Coca-Cola’s iconic “Share a Coke” campaign is back, as “Gen Z seeks authentic connection in an increasingly digital world.” It responds to powerful emotions of connection and nostalgia. Our ebook “Beyond the Box” has been one of our most downloaded resources recently: time to take a closer look at personalized packaging, and what lies behind its success.

The psychological principle called “endowment effect” encourages us to keep a product, simply because we hold it in our hands. We feel a sense of ownership and automatically value it more. This effect becomes even more powerful when the product comes in personalized packaging. It feels uniquely made for the customer, building an emotional connection and creating a lasting impression. This massively impacts buying decisions and brand loyalty. No wonder the personalized coke bottles are back.

But there is even more to it: Beyond protecting and delivering the product, printed packaging material is an important brand touchpoint. It communicates your message, provides useful information, and enhances the entire experience. All this happens at first glance, even before the box is opened.

Going from customers’ names, there is a wide variety of personalization elements, creating deeper engagement. Our customers have had great success with personalized maps: Finding your own home location printed on a piece of packaging, it instantly creates a personal connection: with the product and the surroundings of the customer, including nearby store locations or landmarks.

With the locrFINDER, an innovative online location tool, it is also possible to bridge print and digital. This also works perfectly for offset printed packaging: Customers can scan a QR code and access personalized location information (like the route to the nearest store) on their mobile device. It can easily be customized to meet your campaign goals and corporate design.