Creating "Brand Experience" Through the Special Appeal of Stylish Glass Packaging

by Mary Ellen Reis and Jung Weil

With so many consumer packaged goods inundating the marketplace, how does a company create and build brands for today’s demanding and choosy consumers? The following case studies in glass packaging provide a glimpse into the new marketing paradigm of delivering a true brand experience.

Rock Green Light

ETHOS: (e’thos), n. 1. the fundamental character of spirit 2. the distinguishing character

Every brand has it. Character. Spirit. Distinguishing attributes. And in a brand’s ethos lies the secret to its success. HMS Design of Norwalk, Conn., says that developing brand ethos into leverageable results is its specialty. A key client, Labatt USA, approached HMS to design the key packaging graphics and brand imagery for a new premium low-carbohydrate/low-calorie beer. With increasing consumer concerns about higher calorie beers and obesity, the core focus of the marketing strategy was to introduce a new beer reflecting consumers’ active lifestyles through imagery and to communicate the functional benefits of low-carb/low-calorie.

Initially Labatt was faced with a brand challenge: whether to introduce a new beer as a separate flavor from the Rolling Rock and Rock Light family; or to replace Rock Light completely. HMS used focus groups to find the answer. Consumers were asked to sort an assortment of beers into categories: dark/light, light/regular, imports/domestic, etc. Ironically, a competitive low-carb beer was sorted into the “light” beer category, providing insight into the consumer’s perception of a functional benefit only. The opportunity for Labatt was to deliver a great tasting, dynamic beer that had the benefit of low carb but was a beer first.

During the packaging design phase, several distinct strategies were explored: youthful/contemporary, traditional/conservative, evolutionary to Rolling Rock, and active/motion. The research results clearly stated that the beer needed to be new and unique with a focus on motion/action.

“The name Green Light was a perfect fit with consumers,” according to Hugh Montgomery, principal at HMS Design. “The name communicates permission and allows the consumer to have fun, be different and act spontaneous.” According to Jon Genese, director of marketing for Rock Green Light, “Our goal was not only to communicate the low-carb/low-calorie functional benefits of Rock Green Light, but also to resonate with beer drinkers on an emotional level.”
Rock Green Light was introduced last September, and by December, Latrobe had shipped more than one million cases. The momentum continues, “Rock Green Light is now in the top 10 of specialty beers,” says Genese. “Our creative relationship with HMS Design has complemented the marketing strategy for the Rolling Rock brand for over 12 years. Their latest design for Rock Green Light captures the benefits of excellent brand strategic planning and dynamic packaging graphics.”

Welch’s Sparkling Grape Juice’s premium holiday packaging

Manufacturers that strategize new approaches to give consumers a seasonal experience can approach retailers with lively and festive packaging ideas. To promote the products for last year’s holiday season, Welch’s commissioned The Bailey Group of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., to create holiday packaging concepts for its red and white sparkling grape juices. Since Welch’s already positions its Sparkling Grape Juice as the “perfect choice for any festivity,” introducing a series of holiday designs — Stars & Stripes, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Springtime and the Nutcracker—proved to be a successful way to convey the flavor of the product, reinforce the holiday theme, and encourage a desirable festive experience.

“Welch chose to package its Sparkling Grape Juice Cocktail line in glass because of glass’ superior retention properties for carbonated beverage products,” according to Russ Napolitano, executive vice president and partner at The Bailey Group. “Additionally, no other packaging material offers the clean, inviting and premium image of glass.”

Riggs & Forsythe: Packaging that conveys sophistication and a desired experience

A real-life experience and observation helped to put Riggs & Forsythe Specialty Beverages Limited on the map. At a cocktail party with a group of close friends, co-founder Peter Page craved a non-alcoholic drink with a more sophisticated taste than bottled water or syrupy-sweet soft drinks. Inspired to fill a niche, Page left his law practice to create a line of stylish soft drinks for the more mature palate. He was confident that with the right flavor formulas and classy packaging design, his new brand would attract adults who wanted an upscale, aesthetically inviting beverage experience.

“From the very beginning, we wanted to design a bottle that someone would want to pick up and hold in their hand,” comments Linda Jackson of Pear Design, the Chicago-based packaging design firm that worked on the Riggs & Forsythe bottle. “A lot of customers are looking for something besides the usual soft drinks—something a little more sophisticated,” agrees Rob Rebigea, Riggs & Forsythe’s other co-founder. “There are a lot of opportunities for beverages that are a little different. Beverages that come in glass bottles are perceived as a little more satisfying, and a little more sophisticated.”

The Riggs & Forsythe bottles are embossed with thin, vertical ridges meant to evoke nostalgia for yesteryear. The clear, fluted glass bottle design appeals to the tactile sense and conveys the product’s quiet elegance, its natural flavorings, and low sugar content.

The front of the bottle is understated with an embossed version of the R&F seal. The product label is reserved for the back of the bottle, not unlike packages for wine or other alcoholic beverages. Besides winning numerous packaging design and other design awards with the bottle, Riggs & Forsythe has seen double-digit sales growth in each of its five years of operation.

Mary Ellen Reis, CPP, is president of Packnology® (www.packnology.com), a consulting firm specializing in creative packaging solutions. She also is a spokeswoman for the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI, www.gpi.org). Jung Weil is GPI’s Director of Communications and Creative Services.