Mark Lusky01.26.22
Are you finding recent “peel back” labels to show additional product information a pain in the…fingers? I am. In trying to comply with the “peel back here” instructions on a couple bottles, I found the going totally non-productive on one, and effective on the other only after multiple attempts.As we start the New Year, this is a timely topic.
Product manufacturers, in an effort to be ever-more inventive and expansive with label information, need to avoid creating a customer service problem in the process. Fortunately on the first bottle, I was able to access needed disclosures and ingredients digitally. Given that these were vitamins, I insist on having all information at my fingertips.
The moral of this story: Product manufacturers, think through your efforts to improve form and function at the expense of serving the customer well. By the time I waded through the vitamin challenge, I wasn’t feeling the customer service love – and this is a well-known and respected manufacturer.
When I rechecked their label, I thought of several ways they could have handled the situation better:
Tiny type terrors. Yeah, I know smartphones have all types of magnifier apps, but who really wants to decipher label content so small that perfect vision won’t get you there? Despite this obvious insult to good customer service practices – enabling people to easily read what you’re all about – more and more tiny type is appearing on labels everywhere. Do you ever get the feeling that the people making customer service policy aren’t connecting with those in charge of label branding, design and presentation?
Obscuring product function. Is it shampoo or conditioner? Some products do a great job of describing function right out of the gate. If you’re in the shower, having to figure out the difference between shampoo and conditioner should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the zeal for “trendy, avant-garde” design sometimes wins out over common sense. Customer service suffers as a result.
Burying the lede. In addition to big and bold product function description, labels also should prioritize content and graphics placement so that the most important information and disclosures pop up before lower priority items. But, just like with so many “news” stories these days, many labels bury the lede. Consumers too often have to wade through a bunch of gobbledygook to find the most important disclosures, warnings, ingredient information, and what differentiates the product from the competition.
A large amount of bandwidth can be a blessing or a curse. In today’s information-overload world, there’s a tendency to present too much because there’s room for it. In the “old days,” we called it cluttering all the white space with everything that “prints to fit” instead of looking at what’s “fit to print” and prioritizing accordingly.
One way to consider label presentation basics that will resonate with consumers is to think of the content and graphics as a social media post. While the post can link to more information for those wanting more information, the essentials are typically very short – with one or two key thoughts/graphics.
That said, product manufacturers subject to disclosure regulations must make compliance the top consideration. And, products with a complicated, extensive list of ingredients will likewise need to factor in this top-line priority over most – if not all – other considerations.
What all this means is that label strategy, design and branding merit thoughtful consideration. Rather than just slapping a bunch of ideas up against the wall and arbitrarily picking one, take the time and dedicate the resources necessary to do it right.
“Doing it right” can include market research to give consumers what they want.
Another crucial item is to engage the services of a seasoned, savvy branding specialist and graphic designer. With a top-notch team, chances of developing the right label go way up – along with profits and company longevity.
Mark Lusky is a marketing communications professional who has worked with Lightning Labels, an all-digital custom label printer in Denver, CO, USA, since 2008. Find Lightning Labels on Facebook for special offers and label printing news.
Product manufacturers, in an effort to be ever-more inventive and expansive with label information, need to avoid creating a customer service problem in the process. Fortunately on the first bottle, I was able to access needed disclosures and ingredients digitally. Given that these were vitamins, I insist on having all information at my fingertips.
The moral of this story: Product manufacturers, think through your efforts to improve form and function at the expense of serving the customer well. By the time I waded through the vitamin challenge, I wasn’t feeling the customer service love – and this is a well-known and respected manufacturer.
When I rechecked their label, I thought of several ways they could have handled the situation better:
- Include an easily-accessed URL or QR code on the label for more information.
- Do an extended content label that would fold out to reveal the additional information they did on the peel-back. That way, there would be no frustration, and it would have been possible to include additional info such as reviews, recent vitamin study links, etc.
- Create an Augmented Reality (AR) presentation that could both educate and entertain viewers more about the manufacturer and their other products, and provide easy interactivity for additional reviews, surveys and the like. On the label itself, all that’s needed is a small digital ID that can be scanned by a smartphone for access.
Tiny type terrors. Yeah, I know smartphones have all types of magnifier apps, but who really wants to decipher label content so small that perfect vision won’t get you there? Despite this obvious insult to good customer service practices – enabling people to easily read what you’re all about – more and more tiny type is appearing on labels everywhere. Do you ever get the feeling that the people making customer service policy aren’t connecting with those in charge of label branding, design and presentation?
Obscuring product function. Is it shampoo or conditioner? Some products do a great job of describing function right out of the gate. If you’re in the shower, having to figure out the difference between shampoo and conditioner should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the zeal for “trendy, avant-garde” design sometimes wins out over common sense. Customer service suffers as a result.
Burying the lede. In addition to big and bold product function description, labels also should prioritize content and graphics placement so that the most important information and disclosures pop up before lower priority items. But, just like with so many “news” stories these days, many labels bury the lede. Consumers too often have to wade through a bunch of gobbledygook to find the most important disclosures, warnings, ingredient information, and what differentiates the product from the competition.
A large amount of bandwidth can be a blessing or a curse. In today’s information-overload world, there’s a tendency to present too much because there’s room for it. In the “old days,” we called it cluttering all the white space with everything that “prints to fit” instead of looking at what’s “fit to print” and prioritizing accordingly.
One way to consider label presentation basics that will resonate with consumers is to think of the content and graphics as a social media post. While the post can link to more information for those wanting more information, the essentials are typically very short – with one or two key thoughts/graphics.
That said, product manufacturers subject to disclosure regulations must make compliance the top consideration. And, products with a complicated, extensive list of ingredients will likewise need to factor in this top-line priority over most – if not all – other considerations.
What all this means is that label strategy, design and branding merit thoughtful consideration. Rather than just slapping a bunch of ideas up against the wall and arbitrarily picking one, take the time and dedicate the resources necessary to do it right.
“Doing it right” can include market research to give consumers what they want.
Another crucial item is to engage the services of a seasoned, savvy branding specialist and graphic designer. With a top-notch team, chances of developing the right label go way up – along with profits and company longevity.
Mark Lusky is a marketing communications professional who has worked with Lightning Labels, an all-digital custom label printer in Denver, CO, USA, since 2008. Find Lightning Labels on Facebook for special offers and label printing news.