Packages across categories are getting smaller, and the trend toward more portable beverage and prepared-food containers will drive the increased use of plastics in rigid food packaging in the U.S. market.

Belgian sports drink marketer WCUP brings a new packaging concept to beverages in Europe with a 300-mL hybrid bottle made largely of flexible film. The company says the bottle structure answers sustainability demands with a carbon footprint 50% smaller than the PET container it replaces.

Coca-Cola is bringing more convenience to the beverage aisle with a resealable 500-mL aluminum can for its Burn energy drink.

A number of "attitude" beverages have been entering the market lately, and a new one demonstrates the power of the bottle and label working together. Melbourne, Australia-based Hazardous Fluids Pty. Ltd. is rolling out Sportsdrink + Bodily Fluids in the U.S. as an isotonic supplement drink designed for athletes participating in motor and power sports.

White-coated aluminum cans provide the canvas for labels with glitzy graffiti graphics that introduce AriZona Beverages' All City NRG green-tea-based, pomegranate-juice-flavored energy drinks.

From fabric and skin care to energy drinks, new packages communicate what the product does

Mintel’s Global New Products Database cites several products that have recently come on the market. Each product’s packaging spotlights the product benefits.

One instinctual response to grouped words such as “protein” and “beverage” is “Yuck!”        

The natural resistance to such an unnatural combination must be overcome fast in consumer products. That’s what Protica Nutrition Research did for its concentrated, advanced-formula Profect protein drink.

Doctors are recommending the new product to aid in quick recovery from surgeries such as a gastric bypass. The product is also rolling out as a consumer nutritional supplement drink.

Key was creating a package that draws consumer interest. Packaging for Profect springs from scientific implications, as the primary package resembles a test-tube. Running vertically on the package label is another confidence-inducing “touchpoint”: “Virtually Unbreakable Container (Patent Pending).”

Perfecting the “vial” took some time as Protica felt it was essential to develop the tube with outer and inner walls as parallel to each other as possible on a 6-3/4” translucent, polypropylene tube holding 2.9 oz. One reason for this approach was to give the shrink-sleeve label an even surface to adhere to, so it wouldn’t slip off the smooth outer surface when subjected to temperature changes.

The vials are packaged in a custom carrying case resembling a bulletproof security briefcase that bodyguards often carry in spy thriller movies.

--By Ron Romanik, Editor
Package Design Magazine

Pepsico has achieved sales growth of 35% to 50% in some countries for its Gatorade brand with a new global line of branded structural bottles. Key is that the beverage containers reflect an innovative, consistent brand image within the constraints—varying sizes and processes—required by different markets throughout the world.

    Pepsico approached structural package design firm 4sight inc. with this challenge for Gatorade packaging: Create a global line of custom-branded structural PET and glass bottles based on a single archetypal shape.

    4sight conducted research on both Gatorade and beverages as a whole in homes and on athletic fields across the United States.  Researchers found that consumers view and use Gatorade more as a piece of sports equipment than a beverage—an essential part of their workout routine. Use of the bottle is very personal, and the bottle carries associations with grabbing, holding, and gulping.  

     These insights drove the bottle design, leading to a structural branding concept that communicates the brand’s equities through form, function, and aesthetics. The design can be adapted to different packaging materials and filling processes, in the sizes that each market requires.

The energy and sports drinks category is both growing and evolving rapidly. Globally, the category saw 493 new-product launches during the first nine months of 2005, compared with 609 for all of 2004, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database. In North America, the 180 product launches during the January-September period had already exceeded the 174 introductions for all of 2005.

Following are some factors driving the market:

• All-natural products continue to increase.

• Marketers are increasingly emphasizing amino acid and electrolyte content.

• Fruity flavors are popular.

• Functional ingredients, such as Co-enzyme Q10, are adding value to energy drinks.

A crowded category, energy drinks have to continuously “push the envelope” to remain ahead of the curve. Cadbury Schweppes succeeds with an updated aluminum bottle design for its Snapple Elements energy drink.

The bottle, from CCL Container, features blocks of bold and vibrant color and rich graphics that scream “energy” to the 16- to 24-year-old male target audience. Minimalist graphics depict each flavor on containers whose frosty appearance supports the promise of fast relief.

“We were trying to communicate energy, and I think the design does that,” says Mike Acken, Snapple New Products Brand Manager.

Link: CCL Container