MILAN – Last year the Daily News discovered that a higher percentage of Japanese readers buy bottled water than they do newspapers. Therefore, the management had a brainwave that could combine the healthy habit of drinking bottled water with informative education. This is how the experiment of printing news reports directly onto the plastic labels of water bottles came about.
The bottle paper innovation
In order to ensure that the news is legible, the Daily News launched a total of 31 models of packaging and printed a two-dimensional code on the bottle. This way, consumers can also read the newspaper directly on their mobile phones by scanning the bottle. The proud editors say that this has enabled them to achieve their goal of reawakening young people’s awareness of information. How much does it cost? For $3 you can take home a nice bottle of water and the day’s news.
Success
That’s not all. The special Japanese characters and the product innovation have also increased the degree of recognisability on supermarket shelves. Within a short space of time, the special bottle of water has become a must-have, especially amongst the younger age groups, and has also enabled the Daily News to make the change from the traditional paper version to the innovative digital medium. The experiment is currently in the trial stages, but the excellent results bode well for the future. All to the benefit of daily information and... hydration
