Dive Brief:
- Ball Corporation’s new printing processes allow branding on the top of aluminum cans. Company officials say the colorful new lids — made with its proprietary Cameo End Printing — will add appeal to beverages, according to a company statement.
- Jay Billings, vice president of commercial for Ball North and Central America, told FoodBev Media the new technique delivers branding advantages. Cameo extends the can’s 360-degree billboard to the top of the package, further increasing brand visibility and offering exciting new possibilities for contests, special promotions and limited release packaging, he noted.
- This follows an announcement earlier this year that Ball plans to build a beverage can manufacturing plant in Asunción, Paraguay, and to add capacity in its Buenos Aires, Argentina, site, to meet growing demands for cans in Latin America, FoodBev reports. In addition to increasing overall production, the growth will support various customer demands for multiple can sizes.
Dive Insight:
It’s hard to imagine a scenario with a more captive audience than a person lifting a beer or flavored water and seeing branding information on top of his beverage can as he sips. With its innovative printing technique, Ball Corp. may have found a new way to reach an audience that distributors either haven’t had the capability or desire to pursue in the past.
This could be a smart move at a time when manufacturers try to fit more and more information onto food and beverage packaging to accommodate consumers who want to be in the know. Research shows younger consumers are less interested in super sugary beverages, instead quenching their thirst with healthier alternatives. Packaging Strategies reports that 43% of students read beverage labels on a regular basis, and nearly the same amount read them at least occasionally. More than half say claims of “all natural,” “low-calorie,” “organic,” and “vitamin-enhanced” have the most impact on decisions to purchase. Placing these important — but not too wordy — health claims on lids of cans could help remind consumers they are drinking something good for them, making them more likely to buy that product again.
It’s important for companies to communicate clearly and not squeeze too much information onto packages, especially on the front, Joseph Duffy of Duffy Designs told Packaging Strategies. At the same time, more information requires more space, and using the top of the can could allow designers to better communicate and lay out the beverage company’s message.
Additionally, the novelty of messaging on the lids of cans seems likely to help beverages stand out in a crowded field — at least at first. Time will tell whether Ball customers will use the new branding space for limited or special occasions, or as a way to convey additional information to consumers who crave it. It also remains to be seen how consumers will react to the top-of-can designs, and whether they will be more likely to buy items that make their can tops more visually appealing.