Branding for a Kids Palette

I came across Crayons Fruit Drinks recently and thought what a great idea for a kid targeted beverage. Crayons, Inc. has spent three years developing an innovative and refreshing beverages which are made with 33% fewer sugar grams while retaining a nice sweetness level that kids love today. It may be healthier and taste great but no one will ever know because the branding is all wrong.

The more I think about it, the more flawed the thinking behind this brand is. I picture the meeting where they picked the name, “Let’s call it something kids love ... Crayons!” and off they went. I bet they thought kids would be begging their parents for it in the supermarket isles. Problem: little kids can’t read, Worse, the packaging doesn’t payoff the name. Colorful cans, but they do not look like crayons. On their site they use imagery of kids way too old to be lured by the name. Kids in this demo are going to tend towards aspirational marketing ploys like Gatorade's use of athletes like Tiger Woods, Dwayne Wade or Serena Williams, or Vitamin Water using entertainers like 50 Cent and Carrie Underwood.

It comes down it having core appeal. Imagine if Crayons spent their energy (and money) getting licensing rights to the 100 year old Crayola Brand. This would have given them a household brand name and iconic yellow and green packaging design that everyone would recognize whether they are old enough to read or not. With the power of the Crayola name and health conscious recipe, this drink would be able to compete on a whole new level of distribution and sales.

If they truly are chasing the active/athletic tweens, then they need to go back to the brand drawing board. Do some real soul searching create a brand identity that appeals to the target drinker and their specific nutritional needs ... maybe something like “Gatorade Jr.”