Page 33 - Packaging News magazine Jul-Aug 2021

July-August 2021 | www.packagingnews.com.au | COVER STORY
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Davidson says, “Ian is still our fixer. Peacock Bros. are an honest opera- tion, and innovators, they have given us great ability to create a definite style, they were the first printers that we met that really wanted to get alongside us.”
Little Bang wanted labels that in Davidson’s words “really pop”. He says, “We were both big on video games, and we wanted to recreate that dramatic impact for Little Bang. The HP Indigo at Peacock Bros. has inspired our creativity, and has deliv- ered in the result.”
The Mosaic software developed by HP and running at Peacock Bros. essentially means every label can be different, but within defined param- eters. The software can be easily instructed to keep certain elements as they are, and allow others to be varied with infinite combinations, creating a dynamic set of labels, which look the same, but not quite, which creates consumer interest.
Davidson says, “Using HP Mosaic has meant we have been able to intro- duce a playful element to our beers on the shelf, it has helped us to dif- ferentiate ourselves in a crowded market. We use Mosaic sparingly, for instance we had one beer label which had a Union Jack flag in one corner, and all we would vary on that label was one of the colours in the flag, but it is enough to pique interest. That combined with the pop that comes with the HP Indigo technology gives us what we need.”
Those cans are now found on the shelves of bottleshops around the country, from the independents to the big two at the Coles and Woolies owned chains. Little Bang has grown from two to the current 44 staff. It has moved into its third premises, which now also includes a public tap room serving the amber nectar on the premises.
GETTING PERSONAL
The company took variable data to the next level with its Little Bang Hazy IPA, where they spent several months developing an algorithm that gave every single beer can a dif- ferent name, which Davidson says, “was a terrific idea, each can is a
“Digital printing is ideally suited to this way of marketing and the possibilities are endless.”
— Mark Daws, Currie Group
personalised experience.” The algo- rithm has come up with 47,000 dif- ferent names so far, which has meant 47,000 different labels pro- duced on the HP Indigo at Peacock Bros., effectively 47,000 runs of one.
The relationship between Little Bang and Peacock Bros. is now more a collaboration. Ian Sarney, area sales manager at Peacock Bros. says, “When I first came into Little Bang for a beer the owners told me there was an issue with the labels, and I knew that Peacock Brothers with its HP Indigo digital label print tech- nology could really benefit their business, both in the functionality of the labels, and in the way that Little Bang wanted to use them in its marketing.
“We have worked together really well over the last three or four years, with Little Bang really able to exploit the opportunities that HP Indigo and HP Mosaic provide. Little Bang is a creative business, and
the labels reflect the personal- ity, and clearly help the busi- ness achieve the cut-though and positioning it wants, in what is a crowded market.”
Peacock Bros. has been run- ning HP Indigo as its main dig- ital printing equipment for a decade, and in 2017 ordered the first HP Indigo 8000 Digital Press in the Asia Pacific, which joined its two existing HP Indigos.
Mark Daws, director, Labels
& Packaging ANZ at HP Indigo supplier Currie Group, said, “It
is fantastic to see technology that we represent here in ANZ being tried and tested to its full potential. The power of innovative and engaging
BELOW: Currie Group & HP Indigo recently presented customers who registered for the HP VIP Live event, with a personalised Little Bang beer pack.
graphics on packaged goods is key to brand marketing success. It is the final enabler at the point of purchase, and we as consumers are swayed by cool experiences such as this.
“Digital printing is ideally suited to this way of marketing and the pos- sibilities are endless. It allows brands such as Little Bang the opportunity to refresh the customer experience, branding and consumer engagement without the need to change the con- tents. There are many well-known success stories of global brands that have leveraged HP Indigo technology in their marketing campaigns but there is nothing more satisfying for me to see our customer, Peacock Bros. partner with local, entrepreneurial start-up brands such as Little Bang to achieve success in this way.
“It perfectly demonstrates the power of digital printing, and proves that with a little creative thinking you can achieve big-bang success.” ■
Scan this code to find out more about Little Bang on Instagram.