Thermochromic Ink Makes Labels Smarter
Even top-shelf liquor can be less than satisfying if it isn’t served at the proper temperature. That is why Polar Ice Vodka has incorporated thermochromic ink into the label of its premium 90°North vodka, telling the consumer when the spirit is at a perfect frosty temperature. According The Drinks Report, ASL Print FX, using CTI Inks, produced the labels after market research revealed that many customers prefer their vodka chilled in a freezer.
According to Louis Bondy, manager of new product development at the Hiram Walker & Sons distillery, “The basic construction of the labels includes a crystal clear polypropylene substrate with transparent pressure sensitive adhesive for the face exposing the clear, pure nature of the vodka within. The label on Polar Ice Vodka was printed with combinations of flexography, screen-printing, raised varnish, and thermochromic ink techniques to simulate an iceberg and the iconic Polar Bear.”
While brands like Polar Ice Vodka and Coors Light have utilized thermochromic ink to indicate when their beverages are cold enough to consume, other companies are experimenting with labels that change color when exposed to sunlight.
Labels using Chromatic Technologies’ Sunlight Inks, for instance, can change colors depending on if they are being hit by sunlight. While these inks don’t indicate a temperature change, they add a fun feature to a label that can be particularly useful in the summer months.
“We are committed to helping brands win the summer, tailgating and other popular outdoor usage occasions,” explains Patrick Edson, chief marketing officer for CTI. “Sunlight Inks create ‘theater-in-the hand’ for a brand’s audience: a consumer walks outside and, in seconds, the Sunlight Inks transform from clear to a colorful reminder to apply sun tan lotion, or several garnishes recommendations appear for cocktails, or a surfboard is revealed with a secret code for a mobile app.”
Color-changing labels can also be used to indicate food freshness. With always-ambiguous expiration dates not providing an accurate indication of when food will go bad, seeing a label change color leaves no question marks when it comes to food quality.
According to a November 2013 report in PSFK, Insignia Technologies has developed a color-changing label that indicates how long a package has been unsealed. Similarly, Geek.com reports that a China-based research group has developed “time-temperature indicators.” These are small tags that can be placed on food or beverages that change color depending on time and temperature, providing accurate readings of freshness. For example, a label on a milk bottle could slowly morph to orange, yellow, and lime green, before finally becoming an unappealing shade of neon green. That’s the signal to dump the milk.
Whether for fun or information, interactive labels are a way to engage with and inform consumers about the products they buy. Can such labels develop into an element that drives brand preference? Very possibly, and that could lead to labels that are time, temperature and freshness sensitive showing up on a wide array of products. And for brand owners and converters, the time to begin such differentiation might be right now.
