The brightest sip in your
bottle was hiding in plain Light.
April 2025
Project Management · Research · Strategy · Creative Briefing
How do you make Crystal Light relevant again?
My Roles
Analyzed cultural, category, and competitive trends in powdered drink mixes
Ran social listening on hydration, WaterTok, and perception shifts
Surveyed 125 consumers to track changing habits and preferences
Led a 5-person focus group and 10 street interviews for deeper behavioral insight
Built the narrative from research to presentation
Pitched to a group of judges
Why it works
Moving beyond diet culture and nostalgia, we reposition Crystal Light as a source of hydration joy, built for today’s water bottle rituals.
We create new occasions and own the space between water and soda where Gen Z wants something better, not more.
Ask
Develop and present brand research and strategy for Crystal Light.
Objective
Make Crystal Light relevant again in the evolving beverage culture.
Problem
Crystal Light went from staple to punchline, filed under diet culture and diet grandma juice.
Opportunity
As the beverage landscape reshapes around hydration rituals and aesthetic water bottles, Crystal Light has a choice: evolve into a modern essential or stay a relic.
Key Questions
What are people choosing over Crystal Light and why? What baggage do powdered mixes carry?How are trends like WaterTok shaping behavior? Why does Crystal Light feel outdated? What do younger consumers want from flavored hydration?
What we found
Liquid I.V. → functional but clinical, often associated with illness.
Mio → convenient, flexible, but culturally hollow.
Country Time → nostalgic but limited to summer only vibes.
Competitive Landscape
Diet Grandma Juice, Anyone?
Crystal Light is strongly tied to old lady diet culture.
Words like “grandma juice,”“80s vibes,” and “diet drink” surfaced repeatedly.
Water has feelings.
“Waking up with dry mouth.”
“Playing outside as a kid and drinking ice cold water.”
“Lunchtime boredom that needs a little zest.”
These moments call for more than plain water.
Gen Z is curious
75% know or like Crystal Light, but don’t really think about it.
66% say Crystal Light helps them enjoy water more.
40.8% are interested in trying Crystal Light.
68% say they always have water with them.
They’re not anti-Crystal Light. They’ve just forgotten about it.
Water is measured in Owalas, not ounces.
Younger consumers don’t think in ounces they think in Owalas (or other reusable water bottles)
Water bottles are identity statements. Hydration is emotional and aesthetic.
8/10 people we interviewed on the street said they’d add a Crystal Light packet to their bottle.
Insight
Crystal Light isn’t competing with flavored drinks.
It’s competing with hydration culture.
Gen Z has turned water bottles into emotional-support objects. Hydration is now routine, aesthetic, identity, and built around small daily moments.
Crystal Light has the opportunity to shift from diet mix of the past to the flavorful ritual that makes everyday hydration feel personal and joyful.
Strategy
The Companion for Every Sip
Reframe Crystal Light as the go-to addition for the bottles Gen Z already carries everywhere. Not a diet drink. Not nostalgia. A modern hydration companion that flavors the moments between thirsty and refreshed.
Crystal Light becomes the midday pick-me-up between meetings, the sweet-but-light craving satisfier, and the small reward for remembering to hydrate.
Like Fitbit nudges you to move and Apple Watch nudges mindfulness, Crystal Light can nudge hydration positively, playfully, and pressure-free.
Thought Starters
Retail Reinvention
Modern endcaps and bold flavor-forward displays
Updated packaging aligned with hydration culture aesthetics.
Crystal Light x Owala
Limited-edition bottles paired with flavor packs
Emotional Support Water Bottle kits
Social-first content featuring everyday hydration moments
Influencer rituals: What’s in my bottle today?
Campaign around in-between moments (Not thirsty, just need a spark)
Social challenges tied to daily bottle refills
Creator partnerships with WaterTok communities
Own Hydration Rituals