On August 27, 2015, Avery Dennison and gravity conducted a webinar to explain design and brand execution. As part of the event, Avery Dennison, the material supplier based in Mentor, OH, USA, discussed its Select Solutions product range.

The webinar, entitled, “Select Solutions Collection Webinar: Designing for the Season,” featured Anh Marella, Select Solutions Collection senior product manager, Avery Dennison, Chuck Rovito, vice president of creative services, gravity, and Keith Beckelheimer, director of brand strategy, gravity. Gravity, based in Cincinnati, OH, USA, is an integrated design studio providing design, strategy, branding, and creative solutions for consumer product companies.

The presenters discussed the ways in which brands can customize labels and packaging for more impact on the shelf. According to Rovito, collaboration between the designer/supplier, converter/co-packer, and the material supplier is a necessary step. “It’s important to know a product is out there and to find ways to utilize it,” he explained. “It’s something that we’ve done for our 2016 products.”

For gravity, customization based on seasonality is key to the process. Many customers will require these types of products for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah, and events like elections and sporting events. Typically, the company starts preparing 4-5 months in advance for a seasonal product. However, there might be situations where a customer wants a larger lead-time. “As shoppers, you probably go to a store in the summer and say, ‘they’ve got Halloween stuff already,” Beckelheimer said. “We might be 6-8 months out depending on what’s happening at the customer’s end.”

Avery Dennison has seen a lot of success with materials like holographics, foil stamps on craft beers, embossing and debossing, wood grains and natural feeling stocks, and chalk labels for customizing. Sustainability is also a priority for the substrate provider’s customers.

“There’s a trend toward customization in general,” said Marella. “We have experts to work with select vendors for their custom products.”

In addition to holographics, these solutions can be used for apparel tags, piggyback (label on a label) and bumper stickers. Avery Dennison’s substrates and adhesives can be customized in the company’s Select Solutions Center. The portfolio features Select Solutions Mix & Match, and Select Solutions Engineered Solutions. According to the company, the goal is to provide long lasting solutions, from holographic papers and film to durable drum label adhesives.

According to Avery Dennison and gravity, brands are seeking new ways to engage customers at the shelf and separate from the competition. New methods and materials are required to define the brand experience and bring definition to a product offering.

“No two clients are created equal,” said Beckelheimer. “We find that there is a greater amount of influence over smaller CPG groups, whereas larger CPG’s require less recommendation.”

Even though customers might have an image in mind for how a package should look, Rovito said that there is a place for suggestion and collaboration. “The first thing is to provide them with what they’ve asked for and then provide what you think is better and why,” he explained. “Ultimately, the brands want to be different, stand apart and bring depth to their business.”