Brand differentiation

Crown Imports announced new secondary packaging designs for its top two brands, Corona Extra and Corona Light, which are set to hit shelves this spring. This marks the first time in the brand’s history that the entire line of packaging will adopt new design elements, the company says. While the bottles will keep their iconic look, the secondary packaging will help differentiate the brands through color and graphic changes, it adds. Corona Extra will adopt a blue and white color palate, and Corona Light will take on the brand’s yellow and white color scheme. Both will add a SKU identifier to the top left corner and feature bottle graphics on the side panels. Another notable change for Corona Light will be a new lock-up with the crown design featured atop the logo. The 12-pack secondary packaging for cans will be the same as that for bottles, allowing for a better billboard at retail and helping the brands appear in a more uniform fashion, the company says.

Tattooed liqueur

Tuaca Liqueur launched a limited-edition package featuring a thermochromatic ink printed on the bottle to show when the bottle is chilled and ready to be served. The label features a sketch of the historic Tuaca Lion designed by tattoo artist Corey Miller. The lion turns from silver to blue as the bottle is chilled in a freezer or on ice. The handwritten script of Tuoni & Canepa at the top of the vertical, front-facing label has decorated the Tuaca bottle for generations, marking the brand’s quality, innovation and taste, the company says. The Tuaca crest at the bottom of the label pays homage to the crest of the House of Medici, it adds.

Stand-out color

Niche Import Co. launched its Affentaler Dry Riesling in a vibrant blue glass bottle, topped with a blue closure. The glass features the brand’s signature monkey embossed into the front, “hugging” the bottle. According to the company, the original monkey bottle has been a brand symbol of the Affental Viticultural Cooperative since 1949. Since that time, the bottle with the monkey has reached cult status among many German wine lovers, the company says.

Carriers and cases

After several distributors expressed frustration with its packaging, the marketers of O’Hara’s Irish Stout and Irish Red redesigned the brand’s four-pack carriers and created new case cartons. The new four-pack carriers are strong enough to be picked up at the bottle neck and come in shelf-ready case cartons versus a shrinkwrapped cardboard tray. The new case cartons allow for better branding and display creation, the company says. A perforated line on the top half of the box makes it easy to use for retail displays, special events and sponsorships, it adds.

On-the-go bottles

Slim-Fast, a business unit of Unilever, introduced on-the-go bottles for its shakes. The 10-ounce bottles are sold in packs of four, eight and 20 and are lighter, re-closable and more versatile than the previous Slim-Fast canned shakes, the company says. Additionally, a taste test conducted by Slim-Fast revealed that both current and non-Slim-Fast users prefer the taste of the new, bottled shakes to the brand’s canned shakes.

Rebranding unveiling

Vemma updated the packaging for its Verve brand of energy drinks and shots. The packaging was redesigned to better align with the company’s modern, premium and healthy look as well as feel, it says. Verve energy shots feature a clean, fresh and predominantly white design that signifies healthy energy, the company says. A 24-bottle fridge pack will replace the energy shot’s 12-bottle display box. There also is a QR code on the label and packaging that links to the Verve Energy Shot website.

From glass to metal

Noah’s Sparkling Spring Water moved from glass bottles to 12-ounce slim cans. The company’s reasons for the change include aluminum’s ability to keep beverages colder longer, portability, convenience and sustainability, it says.

Going back to its roots

Pyramid Breweries is bringing its flagship Pyramid Hefeweizen beer back to its roots via a redesign. The new labels and carriers will feature the company’s pyramids among mountains and trees, reinforcing its Pacific Northwest roots and paying tribute to the brand’s original packaging, the company says. The font also will be changed to resemble the brand’s original font. Overall, the new package design will have a more simplistic, clean look that represents the brand’s authenticity and quality, according to the company. Pyramid Breweries will apply the new look to all of its year-round beers, including six- and 12-pack bottles, 22-ounce bottles and draught beer tap handles.

Sustainable cartons

Johanna Foods launched its Earth Wise line of juices and juice drinks in aseptic cartons featuring the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo, which verifies that the raw paperboard used to make the cartons was manufactured using only wood fibers that can be proven to originate from responsibly managed forests certified according to FSC guidelines, or from other controlled sources managed in accordance with FSC standards. Cartons have environmental benefits, such as being lightweight, having a small carbon dioxide footprint, consuming very few resources, and being fully recyclable, the company says. The Earth Wise cartons also carry the RAC seal of the Rainforest Alliance.

Premium energy packaging

Premier Beverage Group is rebranding its OSO line of energy drinks. Scheduled to launch in the first quarter of this year, the new bottles and cans were designed to stand apart from the mainstream energy drink category with a premium look. OSO worked with Monday Collective, a brand design team in New York, to create a design that reflects the brand concept. The new packages feature a refined visual presence to offset the “loudness” of the energy drinks market and appeal to the brand’s style-conscious consumer, the company says. The bottle structure was custom-designed to reflect its premium, all-natural status, it adds. Both the bottles and cans were designed as high-end options for placement in upscale restaurants.