On September 2008, Sprite launched a new variant Sprite Xpress with much fanfare. The various news reports celebrated this launch as a packaging innovation which Indian market is witnessing for the first time.
Sprite Xpress is the 350 ml Pet bottle from Sprite. The innovation that the company boast is that this is an " On The Go " Pack. That means that you can carry it with you when you are traveling..
What's new in that ?
According to the Press Release,
"
the new pack is a strategic initiative aimed to build strong connect with the youth. It is designed to offer convenience and adapts to the dynamic and on the move lifestyle of the consumers "
Frankly I did not knew that a simple packaging can do lot of strategic " things " to the consumers.
Coca Cola has been heavily promoting the Sprite Xpress. The variant is being promoted using a long peppy television advertisement .
Watch the campaign here : sprite xpress
The ad is catchy with a good background song . The ad revolves around the theme " outwit to outrun " and have a new tagline ' Ghumo Ghumao'.
The issue with this ad is that the entire foundation of the ad is based in Hindi. The song and the taglines are Hindi. When the ad is to be shown in the South Indian market, the agency will have tough time translating these in local language without losing relevance and sounding funny.
After seeing the ads I couldn't understand the innovation. After a little googling, I finally understood.
The innovation is in the pricing. Sprite was available in three packs : 300 ml glass bottle pack, 500 ml Pet bottle and large one litre Pet bottle.
Now the new pack is 350 ml in Pet bottle priced at Rs 15. The new pack is aimed at those customers who want single use packs while on the move. So offering the single use Pet bottle makes marketing sense.
Sprite Xpress is the 350 ml Pet bottle from Sprite. The innovation that the company boast is that this is an " On The Go " Pack. That means that you can carry it with you when you are traveling..
What's new in that ?
According to the Press Release,
"
the new pack is a strategic initiative aimed to build strong connect with the youth. It is designed to offer convenience and adapts to the dynamic and on the move lifestyle of the consumers "
Frankly I did not knew that a simple packaging can do lot of strategic " things " to the consumers.
Coca Cola has been heavily promoting the Sprite Xpress. The variant is being promoted using a long peppy television advertisement .
Watch the campaign here : sprite xpress
The ad is catchy with a good background song . The ad revolves around the theme " outwit to outrun " and have a new tagline ' Ghumo Ghumao'.
The issue with this ad is that the entire foundation of the ad is based in Hindi. The song and the taglines are Hindi. When the ad is to be shown in the South Indian market, the agency will have tough time translating these in local language without losing relevance and sounding funny.
After seeing the ads I couldn't understand the innovation. After a little googling, I finally understood.
The innovation is in the pricing. Sprite was available in three packs : 300 ml glass bottle pack, 500 ml Pet bottle and large one litre Pet bottle.
Now the new pack is 350 ml in Pet bottle priced at Rs 15. The new pack is aimed at those customers who want single use packs while on the move. So offering the single use Pet bottle makes marketing sense.
With regard to the pricing, the new Xpress pack is priced Rs15 . Although psychologically seem to be lower than Rs 20 for 500 ml, in actual sense, the consumer is paying more for less.
In that way Coca Cola is gaining more than Rs 1 per bottle as margin. In a business with wafer thin margins, getting Rs 1 more is nothing but innovation.
In that way Coca Cola is gaining more than Rs 1 per bottle as margin. In a business with wafer thin margins, getting Rs 1 more is nothing but innovation.
That also justifies the extravagant promotion for this variant. The ads have been shot in Malaysia an
d runs for a full 60 seconds which really costs a bomb at the current advertisement rates.
The true innovation is with regard to the use of OOH media by this brand. According to reports, Sprite has launched a series of 3 D outdoor creatives on various outdoor platforms like elevators, buildings, hoardings etc.
Sprite has to create a big hype around Xpress and brand it as a packaging innovation because it is priced high. As customers , we have to pay more for such kind of " innovations ". The paradox is that this is from a brand which says " No Bakwaas " only seedhi bath ( straight talk !)
On a marketing practice perspective, Sprite has done a good job in launching such a variant. There will be lot of customers especially youngsters who want such single serve bottles which can be taken along with them. The problem with the existing 300 ml glass bottle is that one cannot take it on the go.
According to reports, the company is planning to launch Xpress packs for its brands like Coca Cola, Thums Up, Limca etc.
d runs for a full 60 seconds which really costs a bomb at the current advertisement rates.The true innovation is with regard to the use of OOH media by this brand. According to reports, Sprite has launched a series of 3 D outdoor creatives on various outdoor platforms like elevators, buildings, hoardings etc.
Sprite has to create a big hype around Xpress and brand it as a packaging innovation because it is priced high. As customers , we have to pay more for such kind of " innovations ". The paradox is that this is from a brand which says " No Bakwaas " only seedhi bath ( straight talk !)
On a marketing practice perspective, Sprite has done a good job in launching such a variant. There will be lot of customers especially youngsters who want such single serve bottles which can be taken along with them. The problem with the existing 300 ml glass bottle is that one cannot take it on the go.
For customers : you have to be clear about what you are paying for... baki all bakwas
Related brand
Sprite
Sir, I don't understand the innovation in the 350ml bottle. As a youngster, I usually buy a 500ml pet bottle cos I will last an entire day.
ReplyDeletePlus Rs 5 for only 50ml extra doesn't really convey value to the customer.
Also the ad is long and senseless. Compared to the "baki all Bakwas" campaign, this is a big letdown.
I feel this is just a marketing gimmick to counter the more successful Pepsi My Can.
I believe Sprite xpress is a launch to compete with Pepsi Mycan. I feel that the perception about a can in the consumer's mind is style and premium compared to a bottle and pepsi targeted this segment. In order not to lose this market coca-cola has launched Sprite Xpress. Cans have always been a style statement with the youth and the new ‘My Can’
ReplyDeleteglorifies the experience of drinking Pepsi in a whole new way.
Comments invited.
Regards,
Sanjeev Goyal
As Harish says, I guess it is targeted at those people who want to drink "on the move". Those people who are frustrated and think twice before standing and finishing a 300ml bottle (or for that matter, still thirsty after consuming the chota version)
ReplyDeleteI think its a brilliant campaign. They have identified a latent segment.
The ad though is a bit patchy. The music is good but it kind of clashes with what sprite stands for (Witty/hilarious/mischievous/reactive)This is the first ad Im seeing after a long time which is not a REPLY or a retort of sorts to some other ludicrous add by Pepsi.