Redefining Alcohol-Free Packaging for Europe with Ecology & Co and Pure Purple
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Ecology & Co, Pure Purple, and Yabble have joined forces to reinvent the look and feel of Ecology & Co’s 0% alcohol RTD range for a global launch. The initiative combines Pure Purple’s creative brand design expertise with Yabble’s cutting-edge AI-powered consumer insight tools, blending human creativity with data-driven intelligence to shape a new standard for alcohol-free innovation.
The Challenge
Following its recent acquisition, Ecology & Co – New Zealand’s leading locally made, 0% spirit brand – set out to relaunch itself to the world with a bold new vision and packaging redesign. A critical part of this global reinvention involved testing the appeal of its new RTD packaging concepts with target consumers across key international markets, particularly the UK and EU.
The research aimed to answer essential brand and design questions, including:
- What do UK and EU audiences think of the new 1L share can concept?
- How well do the designs communicate the product’s low sugar and natural positioning?
- Which on-pack phrasing lands best: Spritz or +Mixer?
- Which messaging is more persuasive: No Refined Sugar or Naturally Sweetened? (With the brand team hypothesising the latter would feel more positive.)
- Do consumers understand ACV, or should it be written out in full as Apple Cider Vinegar?
- Is it more appealing to highlight botanicals and ingredients or taste descriptors like “Fresh, Zesty & Light”?
- Does the lime green on the London Dry variant feel refreshing or synthetic?
- Is the design too feminine? Would men feel comfortable holding this can and drinking this brand?
- And finally, how does the new range stack up against key competitor brands on shelf?
The Approach
To answer these nuanced questions at speed, Ecology & Co turned to Yabble’s Virtual Audiences – a deep research tool powered by augmented data and generative AI. Using Virtual Audiences, the brand was able to engage with AI personas representing real consumers across the UK and EU, each bringing realistic opinions, emotional reactions, and behavioural context.
With Yabble’s pioneering Vision feature, these personas could see and respond to visual stimuli in real time, providing instant qualitative and quantitative feedback on several can design options. This allowed the team to test for design effectiveness and emotional resonance in a matter of minutes.
The research explored:
- Visual appeal & perceptions: Testing each design’s appeal across gender, premium aesthetic, sophistication, naturalness, and refreshing perceptions
- Messaging resonance: Evaluating how consumers interpret and emotionally respond to claims like Naturally Sweetened versus No Refined Sugar.
- Linguistic understanding: Assessing familiarity with abbreviations (e.g., ACV) and preferences for descriptive versus ingredient-led flavour communication.
- Competitive benchmarking: Comparing Ecology & Co’s new pack designs with key alcohol-free competitors to identify which aesthetics and cues drive strongest preference and purchase intent.
The Results
With topline insights generated in under 30 minutes and a full analysis and report delivered within one week, the project set a new benchmark for agile brand research.
The findings revealed:
- Consumers across Europe preferred design elements that balanced natural cues with modern sophistication.
- “Naturally Sweetened” outperformed “No Refined Sugar” for positivity, trust, and premium alignment.
- UK audiences showed stronger connection to taste descriptors (“Fresh, Zesty & Light”) than ingredient lists.
- The lime green hue, while eye-catching, elicited mixed responses around authenticity and naturalness – confirming valuable design iteration feedback.
- Competitive comparison data showed Ecology & Co’s new packaging scoring highest for refreshness and premium feel, giving the team clear validation for the final design direction.
The Impact
By merging Pure Purple’s design expertise with Yabble’s AI-driven consumer insight engine, Ecology & Co was able to unlock unprecedented levels of speed, confidence, and creative validation. This approach provided not only rapid insights but also delivered substantial savings in both time and budget compared to traditional research methods. What once required weeks of traditional qualitative testing was now accessible in days – with deeper emotional insights and scalable international reach.
They client also loved that they could make adjustments to the packaging, then go back & test these, once packaging design tweaks were made, to validate their updates were ‘hitting the right spot’ with consumers. No second guessing!
This collaboration not only informed visual and messaging decisions for Ecology & Co’s global rebrand but also demonstrated the future of agile, AI-enabled innovation in brand design and consumer understanding.
The outcome: a packaging strategy that feels distinctly European yet authentically Ecology & Co – grounded in real consumer insights, powered by the intelligence of Yabble’s AI personas.
Key Outcomes
- Speed of Insight: Topline insights delivered in 30 minutes, with full analysis and reporting completed in under one week. The project timeline was reduced by more than 50% compared to traditional research methods.
- Cost Efficiency: Completed Stage 1 & 2 research and reporting for just US$25,000, compared to estimated traditional research costs of >US$45,000.
- Strategic Confidence: Gained the unmatched agility and creative confidence needed to validate the final packaging direction for the global launch through AI-powered research.
“This research meant, within a couple of weeks, we could test design concepts, tweak them and then build materials for Ecology & Co to be able to use with unprecedented confidence at an important trade fair with retail buyers & on trade in the UK and EU marketplace…it’s like having our own design crystal ball”
~ Raewyn Topp, Founder & Creative Director Pure Purple.
About the Partners
Ecology & Co – New Zealand’s original distilled 0% spirit brand, creating alcohol-free alternatives that bring the same sophistication and sensory experience as traditional spirits.
Yabble – The AI insights platform redefining market research through Virtual Audiences and Vision, enabling brands to generate insights and validate creative decisions in record time.
Pure Purple – A full-service brand design agency specialising in identity, strategy, and packaging that captivates audiences and drives standout presence on shelf.
