The Power of Branding

Often the same product can be offered to different target markets who buy it for different reasons. Take our client who started manufacturing a traditional Asian drink in Queensland that was distributed through stores across Brisbane. Initially, their branding was very basic and not targeted at any particular market. As the business grew, we helped them to use data to inform a branding project.

The client believed that there were two main target markets for their product. The first was Asian people who wanted a product they were familiar with, or people wanting a traditional Asian drink. The second was vegans who wanted another interesting vegan option that closely resembled a milk-based drink but contained no dairy.

We produced two versions of their bottles with different branding, targeting the two groups. We then conducted split testing by introducing the bottles into the existing distribution network and monitoring sales at the retails outlets in each suburb to establish sales volumes for each branding at each location.

We discovered that in some locations, particularly around the city, sales remained quite consistent regardless of the branding. However, in some suburbs the branding had a very large impact on sales volumes with some suburbs demonstrating a clear preference for one branding strategy over the other. We also found a north/south divide, with a clear preference for branding relating to the traditional nature of the drink south of the city and a clear preference for branding relating to the vegan credentials of the drink north of the city.

Ultimately the client selected a strategy that used both brands and optimised the number of bottles with each branding distributed to each area in proportion to the preference for a particular brand in that area.