Coke, Pepsi, A-B Attracted to Metal
Coca-Cola’s iconic contour bottle is getting a new metal attitude. The cola giant, next year, will begin testing Coke and Coke Zero products in aluminum bottles.
Coke joins Budweiser, PepsiCo and a small handful of other beverage makers who are embracing this cutting edge form of packaging.
Aluminum bottles offer enhanced graphic capabilities and the ability to keep beverages colder, albeit at a cost. They cost roughly three times that of glass.
But, the premium packaging has its benefits. “The bottles stay colder longer and look cool as hell,” said Michael Sands, the former Snapple CMO who was the first to introduce an aluminum bottle in the U.S. Mistic Re Energy launched in 2002 and Snapple Elements followed in 2003.
For Coke, the new 8-oz. packaging is symbolic of the company’s refined focus on its core identity, per sources. There is nothing on the bottle except for an oversized trademark (and the fine print, of course). Turner Duckworth, San Francisco, handles.
Coca-Cola also launched its new Caribou Coffee line in 12-oz. Alumi-Tek bottles in August. Coke declined comment.
While Coke is scaling back the graphics on its bottles, Mountain Dew will splash six new designs on its ornate Green Label Art series of aluminum bottles beginning Jan. 28. Created by contemporary artists, the limited edition bottles will be available at retail for the first time.
Next week, Greenlabelart.com will begin a countdown until the launch of the new designs. A 16-oz. bottle will cost $1.99 versus $1.19 for a regular 20-oz. plastic bottle. The new bottles (several hundred thousands of which will be offered) will be touted online, via wild postings and print advertising.
A second set of six limited edition bottles will be available at retail in August 2008. Seed Gives Life, New York, handles advertising for the Green Label Arts initiative.
Budweiser is credited for being the first company to offer aluminum bottle products en masse in America in 2005. Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra are among the A-B brands to launch in the “bottlecan.” (The word is a literal translation from the Japanese, who first created the packaging in 2000 as an answer to that country’s backlash to PET bottles.)
For A-B, which had been struggling to find its role within the cocktail culture, the sleek looking bottles “allowed it to be accepted in occasions dominated by hard liquor like in the high-end club scene,” Levy said. “Mixed drinks in general are about fashion. The bottles have that element of style.”
This access comes at a cost. “Keeping it at the same [price point] makes it hard to make money. That’s OK. To us the image, style and innovation is worth the marketing investment,” said Levy.
CCL, Hermitage, Pa., produced the Snapple bottles as well as the current Mountain Dew and Iron City beer bottles.
Other companies are starting to make the investment as well. Miller Chill will be available in an aluminum bottle in the spring. Dos Equis has one in Mexico and “there are lots of energy drink projects that haven’t hit yet, but they are being looked at very hard,” said Martin.
A-B, meanwhile, continues to innovate on its packaging. It rolled out “Chill Chambers” at stadiums, Applebee’s, Hooters and other locations to keep the aluminum bottles at a chilly 22 degrees.
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