So when the Houston-based company introduced a new line of products, “we wanted to communicate this shine equity to consumers. Shrink-sleeve labels give five of those new products the best shelf presence possible and allow us to convey important information to consumers,” he says.
The sleeve labels are made from a monolayer 2-mil modified PETG film that’s converted by SleeveCo (www.sleeveco.com). SleeveCo gravure-prints the striking labels in eight colors. SleeveCo worked closely with the packager and with designer WBK (www.wbk.com) to make sure that text and graphics would be visually stunning after the label was shrunk to the bottle. That was especially challenging with two of the trigger-spray bottles, which are molded with contoured finger grips in their neck areas.
The “front” of the sleeve label features a blazing red background, with product name, a brief description, and an image of the automotive part that the cleaner serves. The back panel offers directions and a boxed area that cross-promotes other Black Magic products. Cautionary info and first aid details appear on a side panel.
The five sleeved Black Magic offerings include four PET bottles: blue-tinted 16- and 23-oz sizes with trigger sprayers and finger grips, and two 16-oz soft-shouldered items with flip-top lids. The fifth bottle is a 23-oz high-density polyethylene bottle with a trigger sprayer, but no finger grips. “The decision to use PET or HDPE was driven by product formulations and product compatibility, and had little to do with sleeving,” says Lack.
Cut labels and rollstock are shipped to Easy Contract Labeling (www.easycontractlabeling.com) for application to bottles. ECL then ships labeled bottles to a Shell plant in Cleveland for filling.
“With the new line of Black Magic products, we faced a real technological challenge, along with SleeveCo,” says Lack. “Shrink sleeving does cost a bit more in the short term, but everyone here was excited about the long-term potential of this package and product line, and that made it a viable proposition for the company.” The products retail at mass merchandisers and automotive parts retailers for between $4.99 and $6.99. —JB
