When Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) saw a unique way to help commemorate its Branch Rickey-Jackie Robinson Week and their historic partnership in breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier, the university found itself relying on Century Label (Bowling Green) to pinch hit in the process.
At issue was a unique and recently patented dual-cavity bottle called the Smiler – and OWU’s fast-approaching Rickey-Robinson celebration, which took place from Jan. 24-27, 2011. Shaped in the form of a sphere, the bottle had a shrink-wrap label to make it look like a baseball. And that’s what caught the attention of Mark Cooper, OWU’s director of Marketing and Communication.
“When I saw it,” Cooper said, “I knew the custom-printed, baseball-shaped bottle would make a great souvenir for our Rickey-Robinson event. We filled it with candy and placed one of several motivational quotes in the separate compartment underneath. One bottle contained a unique quote and the random recipient of that bottle won a prize. It made our celebration even more special.”
But it was December 17, 2010. And the bottle, due to be introduced during the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas in early January, was available only in prototype form – and with only a limited number of non-custom labels. There were no customized shrink-wrap labels for the bottle that Cooper wanted to use as a commemorative souvenir. Nor were there any customized labels for the caps.
This is where Century Label came in. Contacted by its business partner Emergent Technologies (the developer and license holder for the patented bottle), Century stepped up to the plate to fast-track the labels needed for the project. And OWU was able to introduce - for the first time ever - Emergent’s patented dual-cavity bottle in helping commemorate Branch Rickey – Jackie Robinson Week. (For more info, see: http://rickeyrobinson.owu.edu/.)
“Creating the shrink sleeves for this unique shape was a great opportunity for our company,” said Mark Dally, Senior Account Manager with Century Label. “We faced many challenges in the process, but we were able to come alongside our customer and in the end, provide them with a finished product that matched their original concept perfectly.”
Bowling Green-based Century Label has been providing award-winning custom and specialty printing since 1980. With onsite printing facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, and an experienced production team, Century Label specializes in precision printing and customer care. For more information, visit CenturyLabel.com.
