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Make it Smell!
(And other ways new ink technologies
can help your packaging sell)
When Procter & Gamble wanted to introduce three new
toothpaste flavors in 2003, Emeril Lagasse just wasn't
enough.
P&G hired the celebrity chef to hawk its new Crest
Whitening Expressions® line in TV ads. But P&G brand managers knew
that the traditional 30 second TV spot—even one featuring Emeril shouting
his trademark "Bam!"—was losing its punch. With mass media reaching the
saturation point and new technologies allowing consumers to skip TV
commercials, more and more purchase decisions were being made at the store
shelf. One recent study put it as high as 70%. So P&G turned to
olfactory packaging, allowing consumers to smell the new flavors right at
the point of purchase. The packaging was hit—and so was the
product.
Crest Whitening Expressions is just one example of the
growing importance of packaging as a tool to influence consumer decisions.
Fortunately, packaging suppliers have an array of new inks and coatings to
help products grab attention at the point of purchase.
NEW
OLFACTORY INK TECHNOLOGY
"Any time a consumer knows what a product
smells like, she is more likely to put it in her shopping cart," says
Steve D'Angelo of Independent Carton Group (ICG) supplier Flint Ink. "So
olfactory packaging can be highly effective. The problem traditionally has
been cost. That's changed."
Traditional scratch-and-sniff
technology, like that used on Crest Whitening Expressions, is produced by
applying microencapsulated scent to labels, which are then affixed to
packaging. This can be expensive because companies have to pay not just
for the scent, but also for the label and the cost of adhering it to the
packaging.
New scented inks and coatings, such as Flint Ink's
Rub'nSmell™ technology, eliminate the need for labels. Rub'nSmell products
incorporate microencapsulated fragrance right into the ink or coating,
which can be applied to packaging on the printing line. By eliminating the
need for a label and allowing inline application, Rub'nSmell technology
usually results in significant cost savings. In addition, the fragrance is
more enduring than scratch and sniff products of the past. As a result,
there is less unintended smell and the packaging continues to release
fragrance even after repeated handling at the store shelf.
"The
obvious application is for food packaging," says D'Angelo. "But Rub'nSmell
ink can help sell any product where scent or taste is important, from
antacids to deodorants to perfume."
INKS THAT CHANGE
Another way
to grab the attention of consumers is with inks that change their look.
For example, photochromatic and thermochromatic inks change color under
specific conditions. Photochromatic inks are invisible under artificial
light and appear once taken into sunlight. Often used on clothing, an
emerging trend is to use Photochromatic inks to create "surprises" for
kids. "Kids love surprises. If a secret message or favorite character will
appear when the product leaves the store, they're going to ask for that
product," says Steve D'Angelo. "The trick is to put teaser copy on the
package so kids know there's a surprise."
Thermochromatic inks,
which change color with temperature, have been used on promotional
packaging for adults as well as kids. One ICG company used thermochromatic
ink on a fridge pack for a soft drink company. When the pack was placed in
the refrigerator, a promotional message appeared.
"Packaging
companies are just starting to explore the application of photochromatic
and thermochromatic inks. Their use in packaging is really only limited by
the imagination of marketers," says D'Angelo.
Another type of ink
that changes color is light interference ink. With light interference
inks, the change occurs when packaging is viewed from different angles.
The effect is achieved by printing one color with a traditional ink, then
printing on top of that color with a special interference
coating.
"The advantage with light interference inks is that they
can really catch the consumer's eye," says John Giusto, V.P. of
Manufacturing for an ICG company located in New England. "The disadvantage
is that these inks and coatings are expensive. We generally use them on
high-end packaging where shelf impact is essential." Giusto notes that a
cosmetics customer recently used light interference inks to make an image
of diamonds pop off of a gift pack.
GRAPHICS THAT POP
Several
advances in inks provide the opportunity to create more eye-catching
packaging graphics.
Metallic inks, in particular, have come a long
way. In just the past five years, conventional metallic inks have become
25-30% more brilliant. "However, metallic dispersion inks are far more
brilliant than conventional inks," explains Giusto. "For the first time,
we're converting customers from laminated foil to metallic inks. The cost
savings can be significant."
As an example, Giusto notes a customer
who for years used laminated foil to give its packaging a premium look.
"Now we're transitioning them to metallic inks. They're happy with the
quality and thrilled with the cost savings."
The opportunity is
much broader than just companies who use laminated foil, though. "Today's
exotic metallic inks provide a high-quality look that literally shines on
the shelf. They're a great way for anyone to set their packaging apart,"
says Giusto. His firm is talking to several additional customers about
using metallic inks to replace Hot Leaf Foil stamping for their
packaging.
Additional options for enhanced graphic impact are UV
and Hexachrome® inks. UV inks are composed of virtually 100% solid
materials that are cured using ultraviolet light. This process results in
exceptional resistance properties and a higher-gloss finish when a UV
coating is used. Hexachrome is a six-color process printing system using
special inks. The use of six colors (adding orange and green to special
CMYK inks) results in more intensity and depth in the graphic image and
superior continuous tone qualities. However, this quality comes at a
premium: UV and Hexachrome inks are generally more expensive than typical
printing inks.
Other more traditional ways to make graphics pop,
such as pearlescent, fluorescent, and glow-in-the-dark inks, are seeing
increasing use as well. "Again, it's all a matter of how imaginative you
and your packaging supplier can be in applying these inks," says Flint's
D'Angelo.
CUSTOM SOLUTIONS
In addition to off-the-shelf ink
technology, there's also the opportunity to work with your packaging
supplier to create something new.
"Our customer came up with the
idea of putting iron-on images right on the back of their cereal boxes.
The problem was, the technology didn't exist," says Joe Yock, Vice
President/COO at a Midwest ICG company.
So Yock worked with his ink
supplier to create a new sublimation (heat transfer) ink that could be
printed right on packaging without a loss of graphic quality. As a result,
boxes of six different cereal brands were printed with movie characters
that kids could cut out and iron onto their clothes. The promotion was a
major success and received several industry awards.
The United
States Postal Service had a similar experience when it hired an ICG
company to produce the first overnight envelope with prepaid postage
printed right on it.
"The challenges were significant," says John
Helgerson, who oversaw ink development for the project. "USPS needed the
postage inks to last for 72 hours in direct sunlight." Helgerson worked
closely with Sun Chemical to develop inks that would meet the Postal
Service's specifications. They also worked together to create several new
security inks and coatings to prevent counterfeiting.
Says
Helgerson: "The lesson is: if you have an idea that needs new technology,
let us try to figure it out before you put it on the scrap
heap."
IN THE BATTLE TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCTS STAND OUT ON THE SHELF,
you have an ally: your packaging supplier. For more information about how
to use the latest ink technology to make your packaging sell, contact an
Independent Carton Group company. A directory of Independent Carton Group
companies, along with information about the ICG, is available at
www.independentcartongroup.com/find.htm.
Flint Ink, an approved
ink supplier for ICG companies, assisted in the preparation of this white
paper.
Rub'nSmell™ is a trademark of Scentisphere
LLC
Hexachrome® is a trademark of Pantone
Crest Whitening
Expressions® is a trademark of Procter & Gamble
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