17
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • MARCH 2018
LA"ELS •
From adesign that stands out on the shelf to amaterial
that’s environmentally sound, there aremany different
elements to consider when choosing a label. Fortunately,
theUK’s horticultural label providers are goingout of
their way tohelpmake selecting the right product amuch
easier task. Rachel Anderson reports.
Something that’s colourful
and eyecatching
From care instructions to the country origin, there are
many pieces of information that canbeput onto aplant
label. But, asCatherinePilling, senior projectmanager
for PPC Labels, points out, having a label that stands
out from the crowd
is arguably of utmost
importance. She
asserts thatmost
of her customers
realise that having a
good siaed label with
an attractive image
and a ¸designwith
impact¹will always be
key requirements to
promote and sell their
plants in a competitive
market. She adds
that larger labels
anddistinctively-
shaped labels are
¸very popular at the
moment – something
that’s colourful and
eye catching.¹ ¸We
will set up label text
inwhichever style
suits the client but
fromour experience it
is still thepicture that
has themajor impact
andwill usually attract
the customer in the first
instance – unless it is amore experiencedgardener who
knows exactlywhat he/she is looking for.¹
PhilipMabon, creativedirector for Hortipak, asserts
that a highquality, large, attractive image remains an
essential element of aplant label. ¸Aswell as offering
reassuranceby confirming thepromise of theplant, the
majority of images also add crucial colour to the label,¹ he
says, adding ¸research such as theHTA’sSellingPlants
Profitably Bpublished in 2015D has shown colour tobe
critical ingetting shoppers to stop at fixtures and engage
withplants.When these colours areblocked together
andpromoted as a collection, such as theBall Colgrave
Bplant colourD themes or byPantoneColour of theYear
for example, they haveproved tobe very attractive to
shoppers.¹ Philip alsopoints out that Hortipak has access
tomore than120,000high-quality horticultural images
as the exclusiveUK and Irelandpartner to theNOVA
horticultural image library.
BambooPrint’s director DuncanMcLintock reminds
growers that, whilst attractive images are generally
featured in labels, sometimes theplant speaks for itself. ¸I
was recently looking at some sensational poinsettias, and
in that instance a label wouldhavebeen adistraction.¹
He adds: ¸For one of the herbgrowerswedeal with,
we’vedesigned labels that have nopicturebut arebased
on attractive typography – the retail customer can see
what the herb looks like, so the contents of the label can
focus on cultural information, recipes and an element
of fun.¹
Good customer service
The need tooffer their customers a helpful and user-
friendly service is, it seems, just as important as being
able tooffer strikingdesigns and images.Marjet deBoer,
a representative for Floramedia’smarketing team, says
that TheNetherlands-based firm keeps track of all the
plant pots that are inuse in themarket. ¸We archive them
sowe know exactlywhat is goingon in themarket and
can advise our customers about which fixingworks best.¹
Stuart Lowen,marketingmanager for thewholesale seeds
andplants distributor Ball Colegrave, says: ¸Labelling is
challenging at thebest of times for any grower or supplier"
toget the right variety label, in the right style anddelivered
on time.What’smore frustrating is for any grower to
STANDOUT FROM
THECROWD
Ball Colegrave claims that
its exclusive agreement with
MasterTagmeans that it can
offer its grower customers a
great service.
