QUESTION:
How can on-pack solutions overcome language barriers in a multilingual society?
ANSWER:
The role of packaging has become far greater than simply acting as a container that protects the contents of products. Packaging is a proven, effective tool for building brand loyalty, and a key factor influencing consumers at the point of purchase. And for certain types of products, such as those made by the pharmaceutical industry, packaging is an absolute essential part of the product – incorrect labelling or lack of information could have serious adverse effects on a consumer.
In a country such as South Africa, with eleven official languages, communicating important product information becomes a major challenge. This is especially true for brands that cater for a wide target audience, or for any type of pharmaceutical product. And when products are locally produced and shipped to overseas markets, the challenge becomes even greater.
There is simply not enough space on traditional packaging solutions for product information in eleven different languages. Brand owners who want to successfully communicate important product information to a multilingual audience base need to look at innovative solutions that allow them to meet legislative and consumer demands without reducing the impact of the packaging. In my experience, there are no solutions quite as effective as the Fix-a-Form leaflet label.
Not only does it reduce the number of elements that need to be procured, but it also allows the manufacturer to have an on-pack solution that can be shipped to foreign markets. Brand owners can apply a leaflet label in place of a standard adhesive label with usage instructions in any number of languages. This allows them to reduce their inventory and eliminate country-specific packaging, while still complying with the legislative requirements of a specific country or region.
Additional features that can be added to the Fix-a-Form leaflet label include medical information on pharmaceutical products, removable sections that can attach to patient records, barcode and pharma-code matching and a host of anti-counterfeiting features. And since the Fix-a-Form leaflet labels are supplied on-reel, the labels can easily be applied using standard labelling equipment.
