The Opportunity
PepsiCo contacted PTI to assist in developing a functional package for its new 20-ounce Mountain Dew bottle. The brand was aiming to engineer a unique bottle shape with a strong grip area to help differentiate the brand, which targets males in their 20’s. However, PepsiCo was experiencing issues with early prototypes, including height expansion and shoulder creasing when carbonated, and the bottles failed thermal stability tests. PTI was brought in to work on design modifications and provide structural feedback.
The Innovation
The bottle geometry was very challenging for pressurization. The design needed to achieve performance and shelf-life requirements in the current distribution system while having a new unique shape that differentiated from the global swirl bottle that had been the same for over 10 years.
The Outcome
The new bottle was preferred 3:1 to the existing bottle and helped PepsiCo achieve a sales lift despite the declining carbonated soft drink category at the time. In addition, the new bottle paved the way for Pepsi’s new bottle designs that are currently rolling out nationwide.