Originally Published PMPN October 2001
CASE HISTORY
Remedy for Space
Constraints
Label expands consumer information regarding cold remedy.
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When Gel Tech LLC decided to offer consumers more directions for its over-the-counter cold and allergy products, the firm began to investigate ways to use or change their product labeling. Gel Tech developed and markets Zicam Cold Remedy and Zicam Allergy Relief homeopathic nasal gels, which are sold in drug stores, pharmacies, mass merchants, club stores, and convenience stores nationwide. Gel Tech is a joint venture between Zensano, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, and Gum Tech International, a publicly held company based in Phoenix. |
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Zicam Cold Remedy has been shown in clinical studies to reduce the duration of the common cold by an average of 71% when taken at the onset of symptoms. However, to be most effective, consumers must follow a specific set of directions. "The directions appear on the carton and package insert, but we also wanted to make the product more user friendly by including the directions on the bottle label as well," says Tim Clarot, director of materials for Gum Tech, who worked on the new label.
Clarot said they considered a number of options for replacing the paper label Gel Tech had been using. "We looked at pamphlet labels, which we found to be bulky and cumbersome. Plus, they added a lot of cost to the product," he says. Double-layer paper labels can "flag," meaning the top layer pulls away from the bottle, which affects appearance and the longevity of the label.
"As with any nasal product, the available label space is relatively small. By the time we add the logo, some required statements, and the ingredients, there isn't room for anything else," says Clarot of the 1 1/8 x 3 1/8 in. label. "Getting all the text we wanted into the available space was our biggest challenge."
That's when Label Express (Orem, UT) came in with its Reveal Estate pressure-sensitive label, which is a wrap-around label with a pull tab on one end. Consumers lift the tab to read directions printed on the inside of the label, and then they can reseal the label on the bottle for later use. "The labels look clean and were cost-effective," Clarot says.
Label Express is a wholly owned business unit of Impaxx Inc., a privately held packaging materials and labeling equipment company that offers pharmaceutical labels, folding cartons, inserts, and labeling equipment.
While the Reveal Estate label presented a solution to the label issue, Impaxx's ability to supply all the necessary components, including the carton and the package insert, also was appealing to Gel Tech. "The Reveal Estate label provided an excellent solution," says Dennis Kolpek, Impaxx account executive. "What also set us apart is the fact that we can supply everything, which means dealing with only one company instead of with three or four different vendors." Impaxx produces the Zicam folding carton at its facility in Los Angeles, and the package insert is produced at its location in Brooklyn, NY. "We have an advantage in that we not only print the inserts, but we fold them also," Kolpek says. "Many vendors don't do both."
Gel Tech was also in the process of redesigning the Zicam carton, going from a light royal blue to a darker, bolder blue. "We helped them with their redesign and came up with a logo treatment and package design that they liked," Kolpek says. "It significantly enhanced the look of the carton." The carton, which is 4 3/4 in. high by 2 3/4 in. wide by 1 3/8 in. deep, uses six colors with a full four-color process and two PMS colors.
The company started discussing sample concepts and designs with Label Express in January 2001, approved the design in March, and was in production during April and May.
"The fact that Label Express is part of Impaxx allowed us to deliver significant customer value in that we could do all three pieces quickly—the label, carton, and insert," Kolpek says. "We helped design all the components in a fairly tight timeframe. The label was the most critical piece, and we turned it around in 10 days. We designed the carton and insert while Gel Tech was doing its first production run."
Kolpek said the only concern Impaxx had about the Reveal Estate labels was whether they would work with the hot-stamp date code that Gel Tech applies. "We did a test, and it initially did not work," he said, "so Impaxx worked with the ribbon manufacturer, and we determined at what temperature and speed to run the line. We made those changes, and it worked the second time we ran the material."
Copyright © 2001 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
