Product	All-natural Occasion-based Shots
Project	Brand Packaging
Scope	Competitive Audits, Brand Strategy, Packaging Concept + Design, Illustration

Tired of typical Energy shots that currently dominate the market with their toxic taste and less-than-credible-ingredients, Happy Planet has brought their reputation and knowledge of healthy natural beverages to the emerging shots category. Happy Planet Shots are formulated to address four specific occasions: Energy+, Immunity, Detox and Glow. By infusing specially-selected herbal wonders from around the world with key vitamins and minerals, and with a premium fruit juice base, each shot provides a total net effect that both tastes good and that works. With no added sugar, no preservatives and no artificial ingredients, each 75 ml is a shot of pure concentrated goodness.

Subplot Design's strategic role involved an extensive audit of the current shots and functional beverage category as well as liaising with Vancouver's InQuest Consumer Insights & Planning, who conducted in-depth positioning consumer focus groups. Subplot then worked with Happy Planet to create a solid brand positioning strategy, followed by bottle and packaging design.

With the vast majority of shots currently in the marketplace concentrating solely on "Energy" and with a combined taste and design profile resembling a "toxic explosion", Happy Planet identified a gap in the market for a healthy alternative that addressed the many other occasions in consumers? fast-paced lives.

Happy Planet's reputation as "natural, pure and organic" was a direct fit with the "all-natural" attributes of the product. This needed to be balanced with the young, active shots demographic, without "trying too hard" to be "hip and cool" or too "masculine and aggressive", so as to alienate Happy Planet's existing consumer, skew too young or reflect negatively on the existing juice portfolio. Research pointed to a clean and modern aesthetic that bridged the gap between "natural" and "contemporary".

Much time and effort was spent creating a bottle that was not only unique, but also environmentally-responsible and cost-effective. The result is a tall, slender, square-sided bottle with a full shrink-wrap film enabling total coverage of the bottle with graphics. The additional double challenge was to create a cohesive family of products while still giving each occasion a unique, ownable and relevant component specific to the key benefit of that particular shot. The resulting illustrations clearly depict the benefit of the shot; a shield for immunity, a sun for glow, a first-aid cross for detox and a lightening bolt for energy. All occasions where wrapped in a common silver wrap, and the design platform embraced a minimal, clean aesthetic which appealed to the active-lifestyle consumer. Given the small nature of the bottle it was decided to run all type vertically on the cover panel to maximize legibility on shelf, and to leave room for the many legal packaging considerations that come with Natural Health Products packaging.