serkanceylan

Marketing of food and beverage has maybe the most various kinds of marketing ways. No need to be surprised actually. Don’t you have a favourite drink, chocolate, flakes, whatever that you eat or drink… In all these, for sure the taste makes a lot of importance; however, it isn’t enough to differentiate. There are many products that taste almost the same. How do the consumers choose then? More shelf space? More advertisement? A cool brand? Lower price? Many reasons… However, sometimes even they can’t be so different. But still, there must be something that makes you take that one instead of the other.

Have you ever had your own soda brand? What would you do if you had one? Put your own, cool picture on the bottle? Come on! Don’t be such a megalomaniac! How about if anyone who drinks it, can do it? Find something else to market your soda. This way is already taken…

I met a brand called Jones Soda. Unfortunately we don’t have it where I live. Yet, I was ready to be a fan already. Actually it isn’t a soda brand. It is a brand that comes with a bottle of drink.

According to Jones Soda’s distribution story on their website, the difference can be seen that it is not just a drink: Distribution of Jones Soda began with “alternative distribution strategy.” Jones placed its own coolers, bearing the signature flames, in some truly unique venues, such as skate, surf and snowboarding shops, tattoo and piercing parlours, as well as in individual fashion stores and national retail clothing and music stores. Following the execution of this strategy; Jones began an up and down the street “attack” of the marketplace; this time placing product in convenience and food stores. Finally, the company began to achieve larger chain store listings with companies such as Starbucks, Panera Bread, Barnes & Noble, Safeway, Target, Cost Plus, Meijers, Winn-Dixies stores, Albertson’s, and 7-Eleven stores.

Jones Soda provides the standard content which would meet the expectations of an internet user on their website such as; about, products, Jones team, news, community, links, communication, etc. The difference of Jones Soda’s website from the others is that they are keeping the interactivity with the customer. To keep it up; they have lots of interactive applications. These applications are integrated into real life as well. That creates a bond in between the customer and the company too. Thus, they are showing the customers how to consume the product. It is not just for drinking; it is for designing, collecting and showing off to everyone. They also show their customers on the web site with their pictures and designs and lead the others to the way they want. This seems attractive to the customer at the end. In an outside-in approach, they are using the customers to influence the other customers. They are preparing the suitable environment for this as letting and more likely, canalizing the customers to do the advertisement by themselves.

Jones Soda actually is not a “soda” company. They are selling even skateboards, caps, t-shirts, etc. But they are not an apparel or accessory company neither. They are selling the customers’ own creations to the customers again and when crowds do this, it becomes more tempting. People own Jones Soda. They are creating something and then buy it. If they are not buying the exact thing they design, they know that somebody else did the design they buy. Somebody just like them, not an industrial designer. The company opens the kitchen for the customers to cook whatever they want. On the website, it is easy to see that they are giving messages for many layers of the public too. It is not a website talking about how much calorie they have or they are not associating the drink with a sport or so. They are letting the people do whatever they want with the brand. This is the way they keep the customers connected with the brand.

The company also gives importance to sponsorship which associates the brand with some public figures. They are also catching the special occasions such as serving soda with turkey flavour. The founder Peter Von Stolk says that some of their products taste really bad. However they sell good.

Not necessarily an agreed sponsorship :)

Jones Soda is very successful of doing marketing not to the customer but doing marketing with the customer. The feeling they create, gives the customer to have their own brand which they can be a part of. Jones Soda’s success is that they are not a soda brand. They are the brand of the customer in which shape they may want it to be.

See: www.jonessoda.com