More brands are embracing personalized packaging, adding customer names to labels to suggest a tailored experience for the individual
Coca-Cola launched its “Share a Coke” campaign in Australia in 2011, eventually rolling it out to more than 80 countries across the world. The core component of the campaign was a reworking of its labels, which read “Share a Coke with…” and a person’s name. When the campaign came to the U.S. in 2014, Coca-Cola saw its largest-ever year-over-year growth for the 20-ounce package: more than 19%.
In the world of social sharing, personalized packaging hits a nerve. The #ShareACoke hashtag has been used 653,000 times on Instagram, featuring people (and animals) posing next to bottles and cans with their names. The #CareOf hashtag, used by vitamin company Care/Of, pulls up more than 12,000 customer photos of their personalized vitamin packages.
A 2018 study commissioned by Packaging Innovations and ThePackHub found that 66% of packaging professionals said personalized packaging is something they were currently implementing into their offerings or were considering. The survey also found that 89% said they believe this trend would increase during the next two to three years.
The 2018 survey respondents also identified the core benefits of personalized packaging, including increased consumer engagement (87.9%) and brand awareness (86.1%). It also found that 63.7% of respondents said personalized packaging increases sales and 52.8% said personalization projects have a positive impact on consumer loyalty.
According to Transparency Market Research, the global personalized packaging market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.1% between 2017 and 2025.
Sarah Steimer is a writer, editor, podcast producer, and yoga teacher living in Chicago. She has written for Marketing News, Chicago magazine, Culture magazine, the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, and other outlets.