Kooky’s Sodapops

Product Building & Marketing

“Looking for the wildest bunch in town to join your adventures? Meet Kooky’s Sodapops.”

Saimaa Brewing Company asked us to create the brand and packaging for their new product category of specialty sodas. These sodas are not just your average, super sweet fizzy drink – they are made with fresh berries and fruit, using less sugar, which lets the natural flavours of the ingredients have the limelight. They are not only tasty in their fizzy goodness, but the very colour of the sodas are inherently bright and vibrant.

With that in mind, we saw the potential to create a bubbly, if perhaps a little unusual, story behind a tribe of quirky little characters. We dubbed them the Kooky Gang internally, but you can call them Kooky’s Sodapops.

“Someone who is kooky is slightly strange, but often in a way which makes you like them.”

When we first heard what the initial flavours were going to be, we nearly lost our cool, they sounded so delicious! It was not a leap of logic from there to the group of mischievous little characters who are just crazy about the freshness of fruit. Each flavour had a distinct, unique taste, so naturally, each one needed their own Kooky creature to go with it.

After some exploratory sketching and testing different approaches, we settled into a playful style of animal illustrations.

With the creatures taking shape, we turned to the colour design. The product line’s palette is a tribute to the real berries and fruit that go into them, rich and lovely – and practically popping off the shelf.

As a package, the cans really have a kick. Wrapped in vibrant colour and paired with a Kooky creature each, the gang really hold their own. The flavour name stands out bold and clear, while the identifier helps tie them all together under the Saimaa Brewing Company’s name.

The new line of sodas, playful and bright as they are, had to have an anchor in the main brand of Saimaa Brewing Company. Our previous experience in SBC’s brand renewal & development as well as previous product line creation uniquely positioned us to tackle this challenge.

We implemented key elements of existing Saimaa Brewing Company labels with the new Kooky’s Sodapops cans designs, keeping this completely new product category recognizably on brand.

After a successful launch of the Kooky’s Sodapops product line with the initial four flavours, Saimaa Brewing Company immediately started creating new flavours to join the ranks. Before long, we brought two new characters to life to become part of the gang of Kooky’s creatures. We can hardly wait to contribute more of them.

With their constant research and development of delicious beverages, we wonder what character will turn up next.