Target Market
The target market for Columbia Roxx Company, which produces sparkling water in different flavors, is likely to consist of customers who value variation when selecting their beverages. Such customers include families with children, teenagers, as well as the elderly. The population of Columbia, South Carolina is 100% urban, with males making up 50.7%. The median resident age is 28 years, which means that the company’s marketing efforts should be predominantly focused on the representatives of the Millenial generation (City Data, 2015).
The estimated income per capita in Columbia is $25,323, which is an average earning for the majority of Americans. Thus, Columbia Roxx has more opportunities to target lower- and middle-class customers by offering lower prices. According to the data provided by Statistical Atlas (2017), the white population prevails (48.4%) in the region, with Black population making up the second largest ethnic group (42.3%). It is essential for Columbia Roxx to focus on inclusivity in its marketing campaigns to attract as many customers of different backgrounds as possible. Since the company is also planning to sell beverages at grocery stores, it is important to mention that Food Lion, Whole Foods, BI-LO, and Harveys are the highest rated stores in Columbia.
Market Competition
The current competition in the market of non-alcoholic beverages is larger in Northern America and Europe, with large corporations such as Coca-Cola Company, Danone, Nestle, PepsiCo, and Danone leading the sales (“Global non-alcoholic beverage market,” 2017). As the global concern for improving health has encouraged customers to choose non-alcoholic drinks over alcoholic beverages, the leading manufacturers try to come up with innovative ideas to appeal to consumers’ desires. In 2015, the global market size of non-alcoholic beverages was $154.5 billion and was expected to grow at the 4.4% annual rate (“Global non-alcoholic beverage market,” 2017). Since competing against such giants as Coca-Cola is intimidating for a young company such as Columbia Roxx, the strategy for addressing competition in the non-alcoholic beverage market should focus on differentiation and finding of a unique market niche.
Close connections between Columbia Roxx and potential customers will allow the company to analyze the needs of consumers and develop non-alcoholic beverages based on the forecasted demands. It is proposed to extend the range of beverages and introduce seasonal drinks, which is similar to the strategy implemented by Starbucks. While Coca-Cola or Pepsi only change the packaging of their cola drinks (e.g., for Christmas or the World Cup), Columbia Roxx will rather focus on flavors. The fall season will be associated with flavors of apples, cinnamon, pumpkin, and pomegranate, summer flavors of the drinks can range from coconut to mint. Based on customers’ suggestions and preferences, Columbia Roxx can differentiate itself from the competition and make consumers excited about the release of seasonal beverages.
Company’s Message
Because every successful business has its specific strengths and the place in the market, it is essential to understand how to communicate its message to potential customers. The Five F’s of motivating consumers through a powerful message include function (meeting needs), finances (effect on the financial situation), freedom (convenience of purchasing), feelings (relation to self-image), and future (dealing with the product over time). Based on the principles mentioned above, Columbia Roxx’s message is as follows: “Bringing affordable seasonal beverages to your local grocery stores to make you feel inspired, excited, and wanting to try even more.”
Marketing Vehicles
A combination of traditional and online marketing vehicles will be used by Columbia Roxx to reach a wide audience of customers. First, to spread the company’s message and establish as a well-known brand, Columbia Roxx will focus on gaining a social media following through online advertising. Apart from generic ads on websites, the company can also collaborate with local celebrities who will promote the beverages on their social media, which is a strategy that brands such as Coca-Cola and Nestle successfully use. Second, Columbia Roxx will film an advertisement to air on the television. Third, the company will collaborate with local grocery stores (Food Lion, Whole Foods, BI-LO, and Harveys) to organize beverage tastings for the stores’ customers.
Collaborative posts on the social media pages of both Roxx and the grocery store with which it works are preferable. Reaching resellers will be accomplished through visiting trade shows and professional conferences for establishing a presence and meeting potential partners. Industry trade shows that Columbia Roxx can attend include the Good Food Awards Marketplace, Sweets & Snacks Expo, and Interbev Beverage (Wyshak, 2016). As Columbia Roxx will also sell its beverages through an online store, contributions from customers with regards to other promotional campaigns will be taken into consideration. Using the company’s website, customers can send in suggestions of events that Columbia Roxx can sponsor, request new flavors of seasonal drinks, and contact the customer support for any inquiries. While this strategy is not considered a marketing vehicle, it will allow the company to take customers’ voices into account and become an advanced member of the Columbian community.
References
City Data. (2015). Columbia, South Carolina. Web.
Global non-alcoholic beverage market – growth, trends and forecasts (2018-2023). (2017). Web.
Statistical Atlas. (2017). Race and ethnicity in Columbia, South Carolina. Web.
Wyshak, S. (2016). Food and beverage industry and tradeshows calendar. Web.