We can all agree that a refreshing drink is a must after a long hot day of fasting and there are plenty of choices. However, Vimto has owned the Ramadan shopping list! We can ask ourselves, as entrepreneurs aspiring to be and stay successful, what’s the deal here? What exactly did the Vimto producers do? How did they do it? And how can we do it?
Here’s The Deal
Vimto positioned itself as a tradition. The tradition of serving a cold refreshing beverage for Iftar. To make a new tradition you need to grab people’s attention by spending heavily on creative advertisements and, of course, a bit of good fortune on your side. Risky, yes, but it worked for Vimto.
Marketing is all about perception. If you thought the iPhone or Galaxy were the best phones out there, that’s enough to make you want to buy one. Tradition is a perception that people will believe in and act upon.
Why Ramadan?
Vimto had made the right choice by positioning itself to be ‘The Drink’ for Ramadan because when you face tough competition you can’t compete with, try to flank the competition by focusing on a more niche market.
There’s no doubt that consumer behavior plays a vital role. When an Iftar item becomes a tradition, people don’t give it up. Think of the people who, for instance, love ‘Thireed’. They would always want to have it for Iftar. The same thing goes to those who love spring rolls, soup, or other dishes. People prefer different things but more often than not, their preference becomes a must-have.
Brands and Occasions
Occasions are not the same, some are religious, and others are national or sports related. The goal here is not to compare but to highlight the advantages of brand association with those occasions. Here are a few examples:
The most celebrated holidays in Bahrain are the two Eids. Commercially, Eid is owned by the Halwa makers. No Halwa maker has worked to own this market yet, and its market dominance is influenced completely by heritage. They should work harder to better position their brands as ‘The Halwa’ to serve on Eid.
The most classic case of brand or occasion association is Coca-Cola. You know Santa. It’s the large happy man with a white beard and a red winter outfit that comes out in Christmas. Well, guess what. His original outfit was actually white rather than red. Coca-Cola visualized him with a red outfit to serve their brand when they started using him on their advertisements which eventually led them to own Christmas. Their advertisements were so effective that they’ve changed the outfit of a cultural, religious figure!
Easter is a Christian holiday associated with Bunnies and Eggs, neither of which have anything to do with Christianity. People give kids Bunny and egg-shaped chocolates in celebration of this holiday. And guess who made the first chocolate eggs. Cadbury! Now Cadbury owns the Easter holiday amongst all the chocolatiers.
Kids’ birthdays are owned by McDonald’s. Not all kids have their birthday at McDonald’s, but it’s the most used venue for kid’s birthdays.
There are many other occasions and events that companies fight over, such as the Superbowl, Halloween, and even movie nights. The decision to proceed in owning an occasion or an event depends on the relevance of the product to the event and how well you can fight the battle to own it.