Self adhesive labels provide the aesthetics and functionality needed in beverage markets

By Jules Lejeune

Beverage Market Trends in Product Branding

By Rick Harris, product manager, FLEXcon

Pressure-sensitive (p-s) labels continue to make steady inroads into the beverage label industry for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that they bring more opportunities and options into this type of labeling than alternative methods used today.

In the battle for consumer preference, beverage manufacturers continue to demand cutting-edge, upscale label graphics that command greater shelf presence and help generate brand loyalty. Rapid technological improvements in graphic design and printing capability show that beverage manufacturers are now more than ever expecting their brands to stand out among the competition. As an example, label manufacturers and printers are offering high-end “no-label-look” graphics that match the label stock to the container texture, color, and gloss level.

P-S film endures the wear and tear of filling lines, withstands the temperature extremes of pasteurization and ice chests, and meets reduced “design-to-shelf” timeframes. Film solutions will easily conform and bond to a variety of container shapes and types for primary and neck label applications, making labeling in line as efficient as possible.

In response to the need for beverage manufacturers to stand out in the crowd, the ability to create metallized and holographic films further enhances the ability to produce that eye-catching visual appeal brand owners demand today. Carrying the beverage’s thematic graphics from label to shelf art and on to in-store advertising promotes brand continuity, enhancement, and loyalty. Entire branded ‘zones’ can be created using the same graphics in all aspects of product presentation.

Sustainability is a key factor in today’s beverage industry. In response, p-s film manufacturers are producing “greener” down-gauged flexible films that tend to be more economical, provide a good diecutting base, and exceptional resistance to shrinkage, moisture, humidity, and product contents. Thinner label stock increases the number of labels that can be printed per roll and helps answer the greener demands being made more and more by brand owners.

In short, p-s film labeling for beverage applications offers more—a greater range of opportunities for product branding, increased production uptime, greater durability from in-line filling through transport, greener options, and less waste.

I believe that it is to the whisky and brandy distillers of Europe that we, in the self-adhesive label industry, should drink a long toast. They were one of the key early market sectors to realize the potential of our labelling technology—and to adopt it. For me, there is nothing like a full-on, solid gold foil label, heavily embossed and featuring a truly complex, ornate shape, for promoting the extraordinary capabilities of self-adhesive labelling.

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FLEXcon

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Raising a Glass to Self-Adhesive Labels