Case Study: Game Time
Scoring a Touchdown with Gravity Drinks
Client Name: Gravity Drinks
Brand: Gravity Drinks
Bottle: Game Time
The Company
Gravity Drinks is the creator and distributor of some of the industry’s most unique spirits. With a talent for re-imagining the everyday, they specialise in bespoke branded spirits and liqueurs for any occasion. Their diverse portfolio of niche brands attracts casual drinkers and connoisseurs alike, looking for a premium drink to match any experience.
The Brief
The idea for the Game Time bottle, came from seeing tailgate parties hosted outside football stadiums, from the NFL to colleague football and witnessing first-hand the enthusiasm fans had for the sport. After evaluating the current USA market, the Gravity Drinks team saw a niche gap; to create a premium vodka that would resonate with the experience felt at an American football game.
The brief looked simple… create a glass bottle that would emulate the look and feel of an American pigskin football. But diving into the heart of the American experience through bespoke premium glass would prove to need more expert glass solutions than anyone anticipated.
Rushing to the Red Zone with Creative Design
To get the ultimate touchdown, we needed to be the wide receiver to Gravity Drink’s quarterback. Our in-house creative design team set to work crafting the bespoke glass bottle design. Using expert techniques, we created a 3D plastic imitation of the finished glass bottle to ensure that the bespoke design encapsulated the vision the Gravity Drinks team had in mind. This step enabled us to tweak the Game Time bottle to ensure that it fully emulated the feeling of being a part of the American football culture.
One of the main ways this was achieved was through the specific size and weight of the bottle. The primary USP of Game Time’s design is its shape, which is based on an American football. After looking at the initial design brief, we decided that a 75cl size glass bottle would best support the football’s shape and detailed design. The bottles size also ensured that it would appeal to the average American spirits consumer because of their preference for mid-size alcohol glass bottles, and less carbon intensive designs.
Moreover, by choosing a lower glass bottle size, the Game Time bottle fits comfortably in the American Spirits consumer’s hand and can be carried in the same way as one would carry an actual American football. Adding to the experience and easily making it an unforgettable feature at any tailgate party.
Listening to the Crowd
When we initially released the Game Time glass bottle, we decided to make the bespoke bottle out of our standard flint, that is made from a high percentage of external cullet, as it would allow the inner vodka’s beautiful hue to shine through. However, early feedback from Gravity Drinks’ core customer base showed that the clear glass didn’t replicate a football close enough for the American market’s taste. From this, we knew that we needed to make some changes.
Using custom mix of coloured glass created in our UK-based factory, we were able to change the Game Time bottle to better emulate an American Football. Now, the Game Time glass bottle resembles a football so closely that the Gravity Drinks team must legally put a disclaimer on their bottle to show that it is not a toy.
Ensuring Scalability of a Bespoke Glass Bottle
Many of our clients are often curious of the scalability options when it comes to a bespoke glass bottle, especially one in such a unique shape. But our strategic yet flexible manufacturing footprint enables us to grow emerging brands from the early stages of short production length to the long runs of bespoke designed glass bottles exclusive for your brand.
Using our cost-effective supply chain, Gravity Drinks have been able to scale its brand into the wider international drinks market. Gaining shelf space in American retailers such as Binny’s and Total Wine, as well as independent liquor stores across 30 US states.
This fast growth led to the Gravity Drinks team to develop a new, larger size of the Game Time bottle that better emulates the scale of an American Pigskin football. The new size holds 1.75 litres of their premium vodka and is predicted to be stocked in American retailers before the end pf 2024.
Are you looking to scale your emerging brand with a bespoke glass bottle? Then get in contact with our sales team today and start your journey.
