Is Pepsi So Green After All?

Pepsi is switching to crystal carafes with its Tropicana brand as widely reported in February. What was not so widely reported was that the reasoning appears to be lack of transparency with carton. Pepsi claims that their biggest consumer insight is that consumers would like to see the juice.

Consumers Prefer Transparency, Really?

While it is indeed true (and old news) that consumers prefer transparency, consumer tests with the strongest findings are typically done in isolation. As Tropicana is offered in a variety of formats, if one format was overwhelmingly preferred than the other, PepsiCo would have seen this time and again over the years. That clearly is not the case.

There are two factors to consider here. One is the opposite sensory appeal deliverables of one format against the other. Carton offers down to earth, wholesome texture and on occasion, a matte finish that consumers prefer. On the other hand, plastic not only delivers transparency, but also gloss which can be appropriate for juices. Consumers typically do not show an overwhelming choice of one over the other in properly designed studies.
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Pepsi’s green bottle

On March 15th, Pepsi released its press release for it new plant based plastic bottle.

In their press release, Pepsi gives us some details behind the new material.

They also mention the packaging fiasco of last year in passing, which is the Sun Chips ‘environmental’ package. We covered this noisy package before here and here. The package also got significant prime-time media coverage later, only to be withdrawn from the market later in the year. There were youtube videos, hate groups, and significant uproar that is unusual in the packaging world.
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Having fun with a package! Flash mob style.

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Plastiki completed its 8,000 mile voyage across the Pacific ocean after 130 days. The 60 foot boat was built from 12,000 used plastic bottles. You can watch founder David De Rothschild talk about the endeavor above. You can find more pictures on flicker.

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ラムネ The Ramune 200 ml bottle is one of the few Codd-neck bottles still on the market. This design takes its name from its designer, Hiram Codd, who designed and patented it in 1872.

Could such a dated design still be relevant in the market? Would it stand today’s demands of package usability? These are the questions that we will try to answer.

Initial Impressions

This is a well made glass bottle, that certainly stands out at the point-of-purchase (POP). However, opening it requires reading through the six-point instructions.

Even after reading the instructions, we failed to open the package despite struggling with it for an extended duration of time. But more on that later.

As we pointed out in previous articles, the need to print instructions on how to open a package is a clear indication of package usability issues. The bottle, in addition to the opening instructions, displays five different warnings on the label, which may also indicate additional safety concerns.

The version we tested was updated in 2006 with depressions on the neck to provide means to prevent the ball from causing unintentional blockage of the flow.
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We covered Amazon’s frustration-free packaging in two previous articles, Amazon’s frustration-free packaging, the aftermath and Amazon and other retailers continue driving frustration-free packages.

Recently, we had the opportunity to use Amazon’s feedback form for a package. We give Amazon an ‘A’ for effort in pioneering consumer input collection at a massive scale concerning their product packaging. However, we wish that they were collecting more detailed information in a way that is consistent with efficiency, effectiveness, and attractiveness metrics.

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In our article on 無糖珈琲 DyDo Black Coffee 190 ml, we covered association errors regarding shape and design of a package. In this article, we will look at Milkita Candies from Indonesia for similar association errors concerning other sensory appeal factors.
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Accudial has introduced their weight based accurate dosing system. The system is integrated with a two-part package label. The outer label rotates around the inner label, selectively displaying proper dosage based on weight.

Since this product addresses a previously under-addressed consumer need, we do believe that this is indeed a consumer centric innovation. Based on the company's literature, dosing errors are common with children's medications as children of same age may differ in weight by 100%.

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無糖珈琲 Black Coffee by DyDo is an interesting example of a can design. It is designed to look like a coffee barrel.

Its mission is to convey wholesomeness, through association with its source, a coffee barrel, which arguably, is itself a package.

Package Design 101

We are sometimes entertained by approaches taken by brand owners, packers, and co-packers when it comes to sensory appeal aspects. We often see association errors.

Companies go through significant undertakings without necessarily doing due diligence on the consumer front.

Sensory Appeal

Sensory appeal works through all five senses. In the packaging industry, all five senses are often employed, but hardly all together at the same time.
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Pouches and stand-up pouches are very prevalent in Asia. While the C1000 Vitamin Lemon from House Wellness is lacking the bottom panel to make it truly a stand-up pouch by definition, the jello-like product inside provides sufficient rigidity for the package to stand up.
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