Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola has launched a new slim aluminum bottle design in Japan, featuring iconic motifs of the country. The design includes the giant wave and Mount Fuji from the famous artwork The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Japanese artist Hokusai. The bottle is available to purchase across the country, with the exception of Okinawa.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is introducing a new taste, bold visual identity and a global campaign for Sprite aimed at driving trial amongst 18 to 29-year-olds. The new formulations will deliver an enhanced crisp lemon-lime flavor across both Sprite and Sprite Zero Sugar. The new recipes will further differentiate Sprite Zero Sugar from Sprite regular by offering a lighter taste profile. The new taste will be accompanied by an updated packaging design that brings a clean and bold style to the classic Sprite look, supported by a campaign that will run across digital out of home, online video, social media content and experiential product sampling.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has announced the return of #WhatTheFanta for the fourth year running. The Fabulous Flavour Hunt has a new, purple colored mystery Fanta variant rolling out in 330ml cans, and 500ml and 2l rPET plain pack bottles this month. Fanta will drop a series of clues online and on its social media across several weeks to allow customers to solve the flavor mystery. This year’s #WhatTheFanta innovation will be supported by a multi-million-pound marketing campaign in the spring, including digital and out-of-home advertising, paid social media and point-of-sale materials.
Monster
Monster has launched The Beast Unleashed, a line of hard seltzers inspired by the brand’s energy drinks. The drinks are made with malt alcohol and contain 6 percent alcohol by volume, with no caffeine or energy-inducing ingredients. The Beast Unleashed comes in four flavors: Mean Green, White Haze, Peach Perfect and Scary Berries. The line is currently available in six states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Iowa) and is set to expand more broadly in the US by the end of the year.
Other Companies
Canadian heritage brand Clearly Canadian has introduced two new product lines: Clearly Canadian Essence and Clearly Canadian Zero Sugar. The new lines mark the first major additions the brand has made to their product offerings in almost two decades. Clearly Canadian Essence is a line of flavored sparkling spring waters bottled at source from Clearly Canadian’s aquifer. The line will launch with two flavors: Grapefruit and Limon. Clearly Canadian Zero Sugar is a line of naturally sweetened sparkling waters in four flavors: Forest Blackberry, Fresh Cherry, Citrus Medley and Tropical Splash. Both naturally-flavored beverages are zero calorie and zero sugar, and will be sold in the brand's blue glass bottles.
Chlorophyll Water made its Natural Products Expo West trade show debut from March 9-11 in Anaheim. Chlorophyll Water is bottled mountain spring water enhanced with Chlorophyll and vitamins A, B12, C and D. The tradeshow debut follows the brand’s recent success on social media due to its links to gut-health promotion, weight loss and anti-inflammation.
UK squash brand Robinsons has debuted a major rebrand for the first time in nearly 10 years. Created with brand agency Bloom, Robinsons’ new packaging features a modernized, simplified logo and bold colors, and emphasizes real fruit ingredients with sliced fruit imagery. The rebrand will be followed by a major marketing push including digital advertisements, in-store fixtures and packaging innovations. Brtivic hopes the rebrand will better position Robinsons as it is challenged by private label brands during the cost-of-living crisis.
Eat the Change has expanded its Just Ice Tea ready-to-drink organic iced tea line with the launch of three new varieties: mango white tea, original black tea and lemon ginger herbal tea. The new offerings join the Just Ice Tea existing line-up, which includes: original green tea, honey green tea, Moroccan mint green tea, peach oolong tea, half tea & half lemonade and berry hibiscus herbal tea.
Premium hydration brand Electrolit has added a new Blue Raspberry flavor to its drink portfolio. Blue Raspberry is the brand’s fourteenth flavor, which includes flavors like Strawberry Kiwi, Cucumber-lime, Horchata, Berry Bliss, and Grape. The Blue Raspberry beverage is formulated with natural glucose and contains 326 mg of electrolytes. Looking to the year ahead, Electrolit plans to grow its convenience store position, while expanding more in grocery and mass retailers.
US craft soda brand Jones Soda Co. is expanding into several European markets. The soda maker has partnered with American Fizz to distribute its soda products throughout England, France and Belgium. The expansion aims to take advantage of the increasing interest in American food brands and flavors across Europe.