Pragma Reviews SunnyD
1st March 2009
History
SunnyD was launched in 1998 in the UK with a £10 million promotional campaign, and became the third biggest selling drink in the UK, behind Coke and Pepsi. It was marketed as a healthy alternative to soft drinks, but this claim has been brought into question by both consumers and the media. The negative publicity escalated when an ad for the product showing a snowman turned orange was released at about the same time as reports of a girl who turned orange after drinking too much Sunny Delight. Sales halved by 2001, and the drink was redesigned and re-launched in 2003 as 'SunnyD'.
Now the new SunnyD is now the only soft drink for children on the market with no artificial sweeteners and an amber traffic light. The drink has just been redesigned to reflect the reformulated drink.
Graphics 8/10
The new label is brighter, bolder and simpler than its predecessor. The slice of orange and sunlight emphasise the new `absolutely nothing artificial' message and the water splashes and palm trees add to the freshness and appeal of the new packaging.
The bottom of the label tells the consumer that there is `no added sugar OR artificial sweetener' and the reverse of the label re-emphasises the lack of artificial ingredients with a checklist, which is a very strong message to any consumer curious enough to pick up the bottle and try it.
The graphics are now more sophisticated than before and more like other products (eg Capri Sun) which hopefully will not alienate its target audience. The question that remains is whether the new packaging will do enough to persuade those with negative associations with the brand to convert, or lost customers, to re-try it.
Function 8/10
A simple screw top which secures without any leakage and a clear bottle to view the contents makes this an easy bottle to use. The size of the bottles fit nicely in the hand, too.
On shelf 8/10
The new label makes the bottle stand out more than its predecessor. The new SunnyD logo is more attractive and more noticeable on the shelves. SunnyD is a well-known brand, so existing customers will not have any difficulty locating it.
Overall 8/10
The SunnyD brand is a big challenge. Whether the brand can fully recover from all the negative press and whether the product is good enough is not known. However the new packaging succeeds in communicating the new ingredients and appeal to its target audience.