CASE STUDY
AVERY DENNISON
POWERING CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT THROUGH DIGITAL TOOLS
Avery Dennison is a global leader in physical and digital labelling solutions. They are pioneers in inventing products that serve the evolving needs of consumers, while also reducing their own environmental impact, advancing the circular economy and making positive social impact by improving the livelihoods of people and communities. With an eight-decade history of materials innovation, over 15 years of pioneering development in RFID and digital ID technology, Avery Dennison are partnering with some of the world’s most ambitious brands.
In this case study we explore how Avery Dennison is powering brands to increase engagement with their customers, therefore giving them solutions to design products that will last longer. From telling their story to sharing critical information about products, brands use cutting edge Avery Dennison digital tools to communicate effectively with their customers and build brand loyalty.
DIGITALISING PHYSICAL PRODUCTS
Creating unique digital identities for physical products is the first step in bridging both physical and digital worlds and taking advantage of digital triggers (such as UHF, RFID, NFC or even QR codes).
Avery Dennison launched atma.io™ in 2021, a powerful end-to-end platform that creates, assigns and manages unique digital identities. It is reimagining how supply chains operate, how brands connect with individual consumers, and how global organisations can achieve their sustainability and transparency goals.
Once a product has its own unique digital identity, brands can easily develop solutions to engage continuously with their customer: from telling and updating stories to sharing important data, here are some examples…
BUILDING EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS
Introducing QR codes to products can be a very efficient digital trigger to communicate the story of the product, way beyond what traditional branding or instore communication can achieve.
Photo: Paulo Dybala models the Common Goal / SoccerBible / Avery Dennison shirt. Photo by Pete Martin, SoccerBible
Common Goal is a non-profit organisation, founded by Juan Mata of Manchester United, and together they are on a mission to provide access to sports to underserved communities across the globe. Athletes and managers sign up to be a part of Common Goal and in doing so pledge to donate 1% of their salaries to the organisation. The organisation routes the money to high-impact NGOs actively working in communities everywhere.
Avery Dennison, Common Goal and SoccerBible came together to create Common Goal’s debut football shirt with profits going towards their mission to provide access to sports to underserved communities. The shirt features 9 different heat transfer embellishments produced by Avery Dennison, including an innovative connected heat transfer in the back neck of the jersey. The connected heat transfer drives the consumer to engage with their product and explore bespoke content.
For the launch, anyone who purchases the shirt is able to scan a heat transfer QR code applied to the inside of the shirt itself which reveals a thank you message from Common Goal founder Juan Mata.
Smart Embellishments are another effective technology to extend the experience of the user.
Veniceball took advantage of the technology for their #ShowChiLove basketball festival, held in 2020 in Chicago. Avery Dennison contributed to a shared goal; to create memorable experiences for the local community. The standout experience of the festival was a series of ‘connected’ heat transfers on commemorative jerseys personalised by each wearer . These Smart Embellishments, when scanned with a smartphone, linked directly to the Veniceball website and information about the collection through Avery Dennison’s Smart Reader Application.
Exclusive content, authentication, geo-tagging, cultural movement messaging, and personalisation are just some of the ways that brands can invite their users and followers to unlock something new from their garment.
MAKING INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE
QR codes embedded on products can also be used to share educational messages, product care or end-of-life information.
The R Collective’s upcycled ‘Denim Reimagined’ collection, supported by Levi’s® and designed by Redress Design Award Alumni Jesse Lee, unites innovative design with manufacturing and labelling to reduce clothing’s climate impact and clean up consumers’ care habits. The collection uses surplus denim provided by Levi Strauss & Co and promotes the message of #WearAndCare.
Avery Dennison joined forces with The R Collective to digitise the collection. In addition to innovative product labeling, made from recycled materials and using zero-waste water-soluble materials, consumers can scan the unique QR code on the garment’s care label to discover key information on the clothing item. Once scanned, they receive one of four different sustainability messages depending on the garment: how the garment was made; the collection story; how to care for clothes to reduce their climate impact and solutions for keeping fashion in use and out of landfills.
LEARN MORE FROM AVERY DENNISON
Consumer engagement: Avery Dennsion and Digital Solutions by Kelsey McCabe: a session extracted from the Redress Design Award 2021 Pathway Course, featuring Ahluwalia’s work
Avery Dennison Enabling Circularity: learn how Avery Dennison’s Digital Care Label is re-imagining the way you think about a traditional care label and acting as a bridge to a more circular economy
QR Code trends & Insights: read the Avery Dennison QR Code Report available for download