Customized Labels Give Jones Soda Edge in Panera Bread Stores

Jones Soda has attitude. It creates a personal, edgy kind of relationship with its consumers that major soft drink brands can't even approach. Packaging is a key to doing that."Packaging is a critical tactic that we use," says Peter van Stolk, president and CEO of the Seattle-based company. "We deal with interaction of our brand with the consumer, and packaging creates an image and an attitude of the brand."Jones Soda, for example, prints outrageous sayings under its bottle caps. For the 2003 holiday season, it unveiled Turkey & Gravy flavored soda. And on its labels, it prints photographs that its consumers provide. The process works this way: Consumers upload digital photos onto the Jones Soda Web site, www.myjones.com. The company chooses some of these and prints them on labels for its 12-ounce, clear glass bottles. It also prints photos on four-pack carriers for the beverage.These label images cover just about anything at which consumers can point a camera. They feature people in laundromats, as well as beautiful sunsets. The connection with consumers is positive. There is a "buzz" on the Internet as people communicate about "their" labels.Jones Soda changes the labels monthly, and as often as every two weeks during the peak summer season. The system is unique, and the company has a patent on the process, issued in late 2002.Unique Character Pays OffThe labeling process is also a selling tool. It opened the door to a key account when Jones Soda became the featured beverage brand at Panera Bread restaurants in mid-2003. Jones Soda prints custom front and back labels for bottles sold at Panera Bread stores. The front labels show photos of bread, and those on the back carry messages about Panera's history and its brand. The collaborative effort has gone through two sets of labels in its first eight months, and a third set of labels is just appearing in Panera stores.For Jones Soda, the payout is the prime retailing real estate it commands in Panera Bread stores. Jones Soda bottles are displayed next to the cash registers. A rack system keeps them in front of consumers as they order.van Stolk is emphatic about how packaging propels Jones Soda into a unique marketing niche. "We call it the 'pop factor,'" he says. "The package has evolved to creating an emotional connection."If you are not adding a 'wow' element to your package, van Stolk adds, then you lose the opportunity to be unique. "If you just create a package that just looks pretty, then you have to compete with a million other products." Jim Peters is a writer and consultant with 25 years in the packaging field. He is president of J. Peters Associates Inc. Click here for his contact information.

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