SDI JUL09.qxd - Soft Drinks International

40 PACKAGING
Soft Drinks International – JULY 2009
Making a
difference
essential in today’s drinks industry
Product and
brand
development
demand
distinctive
packaging
solutions, writes
Gillian Wight.
Gillian Wight is Packaging
Development Director at Your
Packaging Partner (a division
of Sun Branding Solutions).
www.sunbrandingsolutions.com
Just when you thought the soft drinks market
couldn’t get any more crowded, along comes
another exciting innovation. New ideas, the reinvention
of old ones and new products are dominating
the 21st century drinks market, with
packaging and brand developers at the forefront of
this creativity to ensure products appeal to today’s
demanding consumer.
Design and innovation are at the heart of the soft
drinks market. In response to changing consumer
trends, manufacturers are broadening the number
of products they provide, either with a completely
new offering or by adding a number of lines to an
existing range.
Bucking the trend
Interestingly, as other sectors are tightening their
belts during the credit crunch in an attempt to ride
out the storm, the grocery industry appears to be
refusing to do so. In fact, quite the opposite is happening.
The purveyors of new product development
(NPD) are planning to accelerate innovation
to keep consumers spending, a survey by brand
management provider Sun Brand Technologies
found recently. The credit crunch may actually be
helping to drive business in this competitive
industry as brands strive to differentiate themselves
from the rest of the competition.
In tough times even the top soft drinks brands
will cut back on costs in some areas, whilst at the
same time developing other aspects of their business.
For brand owners and retailers, this means
attracting new customers as well as keeping existing
ones. A constant flow of innovation is essential
to capture attention and retain custom. Both the
big names and private label brands are delving
deep into their creative resources to bring out
products that satisfy the modern consumer.
Concerns about health, convenience, a wider
choice of flavours and of course, the rise of ‘greener’
products have all helped drive this innovation.
And, of course, the part that packaging plays in
this NPD can never be understated. It is essential
that a drink’s packaging should reflect what’s
inside. The packaging must not only match up to
the drink in terms of consumer expectation but
also appeal directly to the target audience.
Multiple choice
For example, as consumer awareness of health and
wellbeing grows, brand owners are responding
with fortified water, designed to have both internal
and external health benefits. And the packaging
for these products is used to reinforce these and
appeal specifically to the health conscious consumer.
This Water recently introduced a new line
combining water, real fruit and antioxidants from
green tea, giving consumers the health benefits of
tea without needing to drink it. Sip is another
brand that has created a distinct identity in the bottled
water market, containing added vitamins and
botanical extracts to improve skin. For both of
these brands, the clear packaging allows the consumer
to see exactly what they are drinking, whilst
minimal yet colourful graphics, of flowers and
rainbows are used to convey the natural essence of
the product.
The packaging for Diet Coke’s Plus range retains
the traditional Coca-Cola bottle shape, ensuring it
is instantly recognisable, but features splashes of
orange or green, with an accompanying image of
the sun or a green leaf to reinforce the added benefits.
The children’s drinks market is making particularly
big strides in the number of healthier choices
available, with packaging designed to appeal
specifically to children. RDA Organic’s Sqqquishy
and Squeeezy fruit juices come in a re-sealable
squishy pouch, with bright, bold and colourful
graphics. The packaging ensures they are fun for
children, are easy to use and are mess and hassle
free for parents.
The whole package
Caps and closures can sometimes play second fiddle
to the primary pack design, with less time and
resources spent on developing new solutions.
However, this feature is one of the most important
developments, facilitating many of the packaging
designs currently in use for on-the-go consumption.
Other packaging developments such as
ergonomically designed bottles that fit comfortably
and snugly into the hand during exercise have had
a significant impact on consumer lifestyles.
Ensuring that every aspect of packaging delivers
its function is no easy task. Packaging must not
only look and feel good, withstand the manufacturing
and distribution process and provide the
necessary shelf life, but also convey the nutritional
information required by law as well as branding.
Environmental consideration
Any new packaging development is now being
driven by green initiatives, with a great deal of
research and development going into creating
drinks packaging solutions that combine a brand’s
essence and product quality with environmental
needs.
Lightweighting, using recyclable or recycled
materials and printing using environmentally
friendly inks are all being explored by packaging
developers and brand owners to ensure future packaging
is as environmentally friendly as possible.
Balancing act
The pressure is on suppliers to really rise to the
challenge. As trends evolve, designers need to be
ahead of the game to ensure consumers packaging
requirements are met and exceeded in the fastmoving,
creative and crowded drinks industry.
Packaging development is crucial and will ensure
your product is pushed towards the right audience,
portraying the correct message and increasing
on-shelf availability. Creativity, cost and
environmental issues are all important factors to
consider and only organisations that excel in these
areas will succeed - and in these uncertain times it
is more important than ever to get it right. ■