Research by 4sight in the U.S. Guided Gatorade's New International Structure

Gatorade's new international bottle shape (right) has a taller profile, a more inviting grip area, and a smaller label that seem to work across many cultures. Below, all international Gatorade brand extensions are variations on a single shape with very distinctive design features.

Feeling pressure overseas last year from competitors introducing flashier bottles, Pepsico and the Gatorade brand figured that there was no time like the present to strengthen their brand message. Pepsi asked 4sight inc., a product development and packaging design firm in New York City, to create a global line of custom-branded structural packages based on a single archetypal shape.

Pepsi wanted a new and singular structure that would reflect an innovative and consistent brand image as a sports drink within the constraints of different cultural markets and different production environments. To be able to implement this project correctly the first time with minimal wasted effort, the design brief was critical, says Stuart Leslie, president and founder of 4sight Inc. Leslie was pleased to discover right away that Pepsi definitely understood the potential for structural packaging to impact global branding.

Pepsico knew they wanted a worldwide design, and they wanted to use existing bottling plants and filling lines as a rule. While the initial launch was targeted as an aseptic PET bottle for Europe, Pepsi directed 4sight to consider that the iconic design would eventually run throughout the world. The 4sight designers had to develop a form that could be tailored to work as well in Mexico's PET plants as it would in Thailand's glass plants while delivering a strong consumer experience worldwide. The bottle design would also have to serve as the archetype from which to design future line extensions.

Cultivate brand harvesting®

Using their cultivate brand harvesting® research process, 4sight conducted extensive beverage category and Gatorade-specific research in homes and on athletic fields in the U.S. Through this effort, 4sight learned what consumers and athletes need, and they learned how consumers actually use the drink.

One thing 4sight learned is that consumers do not view or use Gatorade in the same way as they would a juice product. Consumers see Gatorade as more of a piece of sports equipment than a beverage—an essential part of their workout routine. A bottle of Gatorade is a very personal possession, rarely shared. It is something that is carried with you and has a strong association with grabbing, holding, and gulping. As these observations began to prove equally true in global markets, they became the foundation for an entirely new structural identity for Gatorade.

Unique shapes that speak strongly to consumers and differentiate the product from competitors proved to require less labeling while getting more consumer attention on the shelf. "The structure itself would then communicate the brand, and we find this is a more credible message to consumers than words printed on a label," says Leslie.

4sight ended up with a new structural packaging concept that communicated the equities of the brand with form, function, and aesthetics. Though different cultures have different needs, 4sight and Pepsi believe this design transcends or straddles those differences while also straddling production realities. The archetypal design can be readily transferred through various materials (PET, glass, etc.), processes (cold fill aseptic, hot fill, etc.), and sizes required by each market.

A grippier grip area

In creating a better bottle, 4sight started by utilizing form cues already familiar in sports equipment, including strong gripping features and already-established brand icons. These help to indicate a functional "workout" drink that is used to hydrate the body.

Elements of the grip area design actually grew out of a technical concern when working closely with suppliers around the globe and testing prototypes. One uncommon, advanced process in use was a new patented PET hot-fill bottling technology in Mexico.

Generally, PET limits the design as panel areas must be blown into the bottle for hot-fill functionality. 4sight took away the traditional panel area and uncomfortable crinkly label that is used industry-wide to achieve this functionality, and turned the Mexico requirement into a design feature that also allows for greater comfort, ease of grip, and increased branding. Not only does the dynamic shape improve the feel and grip of the bottle, but the contours and finger depressions create an ergonomic and natural grip area.

To enhance the branding and build a better grip area, 4sight used an embossed logo in a vertical format reminiscent of current styles in athletic apparel. "That seems to be consistent with sporting goods equipment around the world," Leslie explains. They did not shy away from the "workout" equipment affinities, as the ovals on the side might remind some of footballs, and the entire presentation might be reminiscent of a small dumbbell or some similar "athletic tool."

To top it all off, the iconic bolts of lightning inside the ovals take on a life of their own similar to Nike's swoosh. When final testing of the grip area was performed, results were surprisingly positive, where subjects repeatedly rated it "much better than just acceptable." Leslie found that all these elements created a structure that might work in every corner of the globe. "Structure seems to be a very universal language," he relates.

Small labels for wide reach

One reason the label was moved to the top was to allow for a more secure grip area close to the bottle's center of gravity. In addition, it allowed more room for 4sight designers to create a unique form with the remaining portion of the bottle. As a result, the label became smaller, and the small label was a design decision that took some convincing at Pepsi. Consumer testing, however, validated the original assumption that the iconic shape with the smaller Gatorade branding proved more effective in drawing consumers' attention on the shelf than the previous packaging with larger labels.

According to Pepsi's directive, the bottle structure does not have to be exactly the same everywhere, but the essential features have to be there to create a consistent global identity. The features on a glass version of the bottle, for instance, have to be shallower or else the bottle would have to have thicker creases to stay break-resistant, and the bottle would become too heavy—and too costly as well.

In the end, Leslie believes that the brand message guided the structure, as the Gatorade brand already had a perceived head start on the competition in this narrow category. It just needed a little push up to the next level. According to Ken Diveley, v.p., package innovation at Pepsi International, "The new iconic bottle shape achieves all their directives by being modern, eye-catching, easy to hold, and convenient as well as representing the high standards of the Gatorade company as hydration experts."

The new bottles have been launched in Europe, Mexico, Thailand, the Philippines, and China, with reported rises in sales of 35% and 50% in some countries. "This proves again that an effective global structural identity not only creates a consistent brand message around the world, but can drive sales in individual markets as well," says Diveley.