Label manufacturers gear up for the future
Compliance with legal requirements
Etimark has been offering "true low migration" digital printing since March 2018. "We use it to print on all adhesive materials and foils or aluminum for sealing lids. In contrast to other digital printing systems, our end product is also low-migration, as the curing of the ink takes place in the absence of oxygen. This enables far better curing and therefore compliance with legal requirements," explains Schulz.
More information in the smallest space
For some years now, there has been a trend towards smaller print runs and shorter life cycles for packaging layouts. Etimark is also feeling the effects of this. However, higher demands are being placed on the label, as more and more information has to be transported in the smallest of spaces. "In many cases, this can only be achieved with multi-layer labels," says Schulz. Today, labels have to manage the balancing act between being an attractive product and brand ambassador on the one hand and a pure information carrier on the other. For some products, the label is the primary sales promoter, for others it is a necessary information medium. Combining both in the best possible way can be a challenge.
Eye-catcher for the POS
At Pago AG, which specializes in the production of self-adhesive labels and labelling technology, its strengths lie not only in information and logistics labels, but also in functional labels such as tamper-evident, resealable and multipack labels, and multi-coloured foil-embossed effects are used for decoration. "For promotions, we produce multi-layer labels with coding, integrated stickers, tattoos and give-aways," says Dimitrios Kotsis, Regional Head of Sales and Marketing. Self-adhesive labels such as the Pago PopUp labels also attract attention at the POS for product launches. Pago has modern equipment for dummies, sampling, short runs or market tests with original material. "Everything from a single source: labels and labeling machines," says the successful concept. When asked about the trends, Kotsis mentions the use of sustainable materials, textured and matt effects, smaller batch and packaging sizes as well as personalization and individualization. Short response and throughput times and a digital workflow are further developments that are keeping the industry busy.
Optimal marketing of carrier media
WRH Corporate Services AG in Hinwil has specialized in an unusual form of advertising. "With tradestick® we are operating in the segment of special forms of advertising. In contrast to other pure label manufacturers, we differentiate ourselves worldwide through our full-service offering," says Nick Mysicka, Director Business Development and Strategic Marketing.
Cooperation with specialized service providers
WRH tries to understand the customer's marketing goals and offer the optimal campaign and the right labels. "As tradestick® is not a 'me-too' product, we work closely with specialized service providers and supplement where Swiss Made makes sense and is economically justified. "For a current tradestick® campaign with dairy products, the elaborate labels were printed by the in-house print shop pmc print media corporation (Oetwil am See) and processed into fanfolds together with a strong service provider. The print quality was crucial due to the use of augmented reality. "We now offer self-adhesive booklets that can be removed without leaving any residue, which can not only be developed as a special shape according to customer requirements, but also impress with their reverse side. This is because we don't need a transparent backing film and print in multiple colors on the glue side."
Targeted transport of advertising messages
Above all, Mysicka observes a strong development in marketing. Label campaigns are always driven by marketing needs. The technical implementation is in line with the communicative requirements of the brand. "We are seeing a trend in which packaging is being used even more consciously as one of the most important touchpoints in the consumer purchasing process and the use of labels allows packaging to be (virtually) enlarged and extended in time, while brands are increasingly entering into cross-promotions. "By using sticky notes on packaging, a brand can convey its advertising message to the audience of its partner brand for a limited campaign period. The sticky notes as a disruptive element arouse interest and encourage interaction. tradestick® picks up on this trend and is regarded as a pioneer in cross-promotions.
