Packaging the Future: How HP Digital Print is Reinventing Brand Engagement

Marcus Timson, FuturePrint

In this article based on a webcast available here, I discovered a treasure trove of creativity, clever technology and cutting edge marketing. I hope this article provides further food for thought for anyone reading it.

In a noisy world where attention is scarce and consumer loyalty fleeting, brands are rediscovering something remarkably simple: the power of physical experience. But this isn’t nostalgia—it’s reinvention. And at the heart of this creative resurgence is a technology that may have been maturing behind the scenes for many brand marketers: digital print.

To unpack this shift, I recently sat down with Abel Sanchez and Guy Bibi of HP Industrial Print—two people deeply embedded in the intersection of technology, creativity, and brand strategy. What followed wasn’t a product pitch. It was a glimpse into a new frontier of marketing. One where agility, emotional connection, and personalization are more than buzzwords—they're key business advantages.

From Tech-Speak to Brand Strategy

Abel Sanchez leads HP’s Brands and Agencies Innovation Platform across EMEA. His job, as he describes it, is to “humanize the technology”—to make the value of HP’s industrial digital printing capabilities relevant to brand leaders, marketers, and agencies.

“There’s a gap,” Abel told me. “Most marketers still rate their knowledge of digital print at a two or three out of ten. But once they understand what’s possible—what this technology can do creatively and strategically—the conversation shifts from cost to value.”

The shift is significant. Traditional procurement departments typically frame print as a budget line. But when strategic marketers enter the room, the story changes. Suddenly, packaging is a media channel, an engagement tool, and—crucially—a driver of ROI.

Guy Bibi, who manages HP’s “Creativity Power Pack,” brings the technical artistry to life. A product manager with a designer’s mindset, Bibi is focused on building tools that make digital print not just flexible, but expressive. Together, he and Sanchez form a kind of creative-technical yin-yang, helping brands turn vision into real-world packaging with speed and precision.

Personalization as a Mega-Trend

We’ve all seen it—Coca-Cola’s legendary “Share a Coke” campaign, where bottles featured individual names. It felt new, fresh, even fun. But it wasn’t just clever—it was a business triumph. According to Coca-Cola, it was their most successful campaign in a decade. And they’ve recently brought it back.

Sanchez and Bibi explain why: “People are willing to pay more for products that feel personal,” said Bibi. “You’re not changing the product. You’re changing the story.” A personalized Marmite jar sells for over £12, compared to a standard £3.60 price point. Same ingredients. Same container. But radically different value.

It’s not limited to big brands, either. HP worked with a Lithuanian water brand to celebrate its 100th anniversary through 100,000 uniquely designed labels—each one featuring a different face. “Digital print gives even small brands the ability to do big things,” Bibi said.

Agility: The New Differentiator

This isn’t just about novelty. It’s about speed. Sanchez shared a story of an open house where a brand came in with an idea and walked out with printed prototypes—within an hour. “We’re helping brands collapse timelines,” he said. “From idea to execution in a day. That’s transformational.”

HP’s SmartStream Designer and the newly introduced feature, HP Spark, allows for highly sophisticated design automation. That means brands can adapt their packaging dynamically—by region, language, retailer, even individual consumer preference—without costly delays or massive inventories.

The result is not just creative freedom. It’s operational agility. “You can print what you want, when you want, where you want,” said Bibi. “It’s agility at scale.”

The Return of the Physical

In an era of digital bombardment, consumers are craving tangible experiences. Research from the Cannes Lions—often dubbed the Oscars of advertising—reveals that physical experience is now the second most effective channel in the media mix, outperforming social and online video.

“People filter out digital ads,” Bibi explained. “But they pour their milk every day. They pick up the same cereal box. That’s time spent. That’s engagement. That’s value.”

And it’s not just attention—it’s emotion. According to HP’s analysis of over 50 million social media conversations, there are six key emotional drivers that connect people to personalized physical experiences—from pride in community to nostalgia, gifting, and social impact.

One standout campaign: Hershey’s “Her for She” initiative in Brazil. Using HP’s digital print technology, the brand split its logo to feature female artists, musicians, and changemakers on limited-edition packs. Scannable QR codes brought their stories to life. The result? A packaging experience that wasn’t just personal, but purposeful.

Smart Print Meets Smart Strategy

This is where HP’s approach gets particularly clever. Through features such as HP Spark, brands can now integrate logic, AI, and even weather data into their packaging. Yes, weather data.

A German winery partnered with HP to design wine labels that reflected the climate conditions at the time of bottling. Rainy? Windy? That became part of the story. A perceived limitation became a unique selling point.

“The technology is important,” Sanchez noted. “But what matters is what you do with it. And that’s where brand strategy, not just production, comes into play.”

Another compelling example: Toblerone’s gifting campaign in the UK. Each chocolate bar featured a different “quirk” personality trait—dog lover, sleep talker, karaoke fan—and thanks to HP’s software, each box was packed with ten different traits and no duplicates. Customization without chaos.

Rethinking ROI

The numbers tell their own story. According to WARC (the World Advertising Research Center), campaigns that use packaging as a lead channel are delivering twice the ROI of traditional media-led campaigns. And they’re outperforming on softer metrics too—brand equity, PR, and word-of-mouth.

This isn’t a fringe trend. It’s fast becoming a strategic pillar.

Sanchez is clear: “Brands that embed personalization and co-creation into their media mix are driving more impact—emotionally and financially. The pack becomes the platform.”

Getting Started: The Garage Effect

For brands wondering how to begin, HP offers a clear pathway. Their “Garage Innovation Workshop” is a hands-on, end-to-end sprint—from ideation to printed prototypes in just 24 hours.

“It’s not just brainstorming,” Sanchez explained. “It’s execution. We print the actual prototypes. Brands leave with something tangible, not just slides.”

The goal, as both Sanchez and Bibi underscored, is to create what they call a “quadruple win”: the brand innovates, the agency gets more work, the printer gets more jobs, and HP’s presses get put to use. Everyone wins.

 The Ask: Reimagine What Print Can Be

“We’re not just offering a press,” said Bibi. “We’re offering a constellation of creative and strategic tools. Brands just need to choose the stars and build their own story.”

And with the ability to personalize, regionalize, securitize, and emotionally resonate—all with speed, intelligence, and beauty—the packaging of the future is more than just wrapping. It’s media. It’s engagement. It’s a moment of magic in a distracted world.

The question isn’t whether digital print works. It’s whether your brand is ready to use it to its full potential.