Pepsi gives Toma Juice a new shape for a fresh look

Elopak won the contract amongst fierce competition due to the innovative shape and design of the Pure-Pak® gable-top aseptic carton which features a distinctive curved panel.

23/06/06 Pepsi Americas Central Europe Group has re-launched the leading quality juice brand TOMA in new-style Pure-Pak® Curve cartons from Elopak across Czech Republic and Slovakia. Elopak won the contract amongst fierce competition due to the innovative shape and design of the Pure-Pak® gable-top aseptic carton which features a distinctive curved panel. The new packaging concept which re-positions TOMA in the competitive and fast growing juice market was launched in an opening ceremony at Pepsi's General Bottler plant in Prague on 30 May 2006.

Within the vast range of products marketed by Pepsi Americas, fruit juices are currently enjoying fast growing sales. While TROPICANA is the prominent Pepsi brand in the Americas and Western Europe, TOMA has been the leading brand in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland for many decades. Packed in a brick-shaped carton, the product has lost some ground in recent years and it was decided to re-evaluate and update its premium image to a younger, more modern lifestyle. Therefore, the dynamic Marketing Team of Pepsi Americas PAS CEG decided for a re-launch of the brand by positioning it towards young, assertive, modern and open-minded Eastern European consumers.

Otakar Rezek, Vice President Marketing of PAS CEG explains: 'We did a thorough market analysis in our home markets, including consumer interviews, and were happy to learn that Elopak's Pure-Pak® Curve carton with the innovative curved panel and the Pure-Twist screw-cap was clearly rated best packaging for our TOMA range. The pack has emotional benefits with its new shape and design and clearly stands out from the crowd on retailer shelves an important asset in today's competitive environment. In this respect the new pack has been an important element of our marketing mix.'

Based on the positive consumer research and similar successful re-launches of brands in new Pure-Pak® Curve cartons in Greece and France, Pepsi decided to invite Elopak for a tender for a new aseptic filling line, including screw-cap applicators, wrap-around machinery and related conveyor systems.

After an intensive evaluation period, which included a review of the marketing and pricing strategy for juices in Central Eastern Europe, an extended consumer test, a packaging re-design brief to three agencies and a complete review of the secondary packaging, a supply agreement was signed on 9 December 2005 with the ambitious target to re-launch the new TOMA brand of 8 different juices and nectars on 1 June 2006.

In an opening ceremony in Pepsi Prague plant, Christophe Guillé, Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Pepsi Americas CE Group and Bjørn Flatgård, President of Elopak, untied the knot of a symbolic, huge ribbon, officially starting the new filling line and, as both partners stated, to a longstanding and fruitful co-operation.

The ceremony was honoured by the presence of Mr Peter Raeder, Norwegian Ambassador in Czech Republic, Mr Bjorn Bjoernsen, Commercial Councilor at the Norwegian Embassy and Johan H. Andresen jr, owner of Elopak.

The newly designed TOMA range (executed by London-based agency Sieberthead) will be in the supermarkets as from 1 June 2006. A strong media campaign will support the re-launch, which includes TV and cinema spots, print and point-of-purchase activities and eye-catching hypercubes in front of 70 selected hypermarkets in Czechia. Great attention is given to superior in-store presence with specially branded metallic displays.