The Sidel packaging team in Shanghai, China redesigned the packing for Menton flavoured water. Targeting young consumers in China, this new design sets out to differentiate Menton as a premium choice among other Ready-to-Drink (RTD) flavoured water brands in the market.

Menton is a RTD product sold in convenience stores and markets around schools in medium-sized cities in China. After three years of rapid sales, Menton flavoured water faced growing competition in the market with similar packages and prices. Menton’s customers are price-sensitive young people who have grown up together with the development of China’s advanced internet culture, so the brand decided to restyle the brand personality and resonate with their young target market by repositioning the drink as a higher value product. To do so, they entrusted long-term partner Sidel with developing a new packaging design from a concept to the industrial realisation of the product.

Sidel’s team conjured up a completely new bottle concept, including an "iconic bottle shape and label design". As Menton flavoured water is available with multiple fruity flavours, the inspiration of the new look was one of the ingredients – lemons – that is harvested in Europe. As a result, an association with the ideal, sunny Mediterranean holiday was applied to the new design with the help of a bright and jaunty colour pallet: the metallic “Tiffany blue” colour gives an exquisite brand image and unifies the different flavours, but the illustrated fruit pattern with its lighthearted, funny and relaxing mood conveys the healthy and natural attributes of the drink.

The challenge for Sidel was how to premiumise Menton and retain its health attribute in the new high valued soft drink category, because many soft drinks give the impression of containing high in sugar and unhealthiness.

“Following the overall packaging design trend in China, we decided to create something more contemporary for young people who are the main target audience for the drink, moving away from complex and technical design structures. Therefore, we came up with a straight-wall lightweight PET bottle, which weighs only 17.85 grams for the 500 ml format and is unusual for premium packaging,” explains Steven Xie, Packaging Director from Sidel Greater China.

"The production process of the re-styled bottle is also more sustainable, reducing material and energy consumption due to its light weight. The new bottle also achieved performance requirements for transportation and storage."

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