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Jack Daniel’s, the legendary American whiskey brand, launches a festive pack in India every year around Diwali. Festive packs are an AlcoBev fixture, appealing to consumers at a time when discretionary spending increases.

ICD collaborated with Jack Daniel’s brand team, to design the festive pack of the original Old No. 7 whiskey for the 2023 festive season.

Strategy

Special packs are a f&b fixture, brought out during festivals. In India, especially around Diwali, we see festive packs by most f&b brands—local and global.

Over the years, the packs we see seem to have a certain similarity—ornate, heavy on gold and loud Indian motifs. The festive pack has become a category on its own.

Brands, in their eagerness to own the Indian and Diwali-ness end up using the same design tropes and characters year after year. An over-reliance on Indian references in the design clouds the brand’s own character on the pack, drowning themselves out in the noise.

If the design for Old No. 7 festive pack—our second in a row—retains and uses the brand’s signature elements in a Diwali-like, Indian way, it would have an extra layer of appeal and recognisability on the shelf.

Jack Daniel’s can participate in the festivities without losing its individuality in the proverbial melting pot that is India.

Design

We placed a silhouette of the legendary Jack Daniel’s bottle at the centre of the pack, enveloped by another brand icon the Old No. 7, larger than large.

The special pack has all the classic Diwali elements—rockets, crackers, gold, cards—all zipping through the grand and glittering 7.

The 7 curves and swerves across the bottle, wrapping it in a bright golden light.

Inside the flap is a message from the brand, celebrating the individuality of the founder-distiller, the man Jack Daniel’s.

The design manages to stay true to the character and individuality of the brand and manages to couple it with an appealing Indian festive mood.