Contained within this medicine bottle beer packaging is a beverage that claims to make no claims. The name, Mittelmaß, means 'Average' in English, and this is the first impression that the maker would like the product to leave.
Fabian Fohrer asks, "shouldn't beer preferably be liked by its taste, instead by its description?" He hopes that the drinker will be able to form his own opinion of the beverage without influence from any type of marketing––likely from advertising, right down the the label. It's a noble idea, and a good one.
The trick, however, is that there's a uniqueness to this medicine bottle beer packaging scheme that makes the brand stand out. This combined with the punchy typography seems to communicate an edginess, yet a link to tradition, that stirs up assumptions and expectations in the consumer. It begs to ask: is there a wholly neutral way to package a product?
Medicine Bottle Beer
This Brand of German Brew Makes No Promises of Life-Changing Flavors
Trend Themes
1. Neutral Packaging - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in creating packaging that is entirely neutral or unmarked.
2. Marketing-free Products - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in creating products that rely solely on the quality of their offering, rather than marketing and branding.
3. Anti-marketing Trend - Growing trend towards anti-marketing products and packaging, where the lack of advertising or marketing becomes a unique selling point.
Industry Implications
1. Food and Beverage - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in how food and beverages are marketed and packaged, with an emphasis on the quality of the product rather than marketing tactics.
2. Consumer Goods - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in consumer goods packaging to offer wholly neutral packaging or embrace anti-marketing as a unique selling point.
3. Advertising and Marketing - Growing trend for anti-marketing and packaging in food and beverage and consumer goods industries may inspire a shift in the way that advertising and marketing is approached in all industries.