1. APSOTW
SOBE WATER
(Freya Ng - May ’14)
free.epiphany@gmail.com

2. ISSUE
 SoBe V water has been rebranded and released in
UK since 2011 or so.
 Sales has been stagnant; the company is moving
approximately 2million units of it annually.
 Advertising is extremely minimal – this resulted in
poor product awareness

3. SOME ACTION…
 To gain some insight, I did the following things over
the course of a month or so.
1. Look out for the drink at major supermarkets
2. Speak to others about it, to gain a general idea of
product awareness.
3. Check their internet presence and other related
products.

4. INSIGHTS
 Branding is “too loose”
 Existing advertising for the US is rather dated; at best, it
is incongruent with the existing packaging. This has a
spillover effect in the UK, and brand consistency is an
endemic problem. (The visuals used for their Facebook and
their Twitter need to be reworked. For an example, the cover
photos on their Facebook contain copies of the similar banners
with very minor alterations, such as changing the angle of a tilted
piece of text.)
 The existing website and the packaging is probably a
good point to start.

5. INSIGHTS
 “I’ve never seen/heard of it before”
 Despite looking for the product on supermarket shelves, the
drinks rarely show up, and when they do, they are not
prominently placed.
 Worse, on google search, the first news article that comes up
lambasts the drink for not being as healthy as it claims.
 Interestingly, there is a growing demand for healthier alternatives
to traditional carbonated and energy drinks
 Frugo has a dedicated following, because they have a wide range of
intense flavours and are relatively budget-friendly as they can often be
found retailing at 3 for £1.00
 Monster released a range of non-carbonated tea-based energy drinks;
it is not uncommon to find certain flavours out of stock.
 The people I spoke to were largely a combination of students, gym-goers, online
gamers and a few housewives. The gamers were particularly knowledgeable, as
they rely very much on bottled/canned drinks to keep going for long gaming
sessions. They’re often willing to try new products as most drinks can become
tasteless after constant exposure. (Unless it’s Coke, which has no taste-memory.)

6. IDEA
 Reptilian Beauty and Transformation
 The whole idea of going to gym and eating healthy, or in
this case, drinking healthy, is to improve one’s health
condition and physical appearances. It seems apt to
take the idea of the potential benefits of drinking healthy,
and running away with it a little.
 Possibly selling the product as a part of the life-
changes?

7. IMPLEMENTATION
 Budget: £1million
 The 3 main pillars
1. Targeted print ads
2. Social Media
3. Indirect marketing
 All pillars will inform each other and adhere to a similar
style/voice.
 Collaborate with artists, to produce more appealing
visuals for advertising (In particular: Body-artists,
photographers and fashion designers)
 The target audience can be loosely categorized into:
1. Individuals who are concerned about their health
2. Youths and young adults

8. IMPLEMENTATION – PRINT ADS
 Aim: Full-page ads, with a minimal price-tag
 Magazines to approach:
 Diabetes Balance – A magazine sent to sufferers of
diabetes in the UK. They need to constantly watch for
their sugar-intake, and hence have the potential of
becoming heavy buyers.
 Gaming magazines – As mentioned earlier, gamers
drink a lot of canned/bottled beverages, and are likely to
be youthful.
 Community magazines – Targeting home-keepers, who
are more likely to be concerned with their families’ well-
being

9. IMPLEMENTATION – SOCIAL MEDIA
 Approach YouTubers for reviews (especially those
who focus on health, or have a youthful audience)
 Use the photos/graphics from the artist
collaborations to grow a social media presence.
 “Befriend” twitter/facebook accounts that discuss
health, obesity and diabetes

10. IMPLEMENTATION – INDIRECT MARKETING
 Provide private healthcare providers and councillors
with:
 Flyers (with discount codes) that explain the healthy
aspects of SoBe V Water. These flyers should come in 2
or 3 versions, to suit the general demographics of the
clinic. For an example, more wholesome for pediatric
clinics and more eye-catching for a general clinic.
 Free samples, which they can give away to clients
where appropriate

11. ETCETERA
 SoBe should consider:
 Releasing new flavours – this can result in some synergy with
the advertising efforts, as it will allow for more colourful
adverts. Further more, it will provide some “news-value” for
the campaign, which will be helpful when soliciting reviews
and such.
 Having their drinks distributed to pharmacies and vending
machines located near healthcare providers.
 Contributing to conservation efforts for welfare of reptiles –
useful for positive publicity
 Keeping a pet reptile – a mascot that could help build a social
media presence and open up opportunities to generate buzz
over the brand.
 Sponsoring online gamers – it will help develop a more
diverse and youthful following
 Approaching schools