With the Euros, Wimbledon and the Olympics all taking place this summer, you can see limited edition packaging wherever you shop for your groceries. But why are these sport event packs so popular among food and beverage companies? Do consumers actually prefer them over the usual packaging design?

Why sport event packs are popular among manufacturers?

Limited edition as well as sport event packs provide an opportunity to engage with new and current customers. For food and drink companies, usually selling their products through retailers, sport event packs are a unique way of building and growing customer relationships. Apart from that, manufacturers also aim to get a little piece of the cake of the hype around sport events. Sport event packs are expected to sell better than the regular packaging design. Within the food and beverage industry, snack and alcoholic beverage brands usually provide such limited edition packaging, as these products are commonly consumed when watching sport events and 95% of sport fans usually watch games at home with friends or family.

What do consumers think of sport event packs?

Limited edition packaging such as sport event packs can be extremely popular among consumers. Since these packs are only available for a limited amount of time or until sold out, they give consumers the feeling of exclusiveness. Sport event packaging in particular attracts customers because they are linked to something they enjoy. However, there are studies showing that only 18% of consumers say they would more likely choose a sport event pack over the regular one. A sport event pack can make sense – if it’s the right product and if there’s a reasonable connection to the sport event.

Some brands go even further

Some brands, like Tastesmiths, take it one step further and provide consumers not only with limited edition packaging but flavours as well. Tastesmiths’ “Ruby Murray” curry kit was inspired by Wimbledon athlete Andy Murray. Robinson also introduced new flavours with their Wimbledon edition packaging. As official partner of GB & Ireland for the Rio Olympics, Müller Yogurt & Desserts even released a whole series of limited edition flavours. Their “Going the Distance” versions of Müller Rice will surely be popular this month.

How to create successful sport event packs

Most sport edition packs are a version of the regular pack with a logo or banner added. In these cases, consumers sometimes don’t even recognize the difference. Digital Creative Packaging thinks that brands could show a little more courage and truly stand out from competition by using more creative packaging designs. This will definitely pay off. One company that successfully designed a sport event pack this year is Carlsberg. Their fridge pack was redesigned to mix Carlsberg’s green with the Euro 2016 colours – France’s national colours. They adapted perfectly to the style of Euro 2016’s logo, but didn’t lose their own.

If you are considering a limited edition design, Digital Creative Packaging is the right partner for you. With our creativity and expertise, we can help your product stand out on shelf! Call us today for more information on our services.

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