Client Spotlight: ICAN Hard Seltzer Product Packaging & Marketing Material
April 1, 2021
Product packaging is more than a label stuck on the exterior of a product—it is a way for a brand to tell its story to the consumer as they stroll through the aisle. As a growth marketing agency, we specialize in graphic design and the creative process that meets that goal.
From approach to creation to delivery, we crafted the perfect mix of label design and promotional marketing material for our client ICAN Hard Seltzer by Mercer Estates.
ICAN: The Story Behind the Brand
ICAN Hard Seltzer is a brand from the award-winning winery Mercer Estates. A family-owned company headquartered in Prosser, WA focused on making their mark in an emerging industry they have developed a wine-based hard seltzer beverage.
As stated on their website, “ICAN Hard Seltzers are all-natural, gluten-free, and vegan. Choose from Black Cherry, Wild Berry, Peach, or Watermelon (or better yet, try them all). They’re made with fruits local to the beautiful Northwest. In every drop, you’ll get a taste of the Pacific Northwest.”
Connecting the Brand Story to the Product Packaging
All of the details are incorporated into creating the perfect label design and product packaging matter. From strategy to promotion discover the details we highlight in the ICAN Hard Seltzer creation process.
Product packaging vision and strategy
Before diving straight into designing the label we first defined the intentional marketing insights behind making this product. It was important to highlight the product’s key selling features and differentiators. In this case, specific to the ICAN Seltzer, we initially developed three main areas of focus to draw attention to. This includes all-natural, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly. This focused on targeting health-conscious consumers, making them less likely to buy a beer or wine and more likely to buy from the seltzer category, really emphasizing how this beverage stands apart.
After additional marketing research, we added more callouts focused on the literal can versus the beverage. ICAN Hard Seltzer was the first in the wine-based seltzer category to have a twist-top and that’s how it stood apart from competitors. Three new callouts were made – rechillable, resealable, and recyclable. Now we are not only showing the consumer what makes this can design different, we are telling them.
All of these elements are prominently featured on the final can design. Knowing this can would sit directly next to competitors on the shelf, it was crucial to evaluate how the ICAN design would stack up.
Label design and cap creation
Creating a can design that bursts with flavor! This can is a standout on its own for having a resealable top, the first of its kind in the wine-seltzer world.
Our design focused on exciting and educating the consumer on how this wine-based seltzer is bursting with natural flavors all while letting that resealable top shine. We started from the bottom, anchoring the design with a bold blocked gradient, leading to our custom illustrated fruits, below the flavor. We let the pops of color do the talking, communicating to the consumer easily which flavor is which.
The rest of the can design is a flood of metallic white with a fizz of bubbles flowing up from the bottom of the can, with educational callouts since this product is the first of its kind. We celebrated this unique product by carrying the design from the bottom to the custom cap design.
Marketing Material
Once flavors, labels, and designs became finalized we moved into designing marketing materials. We promoted the new ICAN Hard Seltzers through sales flyers, presentations, and renders of the bottle for the pre-sale market.
We performed considerable market research to see what competitors were doing in this space – from packaging to marketing copy & positioning. ICAN is a completely different product in comprison to its hard seltzer counterparts. To this point, we created various marketing assets to meet the goal of educating consumers and distributors.
We emphasized the anticipated performance of ICAN Hard Seltzer in the market. The key areas we identified were the overall behavior of hard seltzer buyers. This included the opportunity for buyer conversions, new and repeat buyers, drive for health-conscious alcohol consumers, and the overall increasing sales year over year in the industry.
Conclusion
Product packaging is an opportunity for brands to communicate their purpose and what they stand for. We take time to understand your brand and assess your growing business’s needs, whether you are breaking into an emerging marketing or competing in an established one. Successful designs have longevity and the effectiveness to drive results to help your business thrive.
Looking for product design? Talk to our brand strategist today for expert guidance to bring your brand story to life through the right design.
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