Vitamin Water and its responsiveness
Hello VitaminWater-Lovers !
Today, I’d like to talk of Vitamin Water's responsiveness.
What do I mean by responsiveness?
This is really simple, this is all about reactivity and ability of a brand to adapt to an evolving market. Because YES, even if a brand act global, the tastes are not the same in the USA and in France… So what did the little Coca-Cola brand to be accepted in the USA as in France?
Yes, you got it… They ADAPTED to the local market!
credits: bureau76
Let’s talk concretely.
2009. Whereas Vitamin Water is already comfortably settled in the USA (since 2000), the company comes in France and launch 6 flavors, common to the 15 already launched in the USA.
For sure, this 6 first flavors were chosen according to the French’s taste before being launched…
But this magic water, supposed to give you strengths, has also some defaults…
The American bottle of 500ml contains 33g of sugar, which is HUGE compared to the individual needs! So Vitamin Water, due to the critics when it landed if France, had no choice and reduced this level of sugar to 23g. Yes, us French, are really sensitive to sugar and health problems and Vitamin Water couldn’t just launch this without adapting to our local taste… And anyway if they don't do it, some competitor would launch the same idea with less sugar, so Vitamin Water was right to adapt the drink at the beginning.
credits: sugarstacks.com
In the Usa, a bottle contains 8 pieces of sugar...
Already some big industries do it…
For example, Danone adapts already its yoghourts: for example Velouté Fruix contains almost 10% more sugar in Guadeloupe or Martinique than in France, because it is said that the local market prefer it sweeter!
And you, do you think it is a good choice that industries adapt their products to the market they come in?