Category: Packaging

Gladiator USB Can

Mexican energy drink Gladiator has created a “USB Can” which is not exactly a USB, but it does feature a packaging innovation that gives the user storage when they need it. šŸ˜Ž

Users who wish to make use of the USB can are directed to a website where they need to connect with Facebook and scan their can to get access to upload files from their computer. The uploaded files can then be unlocked on another computer by scanning the same USB Can.

Real Fruit Boxes

Brazilian agency Ageisobar was given the challegene to show that Camp Nectar juices were all natural. So they created moulds in the shape of juice packs and hung them on trees at various fruit farms. When the fruits grew and ripened, they took the shape of the brand’s packaging!

Share a Coke

Despite healthy brand tracking data, 50% of the teens and young adults in Australia hadnā€™t enjoyed ā€˜Cokeā€™ in the previous month alone. To increase product consumption amongst the masses, Coca-Cola jump started some real conversations with people they had lost touch with.

After 125 years of putting the same name on every bottle of ā€˜Cokeā€™, they decided to do the unthinkable. They printed 150 of the most popular Australian first names on their bottles and then invited all Australians to ā€˜Share a Cokeā€™ with one another.

Facebook image showing Coca-Cola promoting the Share a Coke campaign.

The resultā€¦

Packaging becomes the conversation

What stands out here is the simplicity. A bottle stops being just a product and becomes a prompt. A name makes it personal. Personal makes it talkable. Talkable makes it shareable.

In a world where brands are fighting for attention across channels, this is a reminder that the pack itself can be the media, if it gives people a reason to participate.

Why it works (and why it is more than a label change)

  • It lowers the barrier to engagement. You donā€™t need a new behaviour. You just need to spot your name, or someone elseā€™s.
  • It turns purchase into a social act. The ā€œshareā€ is built into the product, not bolted on as a message.
  • It scales personal relevance. The idea is big, but the execution is local. It lives in the names people recognise.
  • It links offline and online naturally. When something feels personal in-store, people are more likely to talk about it beyond the store.

What to take from this for integrated campaigns

  1. Start with a human trigger. A real reason for someone to say: ā€œThis is for meā€, or ā€œThis is for youā€.
  2. Make the product do the work. If the core idea is physically present, the campaign holds together across channels.
  3. Design for sharing as a behaviour. Not as a slogan. The easiest shares are the ones that feel natural and immediate.
  4. Keep it legible in one glance. The best integrated ideas can be understood instantly, without explanation.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the ā€œShare a Cokeā€ idea?

It is a packaging-led campaign where Coca-Cola printed popular first names on bottles, then invited people to ā€œShare a Cokeā€ with someone else.

What problem was Coca-Cola trying to solve in Australia?

Despite healthy brand tracking data, 50% of teens and young adults in Australia hadnā€™t enjoyed ā€˜Cokeā€™ in the previous month, so the brand aimed to reignite consumption and relevance through conversation.

Why is printing names on bottles strategically interesting?

It makes the product feel personally relevant at the moment of choice. That personal relevance can trigger attention, talk, and sharing without needing complex mechanics.

Is this a ā€œdigital campaignā€ or a ā€œpackaging campaignā€?

It is both, but it starts with the pack. The packaging is the trigger that can naturally extend into social sharing and broader integrated storytelling.

What is the transferable lesson for other brands?

If you can embed participation into the product experience itself, you reduce friction and increase the odds that people will carry your message across channels for you.