Vimto case study

(Extracted from actual live client brief from Vimto for a 2019 campaign)

Project Background
In 2018 the Vimto brand launched its new ‘I see Vimto in you’ campaign. The
comms objective was to drive cut through and engagement in a competitive
category and therefore we needed a disruptive idea that would stand the test
of time. We wanted to establish an idea in consumers’ minds around
celebrating the individual. In the campaign, we recognise and reward those
who reveal their inner Vimto Spirit - in whatever form that is - whether they be quirky and a little weird
or very ordinary, but a bit cheeky and fun. We like to empower people to be themselves and express
themselves in their own way and we love to celebrate and reward them when they do.

We are now looking to define our 3 year communication strategy whereby we embed our brand
purpose, campaign idea and continue to reframe our position in consumers’ minds.

Wider Category
Our own activities come against a backdrop of a dramatically changing category, following the
introduction of sugar tax in April 2018 resulting in most soft drinks brands reducing the levels of sugar
in their products, and a switch to driving no added sugar or zero sugar products. The levels of negative
publicity around sugar levels in the category have led to consumer confusion around what constitutes a
“healthy” soft drink and has led to consumers switching to what they deem as healthier hydrating
products such as flavoured waters.

2018 has also seen significant noise in the media concerning the levels of plastic waste and the
Government recently announced it was intending to implement a deposit return scheme to encourage
the recycling of plastic bottles. This media coverage has led to confusion from consumers around the
role of recyclable plastics vs bio degradable plastics and glass bottles, in particular, PET plastic bottles
has born the brunt of this consumer backlash. Although this has yet to manifest itself on the shelves
due to the long lead times involved with packaging, we fully expect that in 2019 a number of major
brands will begin to push this angle strongly on shelf in 2019.

Implications for Vimto

With consumers needs rapidly changing and a fiercely competitive set of brands out spending us in the
advertising market, Vimto faces two fundamental challenges; 1) a lack of latent awareness and that 2)
we are not on their consideration set.

1) Latent awareness – Although Vimto has reasonable levels of salient awareness, due to a lack of
visibility on shelf and in comms, we are not front of mind at the point of purchase. We need to ensure
we have an ‘always on’ media presence across the year to avoid going dark.

2) Not in consumers consideration set;

a) Lacking the cool factor – Vimto does not have a clear role in consumers’ minds and is
therefore losing out to brands such as Fanta.

b) Negative health perceptions – with the shift to healthier hydrating products, both Vimto’s
products and the packaging is perceived as heavy, sugary and ultimately unhealthy.
 Importantly, this is not about positioning the brand as a health product but mitigating any risk
around being perceived as unhealthy.

Who are the consumer who matters most to us?

Our bulls-eye audience are teens aged 15-19 years. Today’s teens are risk-averse from growing up in
pressurised, difficult times. They want to fit in more than be different and belong more than they rebel.
But still, teens are looking for ways to escape the day to day realities, carve out their own unique
identity and to let their hair down and release the pressure, even if only briefly.

Teens are twice as likely as their older generations to rank self-expression as important to them when it
comes to choosing brands. In a digital age, the ability to self-publish and vocalise opinions both verbally
and visually has never been easier. This is further fueled by the global mega trend of Individualism
whereby personal eccentricities are celebrated and even encouraged for this audience.

They are also looking for brands that align with their own ethical and moral values, and place greater
emphasis on corporate social responsibility as part of their decision making process. As such, we are
intending to define our CSR strategy for 2019 based on our brand purpose, the objective of which is to
drive credibility and integrity and not for commercial activation.

How should consumers experience the brand?

We want teens to feel inspired, surprised, uplifted and entertained. We want them to be engaged with
the brand by building a deeper emotional connection. Ultimately, we want them to recognise and
identify Vimto as a brand that understands them, entertains them and is like them.

The 2019 campaign should embody the Vimto spirit and lust for life and have a high ‘talkability’ factor
as expected from a big brand. It should celebrate the brand and bring to life it’s purpose of ‘Celebrating
Individuality’ – it must drawn on the equity of the brand and our new campaign idea of ‘I See Vimto In
You’ whilst providing a step change in impact.

What is the single most important benefit the brand needs to communicate?

• Vimto is a brand that inspires me to be me, helping me express who I am to the world around me.

Why should they believe us?

• Our commitment to ‘Celebrating Individuality’.

• Our free spirited, quirky and playful personality.

• Our unconventional and refreshingly different product range and distinctive flavour profile vs. a
mainstream competitive set

• Our new campaign idea ‘I See Vimto In You’ underpinned by our brand purpose and positioning.

More info:
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/04/01/vimto-supports-seriously-mixed-fun-brand-positioning-
new-logo-and-pack-design

https://grocerytrader.co.uk/vimto-reaches-record-brand-value/
Vimto Case study questions

What key consumer characteristics do Vimto highlight to define the target market (Teens)?

Why do you think Vimto have built the campaign around “individuality”?

What ethical and environmental factors did Vimto need to consider in terms of consumers and category?

In what ways did Vimto monitor and evaluate the success of the campaign (refer to presentation)?