As consumers, we all love consistency. Familiarity is important. We are more likely to be drawn to reputable and recognisable brands as we want reassurance that we will produce a quality product. Consistent branding only boosts confidence and encourages customers to invest in the product and company.
In this article, we will discuss how important it is to have consistency with your branding, and how that translates to your labels!
The Importance Of Consistent Branded Labels
Establishing a brand identity is essential before launching a product or business into the consumer market. As an individual or large team, there needs to be an understanding of the brand identity, ensuring synergy across all aspects of the business and a clear, communicated vision.
Unless you have a unique product, you will compete against other companies to influence the consumer’s purchase decision. Before they can try the product itself, the first point of contact a customer has with your products and brand is often the packaging. A unique and stand-out label will ensure the first impression is a lasting one. For advice on how to make your label stand out, read our article that provides Five Tips For Labelling Products For Your New Business.
While popular trends are an interesting way to cater to the masses, your brand image and values should not be compromised to fit in with a temporary fad. Not considering your strategy can contribute to a loss of sales. The product and company may become unrecognisable to the consumer.
Tropicana and Gap redesigned their logos as part of a rebrand, taking a stripped-back and modern approach from their former iconic imagery. For Tropicana, the carton became unrecognisable to the customers, leading to a 20% drop in sales. Gap also suffered a backlash from followers of the brand, some consumers even made parody versions of the logo to express their dislike. As a result, both companies reverted to the original designs – wasting money and tarnishing their brand identity.
Image Source: The Branding Journal, 2023
"Does what it says on the tin" is how your customer should feel after purchasing and using your product. Attention-grabbing design and persuasive packaging copy are important now more than ever. With the significant rise of e-commerce since the global pandemic, packaging and branding need to work hard to 'distance-sell' to the customer just one mouse click away from purchasing.
A rise in the 'unboxing experience' has caught on in recent years as social media users reveal to followers their deliveries. Head to YouTube or TikTok and search ‘unboxing’ to see the thousands of videos romanticising this seemingly dull process of opening a box. Packaging products in a tasteful way, with plenty of exposure to your brand name and logo, can act as a form of free marketing through your customers sharing your brand identity with their followers.
Consider adding the following to your parcels;
- Branded sticker to the outside packaging as a budget-friendly way of getting your brand name 'out there'.
- Small round sticker with your logo on tissue paper, plastic wrap or other protective materials possibly used to wrap your products for safe transit.
- A selection of Individually cut stickers as a 'thank you' to your customer for their purchase.
Remember, all stickers can include your brand colours, logo and social media handles for maximum brand visibility and consistency.
Choosing A Material Suited To Your Brand
First of all, have you discovered the demographic for your product? Understanding the demographic will help you tailor the content to the right type of person.
Our materials and finishes can be combined to create the perfect label for the right audience. For luxurious products, a durable material finished with premium embellishments will maintain an expensive-looking brand image. For a younger target audience, something colourful and memorable on a fun colour or textured stock may work well.
Some of our customers have created environmentally friendly products and businesses. Wanting their brand values to be represented consistently through their packaging choices, we can offer a Matt White Recycled Paper, Permanent Adhesive or a Matt White Biodegradable, Permanent Adhesive label material option. For further information on our biodegradable labels, please visit our blog about The Benefits of Biodegradable Labels. If a company brands itself as eco-friendly, but elements of its products do not support this stance, the lack of consistency and care in maintaining brand values can contribute to mistrust and poor credibility.
From a practical perspective, consider the specifications and requirements of your product. Do you need a durable label that can withstand dampness? Does it need to be heatproof? If you are printing on the labels, ensure the material is compatible with your printer.
We recommend ordering a material sample before purchasing if you are a new customer or are unsure what to order. It’s important to us that you order a compatible and suitable material the first time. This service is free of charge. Please be aware, that you can order up to three material samples by submitting the sample request form on our website. These samples won’t be cut to a specific size as this can waste material, however, you should still be able to test these in your printers for compatibility. You can also use the sample to test your application and assess the quality before ordering a larger quantity with us.
Design With Your Branding In Mind
At the start of any new business venture, a font style, colour and visual identity should be established. Maintaining this look across all physical and digital products will build your brand heritage - something that will become instantly recognisable to loyal followers of your business.
Even though our products come in various shapes, sizes and materials, the designs on your chosen label products should be cohesive - using similar colour themes, fonts and imagery.
If you would like evidence of well-branded products we have worked with, take a look at our customer spotlight page where you can see some real-life creations. The branded product photos from this blog are from our customer 'I am Doner', whose striking designs feature on all their products as a means to stylishly identify the contents.
If you would like to feature as a customer spotlight, when you create an order with us for labels to print, tick the box that asks for a social media agreement. With your permission, we can post and promote your brand on the Flexi Labels social media and website. Free promotion for you and it helps us show off what is possible with our labels.
Compliance And Regulations
While the look of your labels plays an important role, complying correctly with legislation is crucial. Missing safety details or inconsistent compulsory information is considered a faux pas and could lead to legal issues or lapsed business insurance.
Some industries, such as food and chemical handling, require a specific formatting of information to ensure the product can be legally sold. We will be building up our help centre with articles based on the dos and don'ts for labelling. One of our new articles covers CLP Labels, specifically a Guide to Candle Labelling.
If you have any queries, design or technical based, please get in touch with a member of our customer service team who can provide their expertise and advise on compatibility or suitable applications.
Are you ready to start your consistent branding journey, order your labels now!
