Pepsi is changing its look in the U.S.—the brand is set to introduce an updated, “easier-to-grip” bottle shape along with the wraparound shorter label featuring a bigger logo. Starting April, the new look will be rolling out for the Pepsi 20-ounce plastic bottle and later for all plastic and glass packaging of the entire range, including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max andPepsi Next. It is the first major redesign in 17 years.
Photo: The new Pepsi bottle, AP Photo/Pepsi (click to enlarge)
The new bottle shape has been created with convenience in mind—it features a swirled grip in the bottom part to make it easier for holding and a shorter label with the enlarged Pepsi ‘smiling’ logo, introduced back in 2008, which is the 11th in the brand’s 115-year history.
“We started with single serve, because it is the package you’re seen drinking and holding. The longer-term view is this new design system would eventually hit all touch points beyond packaging, to be honest, but certainly all other package types, as it applies,” commented  to Ad Age Angelique Krembs, VP-marketing for the Pepsi trademark. She also added that the swirl element could be tracked in some early glass Pepsi packaging, which in a way served as a source of inspiration for the update.
The new Pepsi bottles got a positive feedback from consumers on testing, so the 20-once packaging is soon to be available in the New York area, followed by Chicago, and some select cities in California and Florida. Ms. Krembs predicts that it may take a year or two before the national market will be converted to the new packaging. At the moment, it’s not clear, if the company plans to introduce the new bottle on the international markets.
The Pepsi bottle redesign follows a number of the last year’s prominent marketing initiatives, such as the cross-platform international campaign “Live for Now,” $50-m advertising partnership with music diva Beyoncé, and the 2013 Super Bowl sponsorship. Despite its efforts, PepsiCo reported a 4 percent decline in beverage volume in North America in 2012.