Package Design - September 2014 - 36

Survival
OF THE
FASTEST
Fast and ﬂexible, digital
printing is enabling
brands, big and small, to
build their businesses.
BY LINDA CASEY

he biggest news this year from the
intersection of package design and
digital printing came with a pop and
a fizz. The summer saw the launch of
the Share-A-Coke campaign in the U.S.
Coca-Cola fi rst launched the personalization campaign in Australia in 2012. Since then,
the company has helped people "share a Coke"
in more than 50 countries around the world,
including New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil,
South Africa, Great Britain, Turkey, Germany,
Spain and Chile.
The marketing program required digital
printing on a large scale. At an industry event
last year, Gregory Bentley of Coca-Cola
reported that the European campaign
involved almost 800 million customized labels
printed at a cumulative rate of 36,000 per hour
across 12 presses in eight different locations.
For the U.S. campaign, Nosco reports that
it was selected as one of four digital printers,
36

SEPTEMBER 2014

including Innovative Labeling Solutions (ILS),
to deliver personalized labels throughout the
country. ILS says it was selected to lead the
label production for the Share-A-Coke project,
including driving the production process, and
coordinating data and communication
between the vendors.
"We've seen the excitement Share a Coke
has elicited around the world, so we're ecstatic
to bring it to life here in the U.S.," says Jennifer
Healan, group director, integrated marketing
content and design, Coca-Cola North America. But you don't have to serve a brand as big
as Coke to benefit from digital printing.

A NEW CATEGORY
FOR CONSUMERS
Digital printing has enabled Fab Ferments to
evolve the growing brand and adapt to the specialty food market by creating new products
and seasonal fermented offerings. Fab Fer-

ments was created by Jennifer De Marco and
Jordan Aversman to offer the extensive health
benefits of fermented, raw foods, while offering
a safe, fun way to obtain these epicurean commodities. The pair aims to introduce Midwestern consumers to more than just sauerkraut,
kimchi and pickles.
"Living in the Midwest, but in love with the
West Coast, we wanted to bring something
distinctive and cutting edge to Ohio-Raw
Cultured Veggies," Jordan Aversman, coowner at Fab Ferments, says. "From the peace
signs to the wine stock material, we wanted
our packaging to represent our high-quality
products and reflect our fun, earthy personalities. We also wanted a design that allowed you
to see how beautiful our raw cultured veggies
look inside the jar."
Because its labeling is printed digitally, Fab
Ferments have been able to adjust its designs
based on consumer feedback. "We're also able

Package Design - September 2014

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