Guest blog: The power of your packaging – the power of labels

By Stephen M. Key, CEO of Stephen Key Design

When I heard Roger Pellow, managing director of the Labels and Packaging Group at Tarsus, speak at the Label Institute in New Orleans this year, he stressed the power of labels. ‘The label isn’t a commodity,’ he said, ‘and we shouldn’t look at it as such.’

I couldn’t agree more. The label is our first line of communication with the customer. When my wife Janice worked at E&J Gallo Winery in the marketing department, one of the founders told her that she needed to get out of the office and into the retail environment, because that’s where the war was won or lost. I love that. How did the packaging look? He wanted to know. How did it stand up to the competition? Whether it’s on a wine bottle or otherwise, we all know that what we say on and with our label can make or break a sale. Are we saying all that we could? If you had more space at your discretion, what else would your label say?

Spinformation, a rotating label technology that adds 75 percent more space to packaging, is emerging at a perfect time. The current generation of consumers demands more information. Every time that they touch or engage with a product, they want information about it at their fingertips. This smart-phone generation has come to expect that information to be instant and thorough. The Spinformation label allows the consumer to engage and interact with the package just by spinning the label.

The brand owner is empowered with more space in which to communicate with the consumer, whether that is through contest promotions or games or data or reward programs to build loyalty. At its core, the Spinformation label gives the producer more space to develop its brand and convey its intended message to the consumer. The Spinformation label talks to the consumer and gets them involved in the product, not only intellectually and visually but also physically. It’s a powerful combination of form and function.

Stephen M. Key
CEO, Stephen Key Design, LLC