An iconic brand, mixed differently: Minute Maid
How did an iconic, market leading brand enter a totally different category without losing what makes it special?
Services
Brand Positioning & Narrative
The Challenge
One of Coca-Cola’s key divisions, Minute Maid is an iconic brand with universal awareness, present in one out of every two households in America. So, when they decided to branch into ready-to-drink alcohol, they knew they could make a big splash. But while it may seem like a no-brainer to enter into a category full of small upstart brands with the scale and might of Minute Maid, the team knew this couldn't be a "me-too with juice credentials". They needed a Challenger identity which could not only harness the potential of their core brand but feel unique and grown-up enough to differentiate themselves from the rest of the Ready To Drink Alcohol category and their non-alcoholic master brand.
Inputs
- In-depth interviews with consumers
- Stakeholder interviews
- Workshops
- Brand analysis
Deliverables
- Challenger Brand Identity
- Strategic Summary
- Project Roadmap
The Challenge
One of Coca-Cola’s key divisions, Minute Maid is an iconic brand with universal awareness, present in one out of every two households in America. So, when they decided to branch into ready-to-drink alcohol, they knew they could make a big splash. But while it may seem like a no-brainer to enter into a category full of small upstart brands with the scale and might of Minute Maid, the team knew this couldn't be a "me-too with juice credentials". They needed a Challenger identity which could not only harness the potential of their core brand but feel unique and grown-up enough to differentiate themselves from the rest of the Ready To Drink Alcohol category and their non-alcoholic master brand.
The Unlock
Entering this new category as a major brand, the consumer perspective was going to be critical. We met and spoke with drinkers of ready-to-drink cocktails and brought their voices into the room, helping the Minute Maid team to look at existing data and assumptions in a different way. By listening to actual consumers, we could clearly hear that the current category didn't represent how this audience actually lived it – there was far too much fluff in a category that actually appealed on the promise of ease and simplicity. Our process fired the team up to be champions of their real consumers, to bring common sense back to this category and make it even easier and more relatable – just the kind of move you'd expect from Minute Maid.
The Output
As we built the Challenger strategy together “no nonsense” became the filter for everything – from product to positioning. We then helped the Minute Maid team develop the brief for their new agency to create a bold new visual identity and the campaign that turned brand scale into a strategic asset. The campaign “No Fuss, No Muss. No Duh.” launched in Spring 2024 across OOH and social, and it continues to grow as they release new variants like Pink Vodka Lemonade and Vodka Punch in 2025.
Minute Maid hasn’t just entered the category, it’s setting a new standard for it.
eatbigfish Team
- Anne Marie Armstrong, Strategy Director
- Nick Geoghegan, Strategy Director
- Jenna Stephan, Senior Strategist
- Meg Phippin, Project Manager
Minute Maid Teams
- Innovation
- Marketing
- Insight
- Creative Design
- R&D
- Operations
- Regulatory
The Unlock
Entering this new category as a major brand, the consumer perspective was going to be critical. We met and spoke with drinkers of ready-to-drink cocktails and brought their voices into the room, helping the Minute Maid team to look at existing data and assumptions in a different way. By listening to actual consumers, we could clearly hear that the current category didn't represent how this audience actually lived it – there was far too much fluff in a category that actually appealed on the promise of ease and simplicity. Our process fired the team up to be champions of their real consumers, to bring common sense back to this category and make it even easier and more relatable – just the kind of move you'd expect from Minute Maid.
The Output
As we built the Challenger strategy together “no nonsense” became the filter for everything – from product to positioning. We then helped the Minute Maid team develop the brief for their new agency to create a bold new visual identity and the campaign that turned brand scale into a strategic asset. The campaign “No Fuss, No Muss. No Duh.” launched in Spring 2024 across OOH and social, and it continues to grow as they release new variants like Pink Vodka Lemonade and Vodka Punch in 2025.
Minute Maid hasn’t just entered the category, it’s setting a new standard for it.
Impact
10
varieties launched to date
83
NPS score for the eatbigfish process
