Vibrant Label Helps Snapple Say Goodbye to Millennium

Known for its clever innovations in the beverage industry, Snapple is at it again as it gears up for the close of the millennium. Snapple will celebrate the end of the 20th century with a new drink — Final Fruit Fireworks — a blend of six fruit flavors. The commemorative product, which heralds the turn of the century with creative labeling, is set to hit store shelves in November for a limited run through the end of the century.

Final Fruit Fireworks, the "Last 20th Century Drink," will be packaged in Snapple's standard 16-oz glass bottle, but it will feature a full-sleeve seven-color label depicting a wild New Year's party scene. The PVC shrink label, supplied by American Fuji Seal (Fairfield, NJ), pictures The Snapple Lady, Wendy Kaufman, celebrating New Year's Eve with a host of millennium revelers. Also featured on the label are three Snapple distributors: Robin Kaplan of Long Island Snapple, Tony Haralambos of Haralambos Beverage Co. of El Monte, CA, and Harold Honickman of Canada Dry, Delaware Valley. Each of the distributors played a key role in the development of the Snapple brand.

Mary Ellen Reis, VP of Packaging for The Triarc Beverage Group, which produces Snapple, told Packaging Network the company was looking for a "festive, celebratory look for Final Fruit Fireworks. We wanted a colorful product that could be used for parties and special end-of-the-year events. We wanted an enthusiastic feel to the label and intimate details on the package." Reis says Triarc achieved these attributes through the vibrant, colorful label.

The launch of Final Fruit Fireworks, "an all-natural fruit drink blend," will be supported through customized point-of-sale materials. Final Fruit Fireworks will be the lead item in Snapple's Y2K "Just In Case" end-of-year in-store display effort. The Snapple "Just in Case" corrugated display shelter will feature whimsical Y2K related graphics, as well as a tear pad that directs consumers to a Y2K "Just in Case" page on the Snapple website (www.snapple.com).

Maura Mottolese, VP, Snapple marketing, said there will be a "slight upcharge" in price to distributors due to the new label, which costs more to produce than standard Snapple labels.

For more information:
Triarc Beverage Group, Tel: 914-397-9200.
American Fuji Seal, Tel: 800-533-3854.

Edited by Bill Noone