Case study-How Evian Became market leaders ?
History
• Owned by French food products group Danone which acquired the brand in 1968
• Initially was sold in glass bottles branded as a medicine with miraculous healing properties
Success Mantra“Has constantly focussed on continuous innovation in their products as well as a powerful and original communication to its consumers”
1908 1930’s 1950’s 1968 1980’s 1998 2007-08 2013 2016
Evian begins selling in glass bottles
Starts selling in PVC bottles
PurityHigh-end positioning
Live youngBaby & me campaign starts
TodaySeptember 10, 2016
Targeted Babies
The OriginalWater babies ad campaign starts
HealthAlps as its theme
Live youngRoller babies campaign starts
Marketing communications timeline -1930’s• Positioned itself to be the “perfect water
for babies”• Targeted mothers, mid-wives, doctors
specifically
Marketing communications timeline -1950’s• Still focussed mainly children with an added importance
to health• However the biggest development was the inclusion of
the theme of alps• Gave a sense of ethnicity to the brand and emotional
bondage with customers of that region
Marketing communications timeline -1980’s• The theme of “purity” was chosen to differentiate the
brand with competitors • Enabled High-end positioning with its own loyal
costumer segmentSlogan :
“the water you drink is as important as the air you breath”
Water Babies Campaign• The 1998 campaign made the
brand symbolize youth • It was very successful ad with a
rating of 94%• However Evian segmented this
ad just to Europe.Globally, the brand focussed on purity and used the slogan “the Original”
Economic crisis !• People started opting for cheaper alternatives which led
to a dip in sales• To stay competitive the brand was restructured
Situation Now:• Premium popular brand in France, Switzerland, UK, Belgium• Was only sold at urban centres to a specific target group in other
countries i.e. an narrow urban market• Product was positioned based on the market
Solution“ Unification of brand communication on a global level”
Roller Babies Campaign• To do this they came about with Roller
babies campaign with a single clear message, “Live Young”
• The ad was an instant hit and spawned over 254 million views. It currently holds the record for the most number of views on YouTube
• The use of humour coupled with the cuteness of the babies led to the virality of the video. To further add to the buzz, it was remixed by several artists to make roller skater baby a cultural symbol
Advert of the year by Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian
Baby Inside campaign• The campaign was an
extension to the roller baby to cater to a larger globalized audience especially in Asia
• Captures Evian’s vision of youth, which is most of all an attitude, an openness to the world and to the unexpected, regardless of age
• Maria Sharapova was the brand ambassador of the campaign
Baby & Me ad Campaign• It shows a group of people seeing "baby versions" of themselves
in a shop window, before beginning to dance with them• Captures Evian’s vision of youth, which is most of all an attitude,
an openness to the world and to the unexpected, regardless of age
• The same video was advertised over several traditional channels such as during Britain's got talent, during cinemas such as “The Great Gatsby” as well as online presence via YouTube where it garnered over 130 million views
• An app was also created which allows users to see themselves as babies
As a result of this campaign, Evian’s sales have grown significantly up to 7 % for the first 3 quarters of the year.
Marketing channels• Uses a combination of digital and traditional media
Social media presence Traditional media presence
Event associations• Evian created the first Woman’s
golf open championship which is currently aired in over 167 countries
• It is also the official water brand for Wimbledon and has roped in Maria Sharapova to its brand ambassador
• It also supports various causes such as environmental protection, education for children for which it partnered with organizations such as red cross
Experiential-#LiveyoungJanuary• Experiential pushes are those in
which crowd engagement takes place.
• It might take place online through several activities such as take a selfie of oneself pulling a squirrel face or offline during events or other activities like giving away space hoppers
What did Evian do right ?• Evian has constantly created a range of very shareable content
that just clicks with its consumers• The have an array of successful campaigns where they have:
Used babies which have a natural universal appealAssured a lack of language barrierUse of humour i.e. its tongue in cheek ‘cool’Broad premium product appeal
• Minimised the use language, and words, and use music, preferably a well known sound track, as it makes communication much easier to be understood and shared
Where they could improve?• Use of apps may turn out to become messy and
uncertain• Social media accounts such as twitter must be put to
very active in order for it to be successful• A brand ambassador must not only be universally
known but also universally followed • Better integration of online and offline media with a
greater number of campaigns
Recap
• Evian has proved that a brand has to continue to innovate around the brand, not necessarily in terms of the product itself, but how it is packaged and all its various touch points.
1908 1930’s 1950’s 1968 1980’s 1998 2007-08 2013 2016
Evian begins selling in glass bottles
Starts selling in PVC bottles
PurityHigh-end positioning
Live youngBaby & me campaign starts
TodaySeptember 10, 2016
Targeted Babies
The OriginalWater babies ad campaign starts
HealthAlps as its theme
Live youngRoller babies campaign starts
Disclaimer
Created by M.S.Seshasayee, NIT Trichy, during a marketing internship by Prof. Sameer Mathur, IIM Lucknow