How big brands use personalisation to connect with their customers

Personalised print is a valuable tool for companies looking to strengthen consumer connections and boost sales. Major brands like Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Heinz, and Diageo are leveraging this medium to offer customised products and experiences.

If you want any additional proof of the value of personalised print, then you only need look at the increasing number of companies using it as part of marketing and sales strategies. More brands are using personalisation to connect more with consumers and grow sales of certain products.

Crucially, this is evident among major brands, with some of the most well-known companies in the world integrating personalised print within their offering. Be it something simplistic such as changing the label on a bottle or more in-depth like altering the design of a box, there is an increasing number of examples of this approach – and this is good news for print companies in this sector.

Here, we pick out some examples of how the world’s most iconic and recognisable brands are turning to personalised print…

Make each moment memorable

Among one of the most famous examples of personalised print among leading players in the world is Coca-Cola, which now offers customers the opportunity to personalise a range of its products. A quick visit to the Coca-Cola website presents users with options to customise Coca-Cola cans or glass bottles, which then can be sent on to someone else as a gift.

However, it is not just as simple as adding someone’s name to the side of the drink. Coca-Cola also allows customers to change the actual design on the bottle’s label or side off the can to match with a special occasion or certain theme. Some of the options available to consumers include a birthday theme, a design to mark the New Year, the logo of a sports team, and even graduation artwork, complete with mortarboards.

CAPTION: Coca-Cola offers personalisation options across a range of products

Personalisation is available across three of Coca-Cola’s leading products: classic Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero.

“Personalised Coca-Cola bottle are the perfect touch, whether you are celebrating a big milestone or enjoying lift’s little moments,” Coca-Cola said. “Personalised cans also add a story to every sip. Make each moment memorable!”

Following a similar route is Cadbury, which offers consumers the opportunity to put their own mark on its famous chocolate products. Perhaps one of the most famous instances of this is its iconic Toblerone, the paper-based sleeve of which can be now emblazoned with anything from someone’s name to a short message.

In recent years, Cadbury has extended this offering further, with other examples including adding football teams to packs of Dairy Milk in the UK. There is also the option for customers to add messages, names and other text to the famous chocolate bars as well as on certain selection boxes such as Milk Tray.

On top of this, with the 2025 Easter season nearly upon us, Cadbury also allows customers to personalise the cardboard packaging on some of its chocolate egg products.

Power of the pen

Taking a completely different approach to personalised labels is Heinz, which last year came up with a unique concept for customers in Saudi Arabia. To mark Saudi Arabia’s National Day on 23 September, Heinz temporarily gave up its iconic ketchup label to allow people to share their own congratulatory messages.

CAPTION: Heinz came up with innovative personalisation in Saudi Arabia

The campaign saw the famous Heinz logo on ketchup bottles replaced by an empty green keystone, offering space for shoppers to personalise their own messages. People could then scan a QR code displayed on billboards across several major cities to submit their National Day messages.

While technically not a printed message, providing a blank space for customers to interact with a brand presents an interesting opportunity for those working with brands on print personalisation.

“Going brandless as the number one ketchup brand in the region is our irrational act of love to join our Saudi consumers in celebrating the Kingdom with its rich culture, heritage, and unity. Heinz is excited to offer our famous Keystone label for people to express their pride. In this unique campaign, we are letting Saudi voices take centre stage,” Passant El Ghannam, head of marketing at Kraft Heinz MEA, said at the time.

Artistic AI

Ending this round-up with alcoholic drinks giant Diageo, which has various personalisation options on offer. One that catches the eye was revealed last year, with customers able to reimagine how its famous Johnnie Walker bottles look, with some help from AI.

‘Johnnie Walker x Scott Naismith’ is a generative AI-powered experience run in partnership with Scottish artist Scott Naismith, allowing customers to co-design a personalised bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label – exclusively at its location in Edinburgh, Scotland last August.

CAPTION: Diageo used AI to help customers design their own bottles for its Johnnie Walker product

Visitors were asked to answer three simple questions to influence key themes in Naismith’s work, which ultimately impacted their bottle design. The prompts generated various colours, locations, artistic styles, and times of day, resulting in a unique bottle that was printed in just minutes.

The experience was powered by ‘Project Halo’, which allows both brands and consumers to co-create personalised label designs and product artwork. Driven by generative AI, Diageo said this empowers consumers to co-create designs on its products.

“This was the first pilot in a wider platform the ‘Breakthrough Innovation’ team is exploring, looking at how we can use AI responsibly to enable co-collaboration between fans and artists,” said Will Harvey, senior global innovation manager at Diageo. “Demand for personalisation shows no signs of slowing down, so we’re delighted to offer the chance to create one-of-a-kind AI-enabled designs.”

This is just a small sample of the brands putting printed personalisation to use across their products, with the reality being that there is so much more going on. For more insight into this innovation and to learn more about the other opportunities in the market, visit the Personalisation Experience 2025 at Messe Berlin in Germany between 6-9 May.

Discover the latest innovations in personalisation at Personalisation Experience 2025, a premier gathering dedicated to unveiling the latest in digital print personalisation, offering an immersive platform for industry professionals to explore innovative technologies, sustainable practices, and forward-thinking strategies. Taking place from 6 -9 May at Messe Berlin, Germany. Register to visit here and use promo code PEXJ501 to only pay €50 for your entrance ticket.