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Package redesign thwarts brand identity crisis

When Kill Cliff's product line expanded to cover more of the CrossFit market, the packaging needed an update to reflect all new drinks designed for separate applications.

When Kill Cliff's product line expanded to cover more of the CrossFit market, the packaging needed an update.
When Kill Cliff's product line expanded to cover more of the CrossFit market, the packaging needed an update.

Created in 2011 by ex-Navy SEAL Todd Ehrlich with the needs of extreme fitness athletes in mind, beverage brand Kill Cliff enjoyed initial success with a post-exercise drink line. It was aptly named Recover thanks to its muscle inflammation-fighting formulation and was sold in 12-oz aluminum cans using color cues to differentiate between four flavors.

Kill Cliff eventually realized that recovery was only one piece of the exercise pie. Meanwhile, Kill Cliff had amassed quite a strong following in the CrossFit community. The company wanted to expand its line to capture extreme athletes’ unique hydration needs before and during their workouts, not just when recovering afterward. So earlier this year, Kill Cliff introduced a sports endurance beverage called Endure and an energy boost beverage called Ignite.

But in growing from a single product line to a product family, Kill Cliff faced an identity crisis that brought its packaging under scrutiny. Its containers would now need to effectively communicate that these were three separate drinks with three separate applications—for before, during, and after a workout. On the existing Recover can, the Kill Cliff name had been the primary message, with the recovery element relegated to a descriptor. Now that the Recover line would have two siblings with differing applications, these descriptors needed to be brought to the fore. Another concern was that the tall, thin metal can resembled the ubiquitous Red Bull can. However, only the Ignite line would contain energy drink properties. Finally, the new additions would benefit from the brand equity around the already strong Kill Cliff name.

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