Market-Driven Innovations

Market-Driven Innovations comes to you in cooperation with Productscan® Online, an online, new-product tracking service from Marketing Intelligence Service Ltd., Naples, N.Y.
Available at www.productscan.com, the service is a comprehensive online database of new products. It has detailed information on more than 500,000 new product SKUs from 1980 to the present. It offers an in-depth look at new products with its Innovation Ratings. The service is updated six times a month with new information.
Where to go for more information...
Productscan Online gets you samples of products. Contact Tom Vierhile at Productscan® Online and Marketing Intelligence Service at 585.374.6326, ext. 28, or mi@productscan.com

New “battery bottle” juices up Jolt relaunch
It’s really not a can. And it’s not quite a bottle. Twenty years after it first entered the market, JOLT cola has relaunched in what is reportedly the industry’s first resealable 23.5-oz aluminum can, the JOLT Battery Bottle. The bottle combines Rexam Beverage Can North America’s (www.rexam.com) “monster” can body with “cap can” closure technology from Dayton Systems Group (www.dsgtech.com). In addition to resealability, the distinctive package also features a “power gauge” printed on the bottle in thermochromic ink, which changes colors as the chilled cola is consumed and reveals how much liquid remains. JOLT is available in five flavors, with two hits of caffeine per serving. The beverage retails from $1.69 to $1.99 per unit and will be sold in convenience stores and independent retailers throughout the country.
Alpine bottle “peaks” brand loyalty
Following the success of its Millennium bottle, a glass vessel shaped like a drop of water, Evian has introduced Origine—a 2005 design reminiscent of the French Alpine peaks where Evian water is sourced. The bottle was conceived by the Paris office of Landor Associates (www.landor.com), who translated the brand icon into thick glass with irregular angles designed to reflect light. Landor tweaked the expected image of a white snow-covered peak by crowning the 1-liter bottle with a plastic overcap shaped like a mountain top and tinted in Evian red. Minimal graphic elements ensure that the structure is what takes center stage; it was, after all, the biggest challenge in bringing this bottle into play. Because its shape deviated from that of the brand’s existing product family, Origine required a production line of its very own. The special-edition bottle will be distributed in more than 100 countries, including the United States where it will be available in regional supermarkets and other retail outlets for $18.95.
Portable Crystal Light packets give bottled water a twist
Rather than compete with bottled water, Crystal Light has befriended it. New individual packets of the low-cal drink mix have been designed to fit neatly inside .5-liter water bottles (or two cups of water in a glass), encouraging active consumers to drink Crystal Light anytime, anywhere. The brand has always positioned itself as an alternative to the “eight glasses of water a day” for consumers. And now, portability further cements that position. The purse- and pocket-sized tubes are easy to carry and a cinch to use; just pour, shake and go. Crystal Light On The Go is available in iced tea, lemonade and raspberry ice flavors and is priced at $3.29 for a 10-count box and $4.59 for a 14-count box. While the structure and design are not revolutionary, the package creates a slew of new usage occasions for the brand. And that’s good form.