OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- This summer's battle in the soda wars is shaping up to be unlike those of past years. Sure, there'll be the multicultural, multigenerational TV ads, the new-product pushes and the event sponsorships, but this year all three of the major beverage makers seem to be circling around the idea of individual packaging.
Coca-Cola Co., arguably the originator of the packaging-as-promotion concept, launched its "It's Mine" promotion in February, making Diet Coke available in millions of unique package designs.
And this June, Dr Pepper will launch its "Pick Your Pepper" campaign by releasing hundreds of unique label designs on 20-ounce bottles of Dr Pepper soda. The summer campaign "celebrates millennial self-expression and gives Dr Pepper fans a chance to let their individuality shine every time they grab a bottle," the company said.
Meanwhile, PepsiCo's summer packaging initiative combines distinct labels with an online initiative. The "Say It With Pepsi" campaign will reveal the PepsiMoji, a collection of original emojis designed by PepsiCo that will adorn Pepsi bottles and cans and be available to download to one's cellphone to use in texts and emails.
All of this, of course, follows Coca-Cola's two-year-old "Share a Coke" campaign, which put names (Chris, Brittany and the hard-to-find Steve, for example) and then descriptors (BFF, family, naughty) on bottles and cans. Coca-Cola executives and many analysts believed the Share a Coke program played a significant role in boosting Coca-Cola soda sales for the first time in a decade.
The Share a Coke promotion had "a favorable impact on sales, which we believe contributed to solid third-quarter results," said Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog months after the program launch in mid-2014.
So will the increased focus on labels from manufacturers make this the summer of sodas? Maybe, said Howard Telford, senior beverages analyst for Euromonitor International.
"From a margin perspective, we’re seeing greater industry focus on smaller, single-serve transactions and less focus on value multipacks as volumes in cola decline," Telford said.
This shift to single-serve transactions, he said, presents an opportunity to innovate with design because the bottle or can is more visible and important.
"Something unique and unexpected may make the consumer stop and engage with the brand in their local convenience store, perhaps share a picture of the package online and perhaps provide a small volume lift over the important summer period," Telford said.
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