. It is also not as readily available as traditional substrates.
| WS Packaging utilized a patterned tactile varnish for Village Naturals Bubble Bath to entice customers to pick up the bottle. |
McDowell offers this advice for brands looking to become more green: “It is important that the printer of the package, its supply chain resources, and the brand owner truly understand the cradle to grave life-cycle of the consumer product, communicate both the benefits and potential challenges that may ensue specific to the brand owner’s or co-packer’s current operational logistics, exhaust all prospective solutions, and recognize the total applied and net value.”
The Small Print
Not all trends related to the label industry have to do with what’s out in front. Over the past five years, various government regulations have required brand owners to include more copy on the label. Label converters may or may not be knowledgeable about current regulations, and most advise that brand owners should consult with an attorney to ensure compliance. At the very least, education through relevant trade shows and seminars is a must.
Carnes at WS Packaging says the three regulations that have had—or will have—the most impact on beauty labeling are: the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) over-the-counter labeling requirements for a cosmetic that is also a drug; the 7th amendment for EU regulations on cosmetic imports; and a proposed sunscreen monograph that has yet to be finalized by the FDA.
Among the FDA’s regulatory requirements for labeling cosmetics sold in the U.S., is a mandate that “cosmetics which are also drugs must first identify the drug ingredient(s) as ‘active ingredients’ before listing the cosmetic ingredients.” The EU’s 7th amendment was a broad directive impacting beauty products marketed in Europe.
When finalized, the sunscreen monograph will likely have major labeling implications. In 2007, the FDA proposed a new regulation affecting the formulation, testing and labeling of sunscreen products with ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B protection. According to the FDA, the proposed regulation would require the addition of a four-star rating system for ultraviolet A protection. It would also require a warning statement within the drug facts box to educate users on the increased risk of “skin cancer, premature skin aging and other skin damage” from UV exposure from the sun, as well as precautionary steps users should take to reduce this risk.
According to an FDA spokesperson interview from December, the “agency is writing the final rule,” but there is “no specific date for finalization yet.”
Regulations have driven an increased interest in extended content label constructions, as well as shrink sleeves.
“We believe the use of active ingredients in products has increased the need for extended content labels. Also, we see extended content labels used to include more than one language on a label, eliminating the need for separate labels,” says Lundstrom.
“The active ingredient requirement is significant,” agrees Ostendorf.
Extended content labels can take a variety of forms, but what distinguishes them from traditional labels is a multi-panel system. For example, these labels can take the form of booklet labels or panels that are peeled off to reveal a panel underneath.
The push to minimize packaging has also been a driver for extended content labels, says Ostendorf, explaining that some brand marketers opt out of unit cartons and instead choose an extended content label on the primary package.
Shrink sleeves can also help brand owners cope with increasing copy space needs. “We’ve experienced that many of the brand owners we serve forego the use of multi-content labels
and instead use shrink sleeves that provide 360 degrees of commercial real estate and are more aesthetically and graphically appealing to the consumer,” says McDowell.
Shrink sleeve technology has seen recent advancements related to tube coverage. Los Angeles, CA-based CCL Tube recently teamed with its sister division, CCL Label, to introduce a Shrink-Over-the-Shoulder label with Crimp-Through technology to enable 100% tube coverage, from shoulder to tube crimp.
“These labels cover the entire tube body with no breaks at the closure,” says Andy Iseli, general manager for CCL Tube.
Between the Lines
Brands that have gone through the effort of creating an aesthetic label that adheres to regulations must also think about brand protection (for more on anti-counterfeiting, please go to http://www.beautypackaging.com/articles/2008/12/online-exclusive-combating-brand-pirates).
According to the International Anti-Counter-feiting Coalition, the counterfeiting trade has grown a staggering 10,000% in the past 20 years.
Counterfeiting and diversion are major problems for beauty brands in every segment. The problematic trend has resulted in more activity within label technologies aimed at brand protection.
| McDowell Label leveraged high definition UV printing and crisp-dot technology combined with metallic effects for an eye-catching result. |
In order to help combat the problem, Topflight Corporation has launched hologram security labels produced with sophisticated laser technology.
“Holographic labels have evolved at a dramatic pace, with new innovative security features, new production techniques and the capability of a security printer to add complementary or multi-functional security features to the hologram itself,” explains Tom Hartmann, director of security and brand protection for Topflight Corporation.
Holograms no longer offer only single-layer overt protection; today’s holograms can incorporate elements such as nanotext and scrambled 3D shifting images that make them harder to reproduce and easier to track.
“Brand protection labels are an incredibly effective vehicle,” says Hartmann. “Since it’s likely you already use labels, they can be altered to be part of a total security system.”
