The Darkest Hour by Excel Bottling Marks a 2024 Astronomical Event
Laura McQuarrie — February 26, 2024 — Marketing
References: instagram & bevindustry
To mark an upcoming solar eclipse in April 2024, Excel Bottling rebranded its black cherry flavor as The Darkest Hour.
This limited-edition beverage was first transformed in 2017 for an eclipse in Southern Illinois. “When we thought about what an eclipse soda would look like, we thought a dark blood-red color would be perfect—like the color of our black cherry soda," said Excel’s Marketing Manager Carla Baublitz in a statement, "We thought Darkest Hour Black Cherry would be a great name for an eclipse-themed soda because there would be an hour in the middle of the day where it would rapidly grow dark as night even though it wasn’t nighttime yet.”
The updated packaging for 2024 reflects the special date of the phenomenon, and it glows in the dark.
This limited-edition beverage was first transformed in 2017 for an eclipse in Southern Illinois. “When we thought about what an eclipse soda would look like, we thought a dark blood-red color would be perfect—like the color of our black cherry soda," said Excel’s Marketing Manager Carla Baublitz in a statement, "We thought Darkest Hour Black Cherry would be a great name for an eclipse-themed soda because there would be an hour in the middle of the day where it would rapidly grow dark as night even though it wasn’t nighttime yet.”
The updated packaging for 2024 reflects the special date of the phenomenon, and it glows in the dark.
Trend Themes
1. Eclipse-themed-beverages - Innovative branding opportunities for limited-edition beverages inspired by celestial events like solar eclipses.
2. Dark-color-packaging - Exploring packaging designs that can glow in the dark to create unique consumer experiences for special edition products.
3. Astronomical-event-marketing - Utilizing significant astronomical occurrences as marketing inspirations for product branding and promotions.
Industry Implications
1. Beverage-manufacturing - The beverage industry can capitalize on creating exclusive, thematic products tied to rare celestial events to drive consumer excitement and engagement.
2. Packaging-and-labeling - Packaging companies have an opportunity to innovate by developing glow-in-the-dark packaging solutions that enhance the visual appeal of products during special promotions.
3. Marketing-and-advertising - Marketing agencies can leverage astronomical events like eclipses to create compelling and unique campaigns that resonate with consumers on a deeper level.
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