Labels give URS a USP

Swiss soft drink brand Rivella has introduced URS, an alcohol-free drink intended to ‘shake up the status quo’ through the combination of an 'exceptional recipe with outstanding packaging'.

Labels give URS a USP

URS is the first project from Rivella’s ‘cin cin’ innovation platform, through which Rivella is seeking to explore new possibilities and concepts within the soft drink sector by launching niche products. The idea is to ‘set the trend for the upcoming years’, and expand the markets’ and consumers’ horizons with never-seen-before brand concepts. URS and future brands developed through cin cin will all be developed completely independently from the existing Rivella product portfolio, with the intention of reaching and thrilling new consumer segments. URS hit the market in four different cities of German-speaking Switzerland in March.

To successfully shake up the status quo, Rivella said its innovation team has combined an exceptional recipe with outstanding packaging for URS. The brand name is derived from the Latin word ‘ursus’ for bear, which is why the mixture of fermented lime and vermouth is packaged with portraits of the animal.

Being an alcohol-free drink, its motto is ‘Eisbär statt Kater’, which can be translated as a recommendation to choose the polar bear rather than a hangover, itself a play on words as the German word ‘Kater’ refers to both a tomcat and a hangover.

The bears were printed by CCL Label using a combination of flexo and offset technology, as well as white inks that are screen printed. Together with the transparency of the self-adhesive material, a ’no-label look’ has been achieved. Various designs make URS more individual and guarantee maximum attention on the shelf.

CCL described the combination of opaque vivid colors and bold design elements as ‘providing the modern trendsetter look URS is aiming for’. Different accessories in red or blue worn by the bear catch the eye, with crown, moustache, hat and mask highlighted through vibrant glossy inks that make them stand out strongly at the point of sale.