Product Incubation – Quartermaster

HELLBENT

Market Research & Competitive Analysis
Product Formulation
Naming
Brand Identity Creation
Packaging Design & Development
Promotional Strategies & Materials
Merchandising Design
Pro Forma & Go-To-Market Strategy

A beloved actor, his business partner, and a pair of comedy television writers sought to carve out a bold new path in the alcoholic beverage industry. They wanted to draw on their passion for geek culture and horror movies to create a brand that resonates with a young, culturally-attuned customer base who craves high-ABV options for their nights out. Quartermaster was entrusted with transforming this vision into a fully realized product, leading the creation of everything from the beverage formula and flavor profiles to the name, visual identity, and packaging.

The Challenge

While the founder and his partners brought creative imaginations and a strong concept hypothesis to the table, they lacked experience navigating the competitive beverage industry. Quartermaster was tasked with bridging that gap, identifying white space opportunities, and crafting a distinct product, supporting brand identity and the foundations of what would become a new business. The challenge was to balance current market trends with a disruptive position, ensuring the beverage would stand out in a crowded category while appealing to a diverse audience seeking premium, high-ABV options with bold flavor

Research & Insights

Quartermaster’s research revealed two key consumption trends: the simultaneous rise of low-ABV and high-ABV beverages, catering to different drinking occasions and audiences. This finding validated the idea of a high-octane (8%+ ABV) beverage, particularly among cost-conscious, social drinkers valuing alcohol volume per dollar spent.

Additionally, premiumization trends showed a growing preference for spirit-based cocktails with bold, full-flavored profiles and high-quality ingredients. Therefore, we identified our target demographic to skew younger (ages 21-25), with a secondary audience of late 20s to 40s drawn to compelling storytelling and a premium drinking experience. We also noticed the same classic recipes largely reflected in the product offerings on shelves, leading to the identification of a series of popular cocktails currently underserved in the RTD (ready-to-drink) market.

Our competitive brand analysis uncovered a saturated RTD cocktail space dominated by dainty, highly elegant, minimalist visual identities. This revealed a white space opportunity: a bold, edgy, and illustrative brand that cuts through the clutter, drawing inspiration from horror and occult themes to engage a younger, harder-to-reach audience—particularly males under 35—while offering a distinct alternative to overly feminine branding.

The Solution: Party Cocktails with a Wicked Twist.

Early Concepts:

Enter: Hellbent, a canned cocktail brand that combines real spirit bases, bold flavors, high ABVs, and edgy, horror-inspired packaging. Hellbent’s branding strikes the perfect balance between the clean, minimalist aesthetic common in RTD cocktails and the wild, playful energy of craft beer brands.

The logo features a weathered, gritty style that evokes rebellion and individuality. The tilted ‘B’ symbolizes both the brand’s off-kilter personality and its high ABV, nodding to the idea of being ‘bent,’ or drunk. The brand’s vibrant color palette draws inspiration from the electric hues of 1980s horror movie posters, creating a dynamic and eye-catching shelf presence.The can designs reflect the color of the liquid inside, creating an intuitive connection between the product and its packaging while ensuring visual cohesion across the line.

Each flavor is personified by an illustrated monster silhouette, inspired by iconic horror characters, and paired with understated easter egg elements that deepen the storytelling. These hand-drawn designs, featuring textured ink and paint brush effects, add a raw, eerie authenticity. Each monster’s exaggerated, screaming mouth serves as a striking focal point, amplifying the brand’s bold identity.

Hellbent’s product line includes five wickedly delicious cocktails: Dirty Shirley, Corpse Reviver #2, Swamp Margarita, Pain Killer, and Coffee Negroni. Quartermaster led the development of every aspect of Hellbent, from product concept and formulation to naming, branding, and packaging, crafting a brand that invites all drinkers to raise hell and release their wild side.

Outcome and Conclusion

Hellbent’s distinctive branding and strategic positioning have already garnered investor enthusiasm, setting the stage for a successful market entry. This project exemplifies Quartermaster’s ability to translate visionary concepts into market-ready products. By combining in-depth market research, competitive analysis, and innovative design, Hellbent is poised to be a sin-sational success, redefining the RTD cocktail space with its bold flavors, edgy identity, and rebellious spirit.

FUNNY WATER

Market research
Competitive analysis
Product formulation
Naming
Brand design
Packaging design & development
Go-to-market strategy
Digital and OOH marketing

FUNNY WATER is a ground-breaking beverage brand with a bold purpose – to be the first alcoholic beverage company to encourage people to drink less alcohol. FUNNY WATER targets a health-conscious audience searching for a fun, low-alcohol content (ABV) alternative to seltzers and high octane spirits. The founders were seeking a firm that could partner in the creation of a new product, a new brand, and an effective go-to-market strategy.

The Challenge

FUNNY WATER and its founders faced the not-so-unique challenge of entering the beverage industry with very little experience in the industry. They needed to understand where potential market opportunities existed and establish both a product and brand identity that would resonate with an audience looking for alternatives to traditional alcoholic beverages. Moreover, the branding needed to differentiate itself from the vibrant, noisy and highly saturated shelf presence typical of competing drinks.

Research & Insights

Even before arriving on a product concept, Quartermaster led extensive market research, identifying opportunities among consumers who were increasingly opting for beverages with lower alcohol content and fewer calories. We noted a major gap in the market for low-ABV, non-carbonated beverages, as most available options were either carbonated or started at higher ABV levels like wines. Additionally, the founders hailed from both the boating and music festivals industries, where there had been an obvious need for a low abv/low impact RTD designed for long sessioning in the sun.

The Solution: Drink Better.

Early Concepts:

Hence, FUNNY WATER the product was born – meticulously crafted to cater to both taste and health-conscious consumers. It features a modest 3.75% ABV and contains no sugar, with only 80 calories per serving. The product line includes seven delightful flavors available in two variety packs: Cucumber Mint, Citrus, Watermelon, Blueberry Açaí, Ginger Lemon, Jalapeño Lime, and Pomegranate. Quartermaster led all aspects of the formulation process including flavor house identification, materials sourcing, and initial co-packer identification.

In stark contrast to the prevalent trend of loudly branded beverage products, we intentionally created a minimal brand identity and irreverent voice for FUNNY WATER, designed to cut through the visual noise on shelves, drawing attention with its understated elegance and clear messaging. The brand design focused on simplicity and clarity, ensuring that the product’s unique selling propositions were immediately apparent to consumers.

Additionally, we focused the brand positioning not on a demographic, but a mindset, encouraging consumers to “Drink Better.” FUNNY WATER is designed to appeal to drinkers looking to be a little better, recognizing that most of us have been guilty of excessive drinking and overconsumption in our pasts. The brand embraces our collective history of missteps and fuels the natural human desire to be a little bit better every day.

Press & Awards

The product and brand went on to win numerous industry awards, including gold, silver and bronze medals from well-known industry Proof Awards and Best Packaging Design from DesignRush. FUNNY WATER also garnered an array of trade and consumer press, including Forbes and Marketwatch among many others. The company has been steadily growing since its inception and is now sold internationally, entering the Canadian market in early 2024.

Quartermaster continues to support the brand through all aspects of marketing and creative, including social and digital media, OOH and traditional media, POS, trade marketing, and the continued evolution of the brand’s packaging

Outcome & Conclusion

The strategic positioning and distinctive branding of FUNNY WATER have been instrumental in its successful market entry. The company has effectively captured the interest of its target audience, offering them a novel beverage choice that fits their lifestyle preferences. FUNNY WATER’s focus on humor-infused hydration, combined with a commitment to health and quality, has set it apart from competitors, establishing a strong presence in the beverage industry.

This project exemplifies our ability to translate a founders’ vision into a tangible, market viable, revenue generating product. Through in-depth market analysis, innovative development, a thoughtful brand strategy and innovative marketing, we have positioned FUNNY WATER for sustained growth and success for many years to come.