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Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your story better?

June 6, 2016Keith Gribbins

avery denison press sensitive labels bottles
Dig these leaf shapes: Pressure-sensitive labels can take advantage of custom die cuts — envision that hand turkey label you’ve always dreamed about.

It’s been said that outward appearances are not a reliable indication of true character. We disagree! We believe you can rightfully judge a book by its cover, by its plot, where it sits on the shelf and what it’s sitting next to on that shelf. That cover won’t tell you everything of course, but it should be enough to get Joey Buysmoore to pull out his wallet and take it home for further inspection. A similar logic could be applied to things people actually still buy, like craft beer.

Successful craft brewers have realized that when it comes to selling beer in a marketplace with one zillion competitors, what’s on the bottle is just as important as what’s in the bottle. So how can your brand rise above all that noise? Consider pressure-sensitive beer labels as a possible differentiator in a predominantly glue-applied label market. They could help convey your brand essence — that wide collection of surrounding ideas that directly informs customers about your brand, including identity design, responsive website, marketing materials and (yes) your rad set of labels.

Harvey Shepard, a graphic designer, blogger and beer fan out of Seattle, has actually written a book about it called Oh Beautiful Beer: The Evolution of Craft Beer and Design. It’s a classy hardback that celebrates the innovative label designs that the global brewing industry is producing today. The amazing art in the book is a testament to the creative brand minds that are battling for popularity in the stiff, competitive market of craft beer.

“We have over 4,000 craft breweries in the United States now,” explained Shepard. “So, it’s not like in the 1980s where there were just a handful of craft breweries. If you were a craft beer then, that was enough for somebody to take you home. Now, I’m sure we’ve all been to that big mega beer store where craft beer is just pouring over the shelves. So, what do brewers have to do to get their brand to pop off the shelf and into a customer’s hands? On a shelf, that beer label really becomes the voice for the brewery.”

Shepard, who consults for label-maven Avery Dennison, first established the Oh Beautiful Beer website, which, like the book, houses excellent editorial and imagery of beer labels and design work. Avery Dennison, of course, is a global manufacturer and distributor of pressure-sensitive adhesive materials. You probably immediately recognize the name from your computer printer’s sticker-applied labels at home, but Avery Dennison is also an aggressive innovator in the beer and beverage label branding business.

Oh Beautiful Beer book cover
Oh Beautiful Beer book. It’s a great read with awesome visuals.

Visit Avery Dennison’s website and you’ll see a ton of innovative products to help craft brewers brand items to customers. In the world of beer, bottles, cans, signage and promotional items like coasters and stickers are no-brainers, but what about keg wraps, keg collars and shelf talkers?

“We launched our first craft beer portfolio back in 2013,” explained Jeff Greenlief, craft beer product and business development manager at Avery Dennison. “We’ve now taken a different approach and revamped that portfolio — not only to include bottle labeling, but materials for cans, growlers, crowlers, tap handles and promotional materials. So across the board there are nine different touchpoints within a brewery that could use labeling material, specifically pressure sensitive. The reason I keep saying pressure sensitive is that right now, in craft beer, 70 to 80 percent of the breweries are using glue-applied label solutions. Our material is the one where the adhesive is already on the material along with the facestock material you’ve chosen to help your brand stand out. It’s all together, just like a postage stamp or a label you would use within your office.”

Why does pressure sensitive matter?

Let’s talk specifically about bottle labels. One of the first questions facing a craft brewer regarding labels: Do you want glue-applied, pressure sensitive or shrink sleeve (read up on shrink sleeves here)? Glue-applied labels are still the most widely used option in this particular segment of the market often because of the individual unit costs, which has its pros and cons. Glue-applied labels typically come with a limited range of rectangular papers. Glue-applied labels can be applied at a pretty high speed too, up to about 1,500 bottles per minute, with either hot or cold glue.

But there are other big considerations. First, the sizable downside here is the front-end capital expenditure for implementing a glue-applied labeling system. Why is pressure sensitive a better mousetrap?

“Glue applied is a very costly setup,” Greenlief said. “It’s quite capital intensive. You’re talking tens of thousands of dollars up-front plus change parts. Even on the aftermarket in terms of purchasing, you may get into $20,000 or $30,000, and for a small brewpub that’s a lot of money because whether you sell beer or not, the bank is going to want their check every month.”

Learn the pros and cons of printing on cans vs. using can sleeves. Do it now! What are you waiting for?

Pressure-sensitive increases color, imagery, textures and shapes and is much lighter on the wallet from a total cost standpoint. You can get into a smaller unit, even aftermarket equipment, for a fraction of what a glue-applied line would cost, and pressure-sensitive increases line up-time, reduces rework costs and the changeover doesn’t involve a big cleanup — nothing more than changing the roll in the machine. Plus, you get different shapes, a highlighted appearance on the bottle or different embossments, which you cannot even touch with glue-applied labels.

Click Next below to learn the pros to pressure-sensitive labels and to learn design ideas from the pros.

Pages: Page 1 Page 2
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Keg collars, tap handle labels combine in innovative Bellevue Brewing solution
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Check out these four beer labeling solutions (from pressure sensitive to shrink sleeve) at #CBC2017

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. CJRunsforBeer says

    June 9, 2016 at 11:28 am

    RT @ADLabelLeader: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your story better? This is what @ohbeautifulbeer and we have to say: https://t.c…

    Log in to Reply
  2. XaviGBarber says

    June 9, 2016 at 10:20 am

    Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better?

    https://t.co/xx7bYZeAmz

    Log in to Reply
  3. Fox71377 says

    June 8, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    RT @dzyngrl: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your story better? https://t.co/dwZifSuv4Y https://t.co/wMqFW5oje5

    Log in to Reply
  4. dzyngrl says

    June 8, 2016 at 3:30 pm

    Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your story better? https://t.co/dwZifSuv4Y https://t.co/wMqFW5oje5

    Log in to Reply
  5. craftbrewcreate says

    June 8, 2016 at 2:06 pm

    @ADLabelLeader @CraftBrewingBiz Indeed, and thanks for the follow. Awesome seeing some good beer design content out there these days!

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  6. ADLabelLeader says

    June 8, 2016 at 1:56 pm

    @craftbrewcreate Thanks for sharing the @CraftBrewingBiz story – we agree! So much that the label can do.

    Log in to Reply
  7. lindonb5 says

    June 7, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    RT @BrewStuds: Can pressure-sensitive #beer labels tell your story better? https://t.co/vOXnHYXrOQ #craftbeer #branding #design https://t.c…

    Log in to Reply
  8. Ohio_Digital says

    June 7, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    RT @BrewStuds: Can pressure-sensitive #beer labels tell your story better? https://t.co/vOXnHYXrOQ #craftbeer #branding #design https://t.c…

    Log in to Reply
  9. BrewStudNo1 says

    June 7, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    RT @BrewStuds: Can pressure-sensitive #beer labels tell your story better? https://t.co/vOXnHYXrOQ #craftbeer #branding #design https://t.c…

    Log in to Reply
  10. LABELZZZZ says

    June 7, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    @craftbrewcreate @CraftBrewingBiz @Eclipselabels

    Log in to Reply
  11. LABELZZZZ says

    June 7, 2016 at 6:02 pm

    RT @craftbrewcreate: Some awesome insight into using unique label designs! from @CraftBrewingBiz https://t.co/h3BmR6rZRE #craftbeer #packag…

    Log in to Reply
  12. Sean Annis says

    June 7, 2016 at 5:52 pm

    Sean Annis liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  13. TeresaYuWillams says

    June 7, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    RT @ADLabelLeader: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your story better? This is what @ohbeautifulbeer and we have to say: https://t.c…

    Log in to Reply
  14. WheatonCreative says

    June 7, 2016 at 4:39 pm

    RT @craftbrewcreate: Some awesome insight into using unique label designs! from @CraftBrewingBiz https://t.co/h3BmR6rZRE #craftbeer #packag…

    Log in to Reply
  15. craftbrewcreate says

    June 7, 2016 at 4:38 pm

    Some awesome insight into using unique label designs! from @CraftBrewingBiz https://t.co/h3BmR6rZRE #craftbeer #packaging #design #branding

    Log in to Reply
  16. BrewStuds says

    June 7, 2016 at 4:25 pm

    Can pressure-sensitive #beer labels tell your story better? https://t.co/vOXnHYXrOQ #craftbeer #branding #design https://t.co/1lFPqXVrM6

    Log in to Reply
  17. johngramesty says

    June 7, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    RT @KCHopTalk: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels sell better? https://t.co/gasx5LCVat

    Log in to Reply
  18. NewEnglandBeers says

    June 7, 2016 at 3:47 pm

    RT @KCHopTalk: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels sell better? https://t.co/gasx5LCVat

    Log in to Reply
  19. KCHopTalk says

    June 7, 2016 at 3:35 pm

    Can pressure-sensitive beer labels sell better? https://t.co/gasx5LCVat

    Log in to Reply
  20. gariphic says

    June 7, 2016 at 2:48 pm

    RT @ohbeautifulbeer: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better? https://t.co/cJ9X6irQHN https://t.co/a3tXUxqlez

    Log in to Reply
  21. ohbeautifulbeer says

    June 7, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better? https://t.co/cJ9X6irQHN https://t.co/a3tXUxqlez

    Log in to Reply
  22. ADLabelLeader says

    June 7, 2016 at 9:17 am

    Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your story better? This is what @ohbeautifulbeer and we have to say: https://t.co/uctoHUI41Z

    Log in to Reply
  23. Hong Jinho says

    June 6, 2016 at 9:51 pm

    Hong Jinho liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  24. LABELZZZZ says

    June 6, 2016 at 5:04 pm

    @CraftBrewingBiz @ADLabelLeader on a digital press at #@Eclipselabels

    Log in to Reply
  25. LABELZZZZ says

    June 6, 2016 at 5:03 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better? We ask @ADLabelLeader https://t.co/BiRsHTmJlI

    Log in to Reply
  26. mapeddycord says

    June 6, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    RT @crsimp01: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better? https://t.co/Zj8R1IlvZi via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  27. BeallBreweryIns says

    June 6, 2016 at 2:57 pm

    Can pressure-sensitive #CraftBeer labels = possible differentiator in a mainly glue-applied label market? https://t.co/3mE7P7FD3v #branding

    Log in to Reply
  28. Paul_AD_TSL says

    June 6, 2016 at 2:49 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better? We ask @ADLabelLeader https://t.co/BiRsHTmJlI

    Log in to Reply
  29. Belgian-Style Ales says

    June 6, 2016 at 2:36 pm

    Belgian-Style Ales liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  30. LVRGLLC says

    June 6, 2016 at 2:19 pm

    #CraftBeer #CraftBrewing #Beer #BeerBiz Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your story better? https://t.co/O6xVtKa5K5

    Log in to Reply
  31. crsimp01 says

    June 6, 2016 at 1:57 pm

    Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better? https://t.co/Zj8R1IlvZi via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  32. ADLabelLeader says

    June 6, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better? We ask @ADLabelLeader https://t.co/BiRsHTmJlI

    Log in to Reply
  33. wryan1618 says

    June 6, 2016 at 1:49 pm

    Can pressure-sensitive beer labels tell your unique story better? https://t.co/91ZQagU7vS

    Log in to Reply
  34. Leslie Chasse says

    June 6, 2016 at 1:22 pm

    I have said to home brewers for a long time now, the label sets the mood. It’s like a restaurant with atmosphere that effects your opinion of the dinner. But like my dad used to say to mom, you can’t eat pretty. Home brewers just don’t seem to get it.

    Log in to Reply

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