Color-changing ink on Mountain Dew can reveals 'Dark Knight'

As record summer temperatures and severe drought conditions fan across America, PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew is aiming to quench the thirst of consumers with a new can that is one-third larger than their traditional 12-oz offering. And to help capture consumers’ attention, the can features color-changing artwork aimed at the brand’s target audience nationwide. The limited-edition 16-oz can of Mountain Dew, when chilled to 46.4° F, features an easily recognizable symbol—a bat outline, promoting the feature film The Dark Knight Rises—that transforms itself to the distinctive green color of Mountain Dew, using specialized inks from Chromatic Technologies, Inc.

“Mountain Dew was able to use CTI’s thermochromic ink to create an interactive experience with their limited-edition can promotion,” explains Melanie Edwards, CTI’s manager of strategic sales initiatives. “By incorporating CTI’s cold-activated, color-changing ink technology into this special offering, it truly elevates the consumer interaction potential of the beverage package.”

The cans of Mountain Dew will be available for several months in the U.S. and are the result of design work initiated by Mountain Dew. Says the brand’s art director, Mike Gottschalk, “We felt the use of thermochromic inks on these special cans would help drive purchases for our beverages. Innovation in packaging design enhances the credibility of the brand: Graphics are one thing, but interesting inks and structural innovation provide a whole new meaning to our successful brand marketing efforts.”