Thousands of successful product launches, introductory offers, changes in market position and responses to offers can be associated with the use of processes that increase visibility, stimulate attraction, hold attention, and convey an image of value to customers. These processes are known as high-visibility enhancement. These enhancements are what make the packaging attractive, to hold the viewer’s attention. Some of these processes have been in use for quite some time and are part of the branding strategy for many companies in a wide variety of product marketing categories, such as food and beverage, cosmetics, personal care, and others. Some examples of high-visibility enhancements include embossing, specialty UV coatings, and metallic finishes.

The most well established and well-known high-visibility enhancement is foil stamping. Over the past few decades, investments in development of stamping foil products have expanded the types of finishes and applications of foil stamping. Today, stamping foils are available in over 100 shades of metallic finishes, dozens of decorative printed finishes, optically variable finishes like holograms, and custom colour printed artworks called heat transfer foils. All the development and growth in the use of foil stamping has expanded its applications, from cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, clothing, promotional items, consumer electronics, and other FMCG products.

Advantages of using foils for decoration

1. Perception of Quality

   • One logical explanation for the cultural affection of shiny objects is to do with our association of them to wealth and luxury.
   • Evolutionery studies have shown that our attraction to shiny objects is rooted in our need for water (read more at Fast&Co).

2. Brand Security

   • Optically variable finishes such as holograms offer an effective defense against counterfeiting.
   • Building a brand costs millions - protecting it costs a fraction of it.

3. Attracting Attention

   • Research done with eye-tracking experiments by the Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA) has shown that foil stamping on packaging helps attract attention faster and retain attention on packaging for longer than an identical package without foil stamping.
   • What's unseen is unsold. The more likely a brand is seen, the higher it's likelihood of purchase.

4. Sustainability

   • Studies have validated the recyclability of paper products decorated with foil stamping methods.
   • A better alternative to chrome-plating - Foils are a better alternative to chrome-plating that has been tackling environmental issues due to the use of toxic chemicals such as hexavalent chromium, de-misters, phosphates, etc. With increasingly stringent regulations to disposing these chemicals, hot foil stamping foils provide a more cost-effective, and sustainable alternative.