CLEARWATER, FLA. AUGUST 17, 2020
sodastream® quietly entered the US market as a substitute to sugary sodas with an innovative at home kitchen appliance and engaged Bluewater’s converged services to make a splash in the market and help boost sales while driving consumer acceptance to disrupt the beverage category—monopolized by leading The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo beverage conglomerates.
Bluewater helped sodastream® go from a bubbly substitute floating in an overflowing beverage market against strong competition to a billion-dollar buyout by the PepsiCo.
Fresh:
Bluewater evaluates sodastream®’s brand and messaging, recommending a new, fresh positioning and strategy.
Primary Positioning – Instead of a substitute, sodastream® is an alternative to sugary soda.
We all love a refreshing Coke® or Pepsi®, however, we all may be willing to opt for the healthier than sugary and calorie- and chemical-laden soft drinks occasionally.
Secondary positioning – sodastream® is healthier for you, since consumer drink 43% more water than non-sodastream® users. Drink more water, enjoy sodastream®.
Underlying positioning – Drink sodastream®, it’s better for the environment. Drink more water and use less plastic. If consumers can contribute to helping the environment without changing their habits, acceptance skyrockets and that is exactly what happened with sodastream®. Consumers understood they could keep drinking soda, but by adding sodastream® to their daily routine, it meant a lot less waste–plastic bottles/aluminum cans—since sodastream®’s bottles are reusable.
Creative:
Bluewater recommends a celebrity trainer with bubbly energy and impact, with a national television launch in November of 2017.
We enlisted superstar celebrity trainer Gillian Michaels to play against type—instead of being the drill sergeant-like taskmaster audiences had come to know from her stint on The Biggest Loser, Gillian revealed she has discovered her “bubbly” side thanks to sodastream®. Acting as the perfect brand ambassador, Gillian enthusiastically extols the virtues of the delicious and healthy flavored fizzy water households can enjoy instead of harmful soda pop.
The :60 and :30 second direct response commercials were shot in October of 2017 and on the air in November. As everyone knows, drinking more water each day is healthy, so we emphasized how studies show that sodastream® customers drank 43% more water than non-sodastream® users. The change in positioning and healthy attributes of the product led by Gillian as a channel stopper, helped boost sales exponentially. A buying frenzy erupted, both online and in retail stores such as Bed, Bath & Beyond, resulting in one of the company’s best quarters in its history, with a $25.5 million-dollar profit! From November to March the stock price rose an astounding 35%.
Disruptive:
The sodastream® direct response campaign delivered bubbling results with month over month growth for the company across all distribution channels and noticeably disrupted the bottled drinks and soda category. Well, enough of a splash to turn the heads of The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo management, and rather than attack sodastream® with lawsuits, discussions began for the buyout.
Splash:
In only 14 short months Bluewater Media’s branded direct response campaign working in collaboration with the sodastream®’s marketing team (employing converged marketing and advertising strategies including television, digital and social media) systematically grew revenue, and the company’s stock value from $66 per share to over $144 per share. In August 2018, PepsiCo purchased sodastream® International Ltd. for $3.2 billion. (Full story here)
About Bluewater:
Bluewater is a converged advertising and marketing agency that utilizes digital and broadcast creative, media strategy and transactional e-commerce to introduce products to market and build lasting brand awareness. Bluewater was the first end-to-end, fully digital, tapeless studio in the state of Florida. Its digital division provides social media, digital production, digital advertising, and turnkey solutions to maximize product visibility and sales on consumer websites, Amazon and other marketplaces, including handling all aspects of inventory, marketing, and the sales process. Visit the company website at https://bluewater.tv or on LinkedIn @bluewater-media.