HP has announced its role in helping The Coca-Cola Company expand its popular “Share a Coke” campaign to the United States, enabling consumers to make meaningful connections with the largest volume of personalized Coca-Cola labels ever produced for a single country.

The campaign, introduced in Australia in 2011, launched in the United States this summer, adding more than 250 popular names, nicknames and terms of affection to customized Coca-Cola products. Printed on HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses, the personalized labels captured broad attention, providing an emotional and tactile experience with the brand.

“Share a Coke would not be possible without digital printing, and it gave Coca-Cola the unique ability to engage in one-to-one communication with customers,” says Scott Biondich, group director, Sparkling Packaging and R&D Equipment Development, Coca-Cola North America. “Label production for this highly complex campaign required meticulous attention to variable data, consistent productivity and flawless color management. HP Indigo was the clear choice because of its proven print quality, productivity and strong global network.”

Using targeted consumer demographics data and variable data printing, HP worked with Coca-Cola to segment the production lanes of its HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses to produce varying run lengths of each name based on US regional demand.

“Coca-Cola is at the forefront of one-to-one marketing, engaging consumers and increasing shelf appeal with digitally printed personalized labels and packaging,” says Yishai Amir, vice president and general manager, Americas Graphics Solutions Business, HP. “HP Indigo digital printing technology offers brands like Coca-Cola a unique value proposition to connect with people in a more meaningful and measureable way with the quality and productivity to support campaigns of any size.”

Running 24 hours per day and six days a week for approximately three months, the HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses delivered the productivity and quality required to meet Coca-Cola’s weekly production minimums and hit launch volume specifications. HP supported production with around-the-clock technical service to maintain maximum press utilization.

To create a strong, durable label, able to withstand the fast speeds of US bottling lines, a new substrate and a laminate construction replaced the original media and varnish overlay technique used in Europe. Coca-Cola Red Ink was reformulated to accommodate the new substrate, and the updated color was maintained across all US print providers’ HP Indigo digital presses to ensure color consistency worldwide, upholding Coca-Cola’s strict brand standards.