New packaging for Propel, a PepsiCo brand, includes a larger logo featuring the Gatorade bolt in the center.

Kate Bertrand Connolly, Freelance Writer

March 20, 2023

2 Min Read
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PepsiCo

Propel Fitness Water is rolling out a major brand refresh that includes a new packaging design and logo. The new packaging first appeared on store shelves in early 2023 and will be fully rolled out by summer. PepsiCo, Propel’s brand owner, executed the project inhouse.

Propel products are made with Gatorade electrolytes — ideal for exercisers looking to replace electrolytes lost to sweat — and the refresh emphasizes Propel’s Gatorade connection. The new Propel logo, for example, features the orange Gatorade bolt at the center.

The packaging redesign affects the entire Propel product portfolio, including 20-oz and 1-L bottles, as well as powder packets and cartons.

“We recently wrapped our eighth consecutive year of growth, and our size has nearly doubled over the last six years,” says Anuj Bhasin, chief brand officer, Gatorade. “As we continue growing, we’re leaning into over 55 years of Gatorade science by pulling the iconic bolt into the heart of Propel and re-establishing the brand as a modern fitness authority.”

Bhasin adds, “We’re going all-in on reaching exercisers with this brand visual identity refresh [that was] designed to reinforce the efficacy of our Gatorade electrolyte roots and commitment to fueling the goals of exercisers.”

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Bottle gets sleeker and mirrors ticker tape from sports fashion.

Highlights of the packaging refresh include a new structural design for 20-oz Propel bottles. The bottles are sleeker and more contemporary looking than previously, and the redesigned label graphics include a larger logo for visual flare on-shelf.

The new graphics also incorporate a color-coded, ticker-tape-style band displaying product flavor. Ticker-tape trim on athletic wear inspired this touch.

Updated colors also play a key role. “With this redesign, we went bigger and bolder with our color choices, adding modernity and depth to the portfolio with the introduction of electric blue, a flavor palette rooted in the world of fitness apparel, and of course the instantly recognizable orange Gatorade bolt,” says Sean Huls, senior design director with PepsiCo Design and Innovation.

 

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Limited-time bottle connects with Creed III movie.

PepsiCo also recently announced its first limited-edition Propel bottle, created in conjunction with brand partner Michael B. Jordan. Graphics on the bottle picture Jordan in character as boxer Adonis Creed from Creed III, a movie Jordan starred in and directed.

The limited-edition 1-L Propel berry-flavor bottle launched in late February 2023, a few days before the US premiere of Creed III. The packaging will be available through summer.

Label graphics on the Creed III bottle include a QR code, which fans can scan (until August 20, 2023) to enter a promotion with weekly prizes such as Creed III tickets and virtual fitness classes. Consumers can also enter the promotion online.

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About the Author(s)

Kate Bertrand Connolly

Freelance Writer

Kate Bertrand Connolly has been covering innovations, trends, and technologies in packaging, branding, and business since 1981.

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