Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/172581
PACKAGING BOTTLES &LABELS Message on a Bottle How to optimize your label to build relationships with consumers By Toni Hamilton-Edwards W ith a growing number of wine brands crowding the shelves, small wineries can find it challenging to make their products stand out. As the age profile of wine consumers changes, and their shopping methodology evolves to be more information-based, how can your small winery engage with consumers and begin to build lasting brand relationships with minimal expenditure? The No. 1 tool is right in front you: your wine label. As the director of marketing at ASL PrintFX, I try to collaborate with clients early in the concept stage. One of the main reasons is to ensure our clients are optimizing their labels: Do our clients' labels differentiate them from the competitive set? Do they speak to their brand identity? Do they engage with their consumers? Are they going to increase sales and build a solid consumer base? Your label is the reason that you will sell your first bottle to a consumer; your wine is the reason they will buy a second. Your label should be treated as your billboard. You have about five seconds to grab a consumer's attention and convince them to pick up your bottle. There are several innovative ways to leverage the space on your wine label, so you can start to increase your brand recall and build that relationship. One option to investigate is a peel-away or label-on-label feature. It is a great way to increase brand retention and initiate engagement. This hidden feature can be used to drive consumers to a mobile website; it can show food-pairing ideas, promote other varietals or even include a special promo code with access to pre-buying for new releases. The peel-away label can be treated like a business card: a smaller, more efficient way for a consumer to recall that special bottle of wine enjoyed at a restaurant. Customers can easily place the peel-away portion into their pocket instead of having to write down the brand, vintage and varietal. Ensure continuity with all your varietals and update the information on the peel-away label regularly. It may become a mini flyer that your consumers look for. Also, if you include a peel-away label, make sure you include a call to action or reason for someone to peel it back, such as "Look behind the label for information about…" or "Peel back for an exclusive chance to…" A great example of a peel-away label is one used by Cline Cellars in Sonoma, Calif. They have an extra panel that provides recipes from restaurants that serve their wines by the glass. Cline also includes information about their farming practices—solar power, soil highlights Cline Cellars' peel-away label features an extra panel printed with recipes from restaurants that offer their wines by the glass. enrichment with crushed volcanic rock and oyster shells, and the employment of sheep and goats to graze weeds in the vineyards. Some wineries will use the tear-away label to increase brand recall with consumers who have enjoyed the wine outside their home (such as the Durbanville Hills label shown below). They have a small peel-back label that consumers can keep, and which acts as a business card displaying their website and phone number. Work with your designer and label printer early in the concept stage to achieve the • Wineries have several innovative ways to leverage the space on their wine labels so they can increase brand recall and build relationships with consumers. • Peel-away features and QR codes are excellent options that enable two-way conversations with consumers. • It's important to track the results of marketing activity sparked by your label, including the number of people responding and the amount of time they are spending with your brand. 38 W in es & V i ne s OC TOb e r 20 13 The peel-back label on Durbanville Hills bottles acts as a business card consumers can keep to help them remember the wine.