Radler
The Radler that nearly outstrips supply
Ciuc is one of Romania’s historical beer brands, brewed in Miercurea Ciuc since 1974 and part of Heineken’s portfolio since 2003, and its Radler, the beer-and-lemonade mix Romanians reach for when summer arrives, had once led its category outright. By 2018 that lead was gone. A bold move into modern territory had run ahead of its execution, brand-equity indicators had slipped across the board, and Radler’s category leadership had been lost. The question facing Heineken Romania was not whether the packaging looked current, but whether a brand that had changed direction repeatedly could be made to hold a position long enough to win it back.
Heineken’s answer was to stay the course and execute it properly. Rather than reposition the brand yet again, the company committed to the modern territory it had chosen and rebuilt the portfolio underneath it for a 2019 relaunch, clarifying the master brand, refreshing the Premium line, adding a new taste extension, and renewing the Radler range. Brandient was engaged as the design partner for that program, and the Radler masterpack redesign was its closing stage: the point at which the renewed strategy had to translate into the can a shopper actually picks up.
The governing discipline was continuity, not reinvention. Brandient redesigned the Radler masterpack and carried it through to final artwork across every format, labels, cap, and secondary packaging for the full range, renewing the expression decisively while protecting the visual properties that let a Ciuc be recognized at arm’s length on a crowded shelf. The aim was a pack that read instantly fresh and unmistakably Ciuc, so the redesign did the selling work at the moment of choice rather than relying on the advertising behind it.
The market answered without hesitation. The renewed Ciuc Radler recovered its leadership and went on to dominate the category, with demand at times nearly outstripping supply, turning a lost position into the strongest proof that the decision to hold the course, and to back it with disciplined design, had been the right one.
Client:
Heineken Romania
Industry:
Food and Beverages
Project type:
Design Upgrade
Date:
2018–2019
Services:
Packaging Design
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