With time, the global market is becoming more competitive and everyone has to think of innovative ways to capture customers and keep them engaged. Apart from maintaining the quality of goods, business owners have to strategize marketing plans and create a brand identity to help them win the market.
One under-used and underrated tool for marketing and brand identity is promotional labels. Labels may be a small part of the process, but they sure represent the brand and the product well.
Paying attention to these labels can transform ordinary products into attention-grabbing, customer-interactive experiences. Whether you aim to increase brand awareness, boost sales, or enhance customer loyalty, strategically designed promotional labels can make a significant difference.
We will discuss how you can effectively use labels to increase customer engagement.
Creative Uses for Promotional Labels
There can be numerous ways to creatively use labels to promote your brand. If you focus on the uses keeping the customer in mind, you will get closer to success.
a. Interactive Labels with QR Codes
The best way to enhance customer engagement is to provide convenience. If you incorporate QR codes into the promotional labels, your customers will be able to access more information about the project easily. This feature adds value to the label and makes the customer feel informed about the product. QR codes can direct customers to exclusive content, special offers, or interactive experiences, creating a seamless digital-physical connection.
Using the QR code is not difficult, it welcomes customers of all ages. Brands can use QR codes to launch exclusive discounts through instant access to a web space where they can explore limited-time discounts or loyalty programs. These QR codes allow customers to scan the label and see a 3D product demo or a behind-the-scenes video.
Additionally, these link customers to a landing page where they can upload photos using your product for a chance to be featured on the brand website or social media.
For example, you may have seen different beverage brands launch summer offers to post a picture with the drink and win big prizes. A QR code on the bottle label directs customers to a contest page where they can enter for a chance to win a prize. This not only boosts engagement but also encourages repeat purchases.
b. Scratch-Off Promotional Labels for Instant Rewards
Do you remember the different scratch-and-win schemes that our favorite brands used to launch when we were little? Not only children, but adults love such offers as well. Customers like to get instant prizes and many brands use this thrilling feature to increase customer engagement.
Everyone loves the thrill of winning and the scratch-off labels revealing even a small prize can be an exciting reason to buy a particular product.
Company owners and manufacturers can use this exciting promotional label to engage customers and increase sales. One of the most common examples of scratch-off labels is discount coupons. Some product labels can be scratched to reveal a seasonal discount and the customer can use it on that particular box or packaging.
Sometimes, a scratch-off label may reveal a discount that can be used for future purchases. Brands can also include random chances to win free products, gift cards, or exclusive merchandise. Another creative use of these labels is to reveal inspirational quotes, jokes, or hidden product details that add a personal touch. A famous example of this scratch-off label usage is the discounts on takeaways at a small restaurant.
Customers could win free drinks, or an added starter with their order. This strategy not only increased foot traffic but also built excitement around the brand
c. Edition Collectible Labels
I remember collecting The Avengers cut-outs on the box of cereal many years ago. Similarly, there was a scheme to collect pictures of different members of a famous band. The person who could collect all five was supposed to receive a free ticket to the concert. This trick can make people go crazy as they buy the product in big quantities to collect the items.
These “limited edition” collectable labels can be a successful strategy as people are urged to buy a product in bigger quantities during a designated period. Creating limited-edition promotional labels encourages customers to engage with your brand and the sales can increase significantly if the collectible is something they like a lot, and not just an add-on. This technique is particularly effective in industries like beverages, snacks, and cosmetics.
These labels can be implemented during holidays. Manufacturers can create special labels for holidays like Christmas, Halloween, or Valentine’s Day. They can release a series of labels featuring different characters, artwork, or historical facts to encourage customers to collect them all. Another smart way of using promotional labels is to partner with social media influencers or artists to endorse the collectables.
A soft drink brand could release bottles with labels featuring different music artists, encouraging fans to collect them all. Customers who collect a full set might qualify for exclusive concert tickets or merchandise
d. Personalization and Custom Labels
Any personalized label can be a great idea for brand promotion. A few years ago, Coke started selling the drink in bottles with names like Mark, John, Jacob, etc. This scheme worked well because many of us found our names on the bottle and would buy it instead of the ones that read ‘Coke.’
Customers love products that feel personal because they make consumers feel special and create a deeper connection between them and the brand. Another way to use personalized labels is to let customers add personal messages when gifting your product.
For example, Quality Street allowed customers to get the name of the recipient printed on the chocolate box. This offer made a lot of people buy assorted candies for their loved ones. You can also create labels that feature local landmarks, culture, or inside jokes relevant to a specific area.
A famous example apart from the candies and Coke is the perfume company that allowed customers to personalize bottles with their names or a short message when purchasing online. This transformed the product into a sentimental keepsake.
e. Eco-Friendly Labels to Promote Sustainability
Everyone wants to be a part of any campaign, or product promotion that focuses on environmental well-being. Nowadays, everyone is environmentally conscious and wants to help the planet.
If you offer packaging or a promotional label which promotes environmental health, people will buy it. Companies can use sustainable materials like bamboo paper or compostable adhesives.
Additionally, they can create labels embedded with seeds that customers can plant after use. Everyone is becoming more conscious about carbon footprint, so if a brand launches a label to include information on how the brand is reducing its environmental impact, they will feel compelled to buy.
A recent example is of skincare labels turning to the use of plantable labels that grow into wildflowers when planted. This strategy worked wonders and people liked an aesthetic brand that cared about nature. This campaign made people believe that the brand cares about their well-being equally.
f. Games or Puzzles for Increased Customer Engagement
We all remember cereal boxes with interesting puzzles or comic strips at the back of the box. Turning your promotional labels into a game can significantly boost interaction and customer loyalty.
This strategy encourages customers to participate in challenges, earn rewards, or unlock special offers. Many brand owners have launched scavenger hunts as a promotional scheme. Hide special edition labels in select stores, encouraging customers to find them. Moreover, points can never go wrong so you can encourage customers to collect points by scanning different labels and redeem them for prizes.
Lastly, the popular idea of creating labels that form a complete picture when collected in a series is going to be a good idea for promoting the product. The best example of this would be the cereal boxes. Another example is the winter clothing cutout figurines from cookie boxes to win a scarf, gloves or mittens from a local superstore chain.
g. Labels with Hidden Augmented Reality (AR) Features
Augmented reality (AR) technology takes promotional labels to a whole new level. When scanned with a smartphone, AR-enabled labels can bring products to life with animations, videos, or interactive experiences. Brands can incorporate this feature to offer a virtual try-on. Customers can see how a product (like makeup or sunglasses) looks on them before purchasing.
Moreover, companies can offer exclusive content such as how the product was made or interviews with its creators. Another interactive method is to tell a compelling brand story through AR animations that play when customers scan the label.
Recently, a beverage brand used AR labels that display a vineyard tour when scanned, enhancing the customer’s experience with the product, and ensuring the purity and freshness of the drink.
h. Glow-in-the-Dark and Heat-Activated Labels
Not only children, but adults also love a little bit of mystery and excitement. If you have a product for younger people, try adding some glow-in-the-dark hidden messages.
A few years back, a spy movie became famous and a cookie brand used the movie’s success to send messages that glowed in the dark for its purchasers. Companies can use these glowing labels to reveal a hidden discount code when placed in the fridge or exposed to heat.
Glow-in-the-dark labels that display secret images or promotional messages are interesting for everyone and you can also use labels that shift colors when held, shaken, or exposed to different light sources.
