How to expand beyond the core identity?

Faxe Kondi is, for many, the one and only lemon-lime-flavoured soda in Denmark. Since 1971, the iconic Faxe Kondi has been on the shelves in supermarkets, kiosks, and the like. Still, like most brand owners, the Faxe Kondi team is exploring possible business opportunities, such as expanding occasions, line extensions, exploring new categories, etc. From an identity perspective, it is always interesting to investigate and follow just how far you can stretch a brand without losing its core brand DNA. 

The Faxe Kondi brand has a strong sports DNA. Faxe Kondi has always been present in the world of sports with campaigns in which professional athletes such as Michael and Brian Laudrup, Kenneth Carlsen, and Peter Gade have played. Sport has always been a substantial part of the Faxe Kondi DNA, and the soda itself is often described as a sports drink. It was even invented together with one of the greatest figures in Danish sports history, Knud Lundberg. 

Faxe Kondi is known for its fun and playful universe with a history of introducing its iconic lemon-lime soda with different flavours as limited summer editions. Last year they even held a Faxe Kondi Election, where the consumers could vote for their favourite flavour, to become a new permanent member of the Faxe Kondi family. Now, more than 50 years since the beginning, Faxe Kondi has launched a brand-new flavour – Orange – without the characteristic lemon-lime flavour. This, too, will be a fixed part of the Faxe Kondi range. However, as the brand is built upon the lemon-lime “sports drink”, we are curious to follow whether the new variant will be closely linked to the brand DNA in the minds of the consumers. 

Faxe Kondi’s Senior Brand Manager, Rasmus Kobbersmed says:
”In the last seven years we’ve created a summer edition on the basis of Faxe Kondi, but with a twist of something new like strawberries, pineapples and watermelon. We felt the time was now ready to move completely out of our comfort zone and introduce the first ever Faxe Kondi that is not created on the basis of the original recipe.” 

We have worked with the Faxe Kondi brand since 2018, starting with designing their current bottle, assisting with brand identity, brand architecture and numerous design tasks like the packaging design for the new orange flavoured variant. Together with the Faxe Kondi team, we have considered questions like, how far can you stretch your brand beyond its core (product) without diluting the brand? Has the Faxe Kondi brand become strong enough to embrace a new product on the edge of the brand’s core DNA? And would this move even be possible without their prior approach of continuously testing new variants?

We salute this bold move; only time will tell if the brand stretch is successful. Regardless, we can promise you one thing – it sure tastes good.