We have all become familiar with Nestea's iconic glass bottles and the satisfaction that we get when we hear the "pop" noise when cracking the lid. Alas, this is no longer the case as Nestea has just refreshed its packaging and bottle in the Canadian Market place. The bottle is now plastic, slimmer and shaped differently.
This was likely done as a cost-savings initiative by the company but this is likely to have negative implications on the brand equity. I have observed this negative reaction first hand at my part-time job at Mr. Sub. When people request a Nestea to drink with their meal, they are now often giving the bottle back once I hand it to them and ask to switch to another beverage because they feel uncomfortable with this new appearance and are afraid that the product itself has also changed. This indicates how strong packaging is on consumer comfort and acceptance and by changing a product's package the brand risks losing short-term brand equity though decreased recognition and inconsistency. Some buyers have commented that “The package is smaller now” – it looks smaller but it actually is not. It's just that the plastic is thinner than the glass was. Other comments that I heard were "They are always changing their packages" (in a negative tone).
One lesson here is that brands need to balance change with consistency. Consumers are reacting negatively to constant changes in soft-drink packages so these brands need to ensure that these changes are less drastic or less frequent or at least communicate to consumers that they are changing their packaging and the reasons behind why they are doing it.
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