NORTHERN PLANNER

Right, sorry this is later than previously billed, work stuff and a son with broken arms has to take priority. 

Anyway. 

Hopefully you will have absorbed the launch post and subsequent case studies and you're raring to go. 

So here's you're challenge. 

SoBe V Water is a zero sugar, high vitamin drink with natural sweeteners. It's only 10 calories per bottle.The sweetness comes from Stevia leaves, a totally natural source, that isn't well known in the UK. 

 

It comes in a range of flavours you can explore here. The product comes in clear bottles, and it looks like coloured water. SoBE know this is important, because the clearer the drink, the better people think it is for them. 

They have great distribution in two major UK supermarkets, where you'll find it in the aisle between energy drinks and juice cordials. These are in six-packs. You can also find it in the chiller, in single bottles, in the fresh sandwich section. SoBe Water is also stocked in the chiller in major service stations on busy UK motorways  -in chillers again. 

They are not in gyms or anything like that, which are mostly sown up by Vitamin Water already, the undispited leader of healthy flavoured water. 

They have invested little in the brand in the UK, sales have mostly come from distribution. 

Those sales need to build rapidly, or the brand will be de-listed by the retailers and probably pulled out of the UK all together. 

They are selling  two million units a year and they need to double those sales in the period June 2014 to June 2015. 

90% of those sales are coming from the supermarkets, 10% from the service stations. What is interesting is that those sales are coming from people who have tried the brand and seem to quite like it. SoBE always wins hands down in taste tests against Vitamin Water. 

According to their panel data, the top 20% of buyers purchase SoBe Water drink it 20 times a year, while the rest drink it on average 5 times a year. 

They did a sampling exercise with Hot Yoga, as they suspect there's something in natural, active health. It went quite well, in that those that trialled claimed they'd buy it themselves.

While that core 20% of heavy buyers over index on being interested in Yoga and pilates .

This was done because, while there has been little investment in the brand, and there is no clear brand essence or anything like that, the brand comes from South Beach, an upscale part of Miami, all sunshine, outdoors and perfect bodies. They were scared that in modern, austerity Britiain, the luxury US health image wouldn't play and wanted to give natural health a different role in the UK. 

The rest of the buyers do not, but they do ALL agree with statements like, "I believe you get out of life exactly what you put it". "I prefer to be active but I don't have the time" "I like to choose products that feel more natural" and "I want to look my best whenever I can" "I would consider holistic medicine".

And they're 80% women. 

The product is 10% less expensive that Vitamin Water, the main rival in the market.The marketing team believe this has driven sales performance, such as it is. So price cutting isn't really an option. 

Whatever is done, the retailers are demanding a national campaign that shows SoBe is prepared to invest in the UK market. 

So your brief is, present to the client, in more that 20 slides, sift through that very wide brief with a very specific business task to show how communications can help with the problem. 

I want you to:

Define the issue at the heart of business problem. What does that sales target look like in human terms? What do you need people to DO? 

What is the core insight that will unlock the problem? It might be a consumer insight, it might be cultural, it might be about how people shop

So what is your core idea? What is the fundamental task communications will address?

And what does that look like as a plan? I'm not expecting a detailed media plan, I am expecting you to define the two to three pillars of your plan and the role for media within this. 

Add some value with what communications cannot do but they should consider. 

This is not about creative exectution, it's about a core task for creative, media, experiential (or whoever needs to be involved with where you're getting to) to work from. This is everyone's jumping off point. 

Your budget is £1million pounds. That's not enough to a do a big national campaign. It's enough do something integrated including TV with a VERY defined national. 

Finally, the brand is owned by a US company. They don't care too much about what you do in communications, brand is VERY loose, as long as you make sure the brand comes accross as natural and healthy. 

You have until Friday 2nd May to deliver a (no more than) twenty side powerpoint by email (link on this blog). It will be judged by myself,Gareth and Rob. Be aware that your submission will be published unless you tell me your prefer otherwise. I'll edit the collective feedback into one document. 

Good luck!!