Halloween, then Christmas… Q4 is officially the season of getting a little bit gimmicky!

For drinks brands, the final few months of the year can be a brilliant opportunity to have some fun. Halloween brings spooky flavours, limited-edition cans and eye-catching packaging, while Christmas gives brands another chance to experiment with festive flavours, seasonal designs and giftable multipacks.

But how far should you go? When does a clever seasonal idea become a gimmick?

Halloween is perhaps the easiest time of year to embrace the unusual. Black cans, spooky branding, unexpected flavours and playful names can all help a drink stand out.

And that's exactly what makes seasonal drinks so interesting. For a limited-edition product, consumers are often more willing to try something a little different — especially when the packaging catches their eye.

Then, just as the pumpkins disappear, it's time to get the tinsel out.

A limited-edition Christmas drink can be another great way to create excitement without completely reinventing your range. A festive flavour, Christmas-inspired can design or special multipack can give an existing product a seasonal twist and give customers a reason to try it.

But don't forget what's inside the can...

There's a fine line between fun and gimmicky.

Halloween might give you permission to make your drink look like something from a haunted laboratory, and Christmas might encourage you to cover the can in glitter but neither season gives you an excuse to forget about the actual drink!

Nobody wants to buy a drink because the can looks fantastic, only to discover that it tastes like a scented candle.

The best seasonal drinks get the balance right. The flavour, packaging and story feel appropriate for the occasion, but the product still feels like a genuine extension of the brand.

For smaller drinks brands, Halloween and Christmas can provide useful opportunities to test new ideas.

A limited run means you don't necessarily have to commit to a permanent new product. You could try a new flavour, experiment with a different can design or create a seasonal version of one of your existing bestsellers.

And if customers love it? Well, perhaps that Halloween or Christmas "gimmick" has just given you your next product idea!

So, should drinks brands get gimmicky?

We say yes — have some fun with it! Just make sure there's a genuinely great drink underneath all the pumpkins, glitter and tinsel. 

At Canify, we help drinks brands take ideas from concept to can, from recipe development and production through to the finished canned drink. Whether you're creating a Halloween special, a Christmas limited edition or your next big launch, we'll help make sure there's something great inside the can.

‍