The children’s beverage aisle is saturated with artificial, sugary drinks packaged to sell with bright colors and clumsy graphics. Vita Coco, the best-selling coconut water brand in the U.S., is looking to change that trend with the launch of a line extension, Vita Coco Kids. The brand tapped Moxie TM Inc., (www.moxieTM.com) the New York-based brand design and development firm, who saw this as an opportunity to bring a completely different energy and style into the category. 

Moxie TM collaborated with Vita Coco’s marketing team on the holistic brand strategy and to address every consumer touch point from branding and packaging to online for the launch of three flavors: Apple Island, Paradise Punch and Very Cherry Beach. 

“Translating the distinctive Vita Coco brand voice and bringing it to life in the kid’s category required finding just the right tone,” says Tammy Vaserstein, creative, principal, Moxie TM. “We wanted to retain the whimsical and quirky personality of the core brand, but in a kid appropriate way that balances the better for you message for parents while being fun and engaging for kids.” 

Moxie TM combined its experience in this market segment with competitive analysis, brand development and strategy. Working closely with Vita Coco’s brand team, they carefully aligned the core brand DNA with a new product offering. Moxie TM successfully married the tropical heritage of the brand with colors, shapes, characters and punchy humor that’s kid friendly while also appealing to health-conscious moms.

The Tetra Pak Wedge (new for the North American market) with an attached straw and simple straw insertion was chosen because it fits comfortably in kids’ hands and easily into lunch boxes, cup holders and Mom’s purse. Moxie TM created a new logo lock-up by adding a design element to the existing Vita Coco brandmark: a sign, similar to one found on a beachfront restaurant, hangs off the bottom with the word “Kids” etched in a custom font resembling a child’s handwriting. A tropical beach scene plays out with palm trees and coconut illustrations coupled with real fruit photography to communicate taste.

Original, flavor-specific animal characters were created by Moxie TM to highlight the flavor and whimsical nature of the product. “To remain true to the brand, we only included animals that belonged on a beach or in a rainforest and then infused them with personality and style to serve as the face of the flavors: a toucan for Very Cherry Beach, a parrot for Apple Island and a monkey for Paradise Punch,” says Vaserstein. Additional characters were created for the multi-pack boxes, website and point-of-sale materials to communicate the Vita Coco Kid’s story. Health benefits appear on the side and back panels to drive the ‘pure’ messaging while being fun, fresh and inviting.

The Tetra Paks are sold in single flavor multi-packs with outer cartons that feature an extended tropical beach scene. Characters frolicking and communicating via overhead speech bubbles engage kids while age-appropriate games such as “connect the dots” provide additional value and fun. A chart comparing Vita Coco Kid’s benefits with other juices helps moms understand the health benefits as well. A color-coded umbrella arc at the top of each pack provides a strong billboard effect on shelf while providing easy flavor differentiation. Moxie TM also created an 18-pack for club stores that combines all three flavors of the multi-packs shrink-wrapped together. 

Characters also play a major role on point-of-sale materials and the website (www.vitacocokids.com) to communicate the story with charm and quirkiness. Kids can download games from the website while parents can find all the information they need about the brand. 

In addition, Moxie TM illustrated a storybook to use for promotional purposes that features co-founder Michael Kirban’s 2-year old daughter interacting with the characters and telling the story of how the new product came to life. 

Vita Coco Kids will be rolling out in July and will be available at major retailers nationwide including Target and online at Amazon.com for a suggested retail price of $4.99. Each pack includes six, 6 fl. oz. drinks. The launch is being supported by an out-of-home advertising campaign in major markets.