Case Study
Avery Dennison: Powering Consumer Engagement
Created by
Avery Dennison
,
2022
Storytelling is a powerful tool for designers to communicate their brand DNA — that is their values, their design intent. There is a real opportunity for designers to pioneer circular fashion systems by bringing awareness to consumers about the environmental impact of fashion and allowing them to make better, more sustainable choices. Storytelling can be achieved in many different ways; leveraging digital tools is one of them.
Introduction of the case study
In this case study, we explore how Avery Dennison is empowering 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.
Content
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).
Credit: Avery Dennison
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
Paulo Dybala models the Common Goal / SoccerBible / Avery Dennison shirt. Credit: Pete Martin, SoccerBible.
Introducing QR codes to products can be an efficient digital trigger to communicate the story of the product, way beyond what traditional branding or in-store communication can achieve.
Avery Dennison, Common Goal, a nonprofit organisation founded by Juan Mata of Manchester United, 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 nine 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 purchased the shirt was able to scan a heat transfer QR code applied to the inside of the shirt itself, which revealed a thank you message from Common Goal founder Juan Mata.
Credit: Avery Dennison
Smart embellishments are another effective technology to extend the experience of the consumer.
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.
Credit: Avery Dennison
The R Collective’s upcycled ‘Denim Reimagined’ collection, supported by Levi’s® and designed by Redress alum 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 labelling, 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.
About the Contributor
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, and over 15 years of pioneering development in RFID and digital ID technology, Avery Dennison is partnering with some of the world’s most ambitious brands.
