7 beverage packaging innovations and the consumer trends driving them

From water in a soap dispenser to martinis in a can, beverage brands have broken away from conventional packaging concepts, helping them to stand out amid a flood of competition and signal new messages to consumers. While packaging innovation is nothing new—the mottled glass of Orangina dates to 1951, and the bulbous Pom Wonderful container, which debuted in 2002, is now old enough to drink—experts see more examples today of brands borrowing packaging devices outside of their traditional categories, such as the electrolyte water brand packaged in a soap dispenser (Oshun), or a bottled coffee brand (Kloo) served from what resembles a perfume bottle. See America's Hottest Brands 20 brands that are trending in 2024 Click here Consumer trends are also playing a role in packaging decisions, as customers increasingly view beverages as affordable daily treats in a way they might once have looked at snack foods. “It’s like the new candy aisle in the grocery store,” said Marlee Bruning, creative director at Design Bridge & Patrtners, and the firm’s beverage expert. “With the more health-conscious consumer, we aren't going and eating a full Snickers bar. But we can buy a fancy seltzer or a fancy juice.” To take advantage of these opportunities, brands are playing with packaging shapes, sizes and colors to gain attention on shelves and in coolers, while others have made strides on the strength of functional improvements, making drinks easier to store, drink or carry. Packaging evolution mirrors the changes the beverage industry has undergone in recent years, with the emergence of non-alcoholic drinks, liquor being packaged more like beer and “total beverage” companies that no longer obey the boundaries that traditionally divided the beverage worlds. Graza, an olive oil brand known for its squeeze bottles, recently teamed with beverage company Aura Bora on canned non-alcoholic martinis. It was only a few years ago that cocktails in a can were considered exotic. “Now that seems so obvious, and not that risky at all,” Bruning said. There would be more packaging innovation in the beverage aisle if brands could only afford it, said Mark Christou, a principal at the brand strategy and design agency CBX. Christou is also a beverage entrepreneur who founded Culture Pop, a probiotic soda. “Simply because of manufacturing cost, print techniques and structural design are a little bit downplayed now. … You don’t see as much [innovation] as I think you should be seeing,” Christou said. The industry has also proven quick to chase down trends leading to product categories where one brand resembles the next. In the fast-growing “rapid hydration” category, for example, products like Electrolit and Gatorade's Gatorlyte have followed Pedialyte’s square-shaped “medicine bottle” design, said Mark Gallo, senior manager of commercial services for Manna Beverages. Below, a closer look at brands notable for their packaging. Liquid Death The memorable marketing stunts around the rebellious water brand make it easy to overlook Liquid Death’s first big overturned convention—it put still water in an aluminum can when it launched in 2019. The move demonstrated the value of being “simple with your finishes and your structure choices,” Christou said, but in a way that changed the industry. “Now you’re seeing other brands copying and going into cans,” Christou said. Today, water in a can is more widespread, with recent brands like Rain and Path, utilizing aluminum bottles. Oshun Oshun, an electrolyte concentrate capitalizing on the hydration trend, uses a soap-pump package that allows consumers to add a squirt of electrolytes to their beverages. A 250-milliliter package, good for 200 servings, sells for $45 online. “By carrying over that structure from another category they’re also carrying over the associations with a daily use routine, [to] keep it out on the counter with all of those things that they want their consumer to use,” said Bruning. “The ways that they want their consumer to use the product actually are very in line with daily care, so it’s a really good category to borrow from.” Kloo Newly launched Kloo is a “super-concentrated” coffee meant to be added to hot or cold water in small doses, according to the brand. Its perfume bottle imparts luxury. “They don’t want their coffee to feel sort of routine every day, they want to elevate it to this really special occasion, a moment to treat yourself that can justify a higher price point,” said Bruning. “Enter the perfume category. Now they get to borrow those cues and codes from luxury.” Kloo sells online for $32 for a 12-cup, 8.5-ounce supply ($25 each on subsequent purchases). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kloo (@drinkkloo) Coca-Cola Although around in some markets for years, Coca-Cola is expanding the availability of a slimmer, more sophisticated “sleek can” in the U.S. The company sees the package as a revenue driver capable of bringing new users into the franchise. “The slim cans are really about Gen Z consumers that like the look and feel and badge identity that comes with a more modern package,” said Duane Stanford, editor of Beverage Digest. “It’s a play to make some of these brands cool and almost wearable for young consumers.” For Coke, the sleek can is part of a packaging diversification strategy meant to add revenue by appealing to the idea that consumers will pay more per ounce for the pack size that suits them best, Stanford said. Sleek cans tend to be high-margin “immediate consumption” items at home in coolers at convenience stores. In the beer category, tall, slim cans have become shorthand for above-premium lights, as seen by brands like Michelob Ultra, Heineken Silver, Corona Premier, Blue Moon Light and Modelo Oro. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Beat Box Had Beat Box listened to its critics it might never have wound up in Tetra Pak paper packages. But when the party booze brand was transitioning away from the bag-in-a-box product of its founding and examining single-serve options, the combination of Tetra Pak’s flavor-keeping properties, eco-friendliness and portability, beat out the pouches, bottles and cans under consideration—even despite warnings that alcohol wouldn’t sell that way, Brad Schultz, a co-founder and chief marketing officer, told Ad Age. The box has since become a signature for the brand and a customer favorite for its resealability—a key consideration for crowded concerts, clubs and parties. BuzzBallz BuzzBallz are ready-to-drink cocktails in colorful goldfish bowls. The spherical container, reportedly inspired by a votive candle, has become a signature of the fast-growing brand and a shape it guards closely. Late last month, it sued a competitor called SlamZees for making a product that it said resembled the patented BuzzBallz package too closely, Wine & Spirits Daily reported. Pepsi It’s not actually a beverage vessel. Publicly unveiled for the first time last month at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, the Pepsi “Smart Can” is outfitted with a wraparound LED screen meant to be a digital platform for exclusive content. The can should not get wet; it's a high-tech marketing device just meant to look like a Pepsi can. The brand has not detailed precisely how it would deploy the device. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mauro Porcini (@mauroporcini) “With this first-of-its-kind technology, we’re driving distinctiveness and bringing new fans into Pepsi’s world, creating more meaningful engagement via a global network of creators who can share their experiences and passions—sport, music, gaming—in this totally new and novel way,” said Mark Kirkham, senior VP and chief marketing officer, PepsiCo International, in a LinkedIn post. Ad Age Small Agency Conference & Awards Join us July 23 & 24 in Boston Learn more here

7 beverage packaging innovations and the consumer trends driving them

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