Author Archives: Peter Renton

My time at Lightning Labels has come to an end. It feels strange typing these words but they are true. Some of you may know that in July 2008, we sold Lightning Labels to Cenveo, one of the leading companies in the printing industry. I was committed to seeing Lightning Labels through a successful transition and I feel the time is right now for me to move on.

This has certainly not been an easy decision. Since the idea for Lightning Labels germinated in my head during a Thanksgiving ski trip back in 2001 I have poured my… Read the rest of Farewell | 5 Comments

Last year I wrote about the Portuguese wineries that have adopted QR codes on their wine labels. Recently, I have noticed more wineries adopting this cool new technology.

A quick refresher on QR codes for the uninitiated. QR codes are a very useful tool for pointing people to more information about your product. This is how it works. You take a photo of the QR code with your phone with a bar code reader and you are automatically taken to the… Read the rest of More Wineries Adopting QR Codes | 4 Comments

If you sell a retail product, whatever it is, you should be paying attention to Proctor & Gamble. They are the largest consumer products company on earth and they have the power to change the rules of the game.

Which brings me to the announcement by P&G last week of their Environmental Sustainability Scorecard. Unlike the Wal-Mart initiative that uses the “stick” approach by potentially punishing wayward suppliers, P&G have opted for the “carrot” approach that measures and rewards improvement over time… Read the rest of Proctor & Gamble Launches Sustainability Scorecard

I am a big fan of the hit TV series Mad Men. What intrigues me most about the show is the window it provides into the advertising world of Madison Avenue in the 1960′s. Then it was relatively easy to reach the masses with an advertising message. A print campaign (in newspapers and magazines) combined with some TV ads would ensure your product could be introduced to most Americans.

Every day, we are getting further removed from that world. Last… Read the rest of Product Labels are More Important than TV | 2 Comments

Even though I was a big fan of John Elway (the former Denver Broncos quarterback) during his playing days I never thought he would make an appearance on the Lightning Labels blog. I was wrong.

Since retiring from football after the 1999 Superbowl Elway has pursued a variety of business interests. Last year, this included an investment in Nude Vodka, a new ultra-premium sipping vodka. To celebrate this investment, the people at Nude Vodka organized an “Evening

Earlier this month Medea Vodka released a new concept in product labels – a programmable LED label. Even though this venerable Dutch distiller has been around since the 18th century they are very much breaking new ground here in the 21st century.

The LED label has six pre-programmed messages but you can also program your own message. It can have up to six scrolling 255 characters messages, enough for a (very) short story. But the drawback from my perspective is that it is quite a pain… Read the rest of New Vodka Has a Programmable LED Label | 1 Comment