Happy Planet Shots

Subplot Design created the packaging for this new entry into the energy shots category. Happy Planet Shots are formulated toaddress four specific occasions: Energy+, Immunity, Detox and Glow and contain no added sugar, no preservatives and no artificial ingredients:

"Subplot Design’s strategic role involved an extensive audit of the current shots and functional beverage category as well as liaising with Vancouver’s InQuest Consumer Insights & Planning, who conducted in-depth positioning consumer focus groups. Subplot then worked with Happy Planet to create a solid brand positioning strategy, followed by bottle and packaging design. With the vast majority of shots currently in the marketplace concentrating solely on 'Energy' and with a combined taste and design profile resembling a 'toxic explosion', Happy Planet identified a gap in the market for a healthy alternative that addressed the many other occasions in consumers’ fast-paced lives.

Research had identified opportunities to help the packaging stand out at retail and to help communicate the unique attributes of the product. On the one hand, consumers were not interested in packaging which was overly 'natural, organic and hippie', even though these attributes were consistent with the Happy Planet brand and the nature of the product. In fact, the Happy Planet brand itself was so strong, that its 'halo effect' was all the product needed to communicate 'natural' and still appeal to the young, active target market. At the same time, positioning and packaging that 'tried too hard' to be 'hip and cool' or overly 'masculine and aggressive', like other energy drinks, alienated the current Happy Planet consumer, reflected negatively on the rest of the beverage portfolio, and skewed the product to a much younger demographic than had been identified. Research pointed to a clean and modern aesthetic thatbridged the gap between 'natural' and 'contemporary'. Much time and effort was spent creating a bottle that was not only unique, but also environmentally-responsible and cost-effective.

The result is a tall, slender, square-sided bottle with a full shrink-wrap film enabling total coverage of the bottle with graphics. The additional double challenge was to create a cohesive family of products while still giving each occasion a unique, ownable and relevant component specific to the key benefit of that particular shot. The resulting illustrations clearly depict the benefit of the shot; a shield for immunity, a sun for glow, a first-aid cross for detox and a lightening bolt for energy. All occasions are wrapped in a common silver wrap, and the design platform embraces a minimal, clean aesthetic which appeals to the active-lifestyle consumer. Given the small nature of the bottle it was decided to run all type vertically on the cover panel to maximize legibility on shelf, and to leave room for the many legal packaging considerations that come with Natural Health Products packaging."

More images after the jump.