Pepsi Sweats Over Gatorade†

CEO Nooyi Concedes Sports Drink's Growth Days Are Over; Redesign Backfires

Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2009 — PepsiCo Inc. is fumbling in its efforts to turn around sales of Gatorade, which weighed on second-quarter profits.

Sales of Gatorade, which PepsiCo snared in its $13.8 billion acquisition of Quaker Oats Co. in 2001, have slid this year despite a flashy new marketing campaign that simplified the product's label to "G."

Wal-Mart Gives Its Store Brand a Makeover

Wal-Mart is changing the formula for many of its Great Value products, adding new items and rolling out updated packaging

BusinessWeek, March 16, 2009 — Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) has completely overhauled its oldest and biggest store brand, a move likely to send shock waves through the ranks of branded grocery manufacturers around the globe.

Tropicana to Abandon Much-Maligned Juice Carton†

Wall Street Journal, February 24, 2009 — PepsiCo Inc.'s Tropicana Products juice division said it is dropping a new carton just six weeks after rolling out the design to great fanfare, after customers complained that they couldn't differentiate between the company's pulp-free, traditional and other types of juice.

Tropicana Discovers Some Buyers Are Passionate About Packaging

IT took 24 years, but PepsiCo now has its own version of New Coke.

New York Times, February 22, 2009 — The PepsiCo Americas Beverages division of PepsiCo is bowing to public demand and scrapping the changes made to a flagship product, Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. Redesigned packaging that was introduced in early January is being discontinued, executives plan to announce on Monday, and the previous version will be brought back in the next month.

As Consumers Try to Cut Back, Tropicana Promotes Quality and Value

New York Times, January 8, 2009 — HOW much does Tropicana want to become America’s main squeeze? Enough to undertake a major makeover of its advertising, marketing and packaging, centered on “squeeze” as a noun as well as a verb.

The campaign carries the typographically challenging theme “squeeze it’s a natural,” which is intended to evoke the way oranges are turned into Tropicana along with the warm way in which the company wants consumers to embrace the brand.

A New Look for McDonald's

McDonald's is rolling out new designs for its food packaging aimed at fortifying the brand and staying ahead of obesity concerns

BusinessWeek, December 3, 2008 — McDonald's (MCD) is busily remodeling its U.S. locations, accessorizing interiors with flat-panel televisions and plush chairs—even the exteriors are made of real brick these days (BusinessWeek, 5/15/06). Now the Oak Brook (Ill.) chain is turning to its packaging. In early November the king of cheap eats began rolling out new packaging across its 13,900 U.S. restaurants that aims to make the containers for its sandwiches, french fries, and soft drinks more relevant to today's consumers, and not look like a throwback to the 1990s.

Snapple Introduces Snappier Look, New Formula†

Beverage Brand to Emphasize Tea's Health Benefits Amid Weaker U.S. Sales; Sugar Will Be Added to Improve Drinks' Flavor

Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2008 — Snapple, one of the original "new age" alternatives to soda, is getting a makeover as its owner grapples with sliding U.S. sales.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc., the beverage business spun off from Cadbury PLC in May, is revamping Snapple's look and tweaking the formulation of its tea to try to revive consumer interest, saying tightened wallets and discounting by competitors have cut into sales. Far from the corny ads, ad hoc plugs from Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh, and other ploys that catapulted the drink to cultlike status in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Snapple's current owner plans a more homespun campaign for its teas, emphasizing the drink's health benefits.

Cruzan Channels St. Croix For New Rum Bottle Design†

Brandweek, November 12, 2008 — With its sales already cruising, Cruzan Rum wanted to make its packaging look more upscale, real and self-assured. At the same time it did not want to come across as superficial or pretentious. The new look needed to tell the story of 250 years of rum craftsmanship, eight generations of family dedication and the warm and vibrant spirit of the Caribbean island of St. Croix. The rallying cry for the redesign was "real from within."

Frustration-Free Packaging

Springwise Newsletter, November 4, 2008 — Thanks to a new, multi-year global initiative announced yesterday, Amazon is working with manufacturers to eliminate the causes of "Wrap Rage" while also minimizing the impact of packaging on the environment. As a result, 19 best-selling products are now available through Amazon in the US packaged in smaller, easy-to-open and recyclable cardboard boxes that protect the products within just as well, the company says.

McDonald's New Packaging Focuses On Contents

Marketing Daily, October 29, 2008 — McDonald's is putting a focus on its food and a more whimsical personality through new packaging that global chief marketing officer Mary Dillon calls "the biggest new packaging initiative in the history of our brand." The new packaging, which features photographs of the food and kitchen utensils as well as big print typography, will begin rolling out in November in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland.