Digital print is bringing brands and millennials closer together, with customisation and personalisation of packaging delivering creative cut-through.
When it comes to tapping in to the millennial desire for uniqueness, personalised packaging goes a long way. These digital natives, who grew up with social media and the internet, have come to expect a degree of customisation and personalisation from brands. And it's digital printing that is the enabler when it comes to packaging.
While big brands like Coke, Nutella, Oreos, KitKat and Vegemite have attracted most of the attention for their recent personalised retail marketing campaigns, thanks to the agility offered by digital print, niche and start-up brands are equally capable of getting 'up close and personal' without blowing the budget.
The novelty of putting people's names on packaging still seems to be having a fair run since first initiated by the now over-cited Share A Coke campaign and various spin-offs that have followed – but it will likely wear off at some point.
Closely linked to this idea, is the selfie-on-pack concept, which has enjoyed success for Nestle's recent personalised Kit Kat campaign and others, like the personalised snack boxes for the brand Goldfish.
In the latter case, HP worked with the brand owner to launch an eCommerce website that allowed customers to select from an array of design options, including adding their own photos and messages, to create personalised Goldfish packages.
They then combined the on-demand printing capabilities of the HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press with a dedicated Copac converter production line to deliver each package as it was ordered.
This enabled consumers to choose a special package design and customise it with their own photos and messages on the front and back of the package. These were quickly produced and shipped as they were ordered, delivering them in a sturdy, branded shipping box.
Jason Beckley, business development manager HP South Pacific says: “Personalisation creates a sense of intimacy with the brand, and on-demand digital printing feeds the millennial's strong desire for a unique brand experience.”
Apart from continuing to roll out advanced digital printing technology that can handle all packaging substrates, HP is developing advanced inks that will further enhance the brand experience, Beckley says.
“Combine this with design-activated AR and VR immersions, and digital print can elevate ordinary brand packaging to the extraordinary, creating experiences that inspire and ignite the consumer's imagination.”
