The Three Foot Effect
The label for each varietal is unique artwork. Some designs are reminiscent of woodcut printing, emphasized by heavy embossing. The effect adds visual and textural depth, creating a strong physical structure and bold shelf presence.
But suppose the wine-consumer connection could be made stronger. In our ever-more interactive age, the next step for wine and spirits labels is enhancing customer engagement with online interactivity. Distillers are already encouraging customers to send selfies and other photos of themselves to engage with the company on its websites, and more interactivity is not far behind. Wine makers, by comparison, are more conservative, yet as they seek to attract Millennials, they will almost certainly find new ways to reach out to wine drinkers.
For example, the technology already exists to have smartphone-readable images embedded into the art on a wine label. Scanning that image with a smartphone app could take the user to a website where they could learn more about the wine—and place an order for a bottle or a case. Now imagine the power of that connection when it takes place in a restaurant where the wine has been selected based on the recommendations of knowledgeable waitstaff or the sommelier. Innovative wine makers are already thinking this way and orders for the needed labels could be coming soon to savvy label printers and converters.
Whether the label is on a bottle of wine or spirits, its first objective is to engage with the consumer, evoke emotion and spur the purchase decision. And it all starts at that three-foot, eye-to-shelf gap.
