Moments of truth in labeling

When Taghleef Industries (Ti) completed the takeover of Derprosa Film in 2014, it opened itself up to new markets through the company’s position as a worldwide supplier of specialty films for graphic arts applications for luxury packaging and films for flexible packaging.

Derprosa now serves as the graphic arts brand of Ti, and has added a selection of film products and technologies to its portfolio that have allowed Ti to extend into new markets and applications. One of those is Soft Touch, a patented product introduced for the graphic arts market in 2009 and used to overlaminate printed paper or cardboard in different applications, such as book covers, folding carton for luxury products, posters, business and loyalty cards, and more.

This technology has now been expanded into a wider range of industries, including labels, with Ti offering a range of films for roll-fed, self-adhesive overlamination and even IML applications featuring Soft Touch, which deliver at the ‘moment of truth’.

One of the classic moments of truth is when a product catches the eye on the shelf among other products and draws the consumer to choose it. Some black films, matte films and metallic looks are popular choices for this purpose. If that experience is rewarding, with the packaging mirroring the characteristics of the product within, this effect is enhanced, brand loyalty starts to take hold and a repeat purchase is probable.

Emotional impact

According to Ignacio López-Baillo, global sales and marketing director for Derprosa, it is these deeper, more powerful emotional connections which link consumers with products, a connection which is sought after by brands.

‘Neuroscientific studies have measured the emotional impact and positivity on consumers who touch products using Soft Touch. These studies confirm that not only is consumer positivity substantially increased, but also that seven out of 10 customers would choose products packaged with Soft Touch over any other film.’

López-Baillo further notes consistent quality in all Soft Touch films, creating outstanding performance and machinability, and that the depth and clarity of the original colors when using Soft Touch creates ‘stunning visual effects’. The surface properties of the film allow for many types of finish, such as spot UV varnish, foil stamping, gluing, die-cutting and digital embellishment, to be carried out.

And as the initial intention of developing this product was to create an anti-scratch film with additional tactile properties means packaging and labels are resistant to scratches and attrition.

‘During the development program our R&D team tested many different formulations and raw materials and one of the outcomes was what we know today as Soft Touch.’

Soft Touch was launched in early 2009, and since then R&D has been ongoing to improve the features of the film and make them suitable for different applications. There are seven different Soft Touch versions available with different properties, such as adhesion properties, UV resistance and for suitability for high speed conversion.

The most successful applications of Soft Touch have been in folding cartons for luxury products – cosmetics, perfumes, spirits and fine foods. Ti and Derprosa are now working to take the product line into new markets, namely labels’

Future developments

‘In the near future we will launch new versions on which we are currently working to cover more market applications both in labels and outside,’ confirms López-Baillo. An early example has seen Soft Touch films used in IML applications, as an overlaminate after printing, for stadium cups and bins using larger format labels (see boxout). And development of a matte IML label with a Soft Touch finish has now reached the trial phase, with the first industrial samples being tested by key converters in the label market.

López-Baillo says Ti is ‘positive about future growth for Soft Touch’, as well as other tactile label materials, as different studies, including the aforementioned neuromarketing studies, have shown that consumers are attracted to tactile labels. ‘They have a positive emotional impact on them and therefore the chances of choosing that product using a Soft Touch label or finish increases.

‘Our current installed capacity is enough to satisfy our sales forecast for the near future, but Ti is ready to invest when and where needed to support the market growth.’