If you sell into any type of food or beverage market, you know how important seasonal marketing can be. Whether it’s cookies with box labels themed around the holidays, craft brews with limited edition labels themed around popular sports events like the Super Bowl or March Madness, or limited editions of wine and spirits designed to delight customers around other special events, the ability to produce short- to medium-run labels has revolutionized the way brands approach seasonal and regionalized marketing.
Let’s take a look at some examples.
1. Seasonal Promotions: Winter, spring, summer, and fall are opportunities to create seasonally and holiday-themed labels.
Coca-Cola, for example, is famous for its Christmas advertising campaigns, including its limited-edition, holiday-themed cans and bottles featuring images of Santa Claus, polar bears, and other holiday motifs. These special editions are highly collectible and contribute to the brand’s association with the holiday season.
Pringles is another company known for introducing seasonal flavors for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. They have released flavors like Roasted Turkey and Pumpkin Pie Spice, with packaging featuring holiday-themed designs.
2. Sports Events: Major sporting events are another opportunity for food and beverage companies to show off their custom labeling.
Gatorade, for example, often releases limited-edition bottles to coincide with major sports events like the Super Bowl or the FIFA World Cup. These special editions feature team colors, event logos, and athlete endorsements, creating a connection between the brand and the excitement of the sports event.
Budweiser is also known for its sports-related marketing, especially around events like the FIFA World Cup and the Super Bowl. Budweiser often releases limited-edition cans and bottles featuring sports themes, team logos, or event promotions, appealing to sports fans and collectors.
3. Holiday Specials: Holidays offer unique opportunities for themed marketing. Imagine the possibilities of a local chocolatier or coffee roaster to introduce special packaging for Valentine’s Day, featuring romantic designs and messages. These small brands could even print labels with popular names on them, such as “Susan’s Morning Brew” or “Chocolates for Janet.”
4. Regional Events: Brands can use digital label presses to create region-specific labels for events or promotions. A great example is the Apple Blossom Festival held near Winchester, VA. With short-run digital production, even small exhibitors are able to create their own event-themed merchandise.
5. Limited Editions: Digital label presses enable brands to create limited-edition products for special events or collaborations. For instance, a coffee company could collaborate with a local artist to design unique labels for a limited batch of coffee beans. Or they could team up to promote a local event like a motorcycle rally or a local 10k run for charity.
By leveraging digital label presses, brands have limitless creativity. Even small brands can produce unique, highly creative limited editions to boost sales around key seasons, events, and holidays.
If they have trouble coming up with ideas? That’s where you, as the distributor, can be an invaluable asset. Don’t show up empty handed. Come armed with creative ideas that make your customers and prospects say, “Wow! Why didn’t I think of that?”
