Insight
Soberana beer was launched in 1969 and has always been a traditional brand with a “value for money” positioning, mainly consumed by adults over 40 years old. A brand re-launch in 2012 resulted in strong growth (SOM 4.5% in 2012 to 12.3% in 2014) but the main driver of this was the product intrinsic attributes (a refreshing and easy to drink beer with low alcohol and bitterness), highly valued by consumers (both adults and young adults) who were increasingly choosing beers that allow them extend the time of consumption (more beers in more time). But from an emotional perspective, this performance had not brought improvements in Soberana´s brand KPIs; it had the lowest industry numbers with a negative image among young consumers who described it as “a traditional brand”, “not cool”, “drunk by grandparent”, etc.
In 2015 the brand set a main challenge to shield “Soberana´s momentum” by assuring new consumers recruitment, shifting the brand perception and building emotional connection with its new communicational target, young adults between 18 and 29 years old. It needed to differentiate extrinsically from competitors (Miller Lite Atlas and Balboa Ice), because from an intrinsic perspective it was vulnerable due to similarities among products benefits. This implied an aggressive repositioning strategy in order to shift perception from a value brand consumed by adults over 40 years old to an aspirational brand for young adults. Starcom MediaVest Group decided to transform Soberana into the brand that would invite Panamanians to “have a life full of rights”.
Strategy
The agency discovered that young adults feel trapped by the responsibilities and routines of the adult world (“I’m overwhelmed”, “I‘m mentally blocked”). But when they consume beer, they free their mind because responsibilities disappear and they can be themselves (“I can flow”, “nothing stops me”). Thus, it decided to attack their main tension, the adults’ world's responsibilities, and bring the freedom generated by the product to the rest of their lives. Could it eliminate everyday responsibilities? Definitely not, but it could fill their week with rights. With this approach, the agency developed the creative territory inviting young Panamanians to take back their lives, to live the present and to choose how they would like to live it. SMG invited them to Live a Sovereign Life (´Vive una #VidaSoberana), playing with the brand’s name and the meaning of sovereignty. As it could not reduce their responsibilities, it decided to give them rights.
SMG was planning a revolution and as every revolution needs a leader, it created one: ´El Hombre del Megáfono´ (The Megaphone Man). He broke into the main consumption occasions of the target and proclaimed the rights of a #VidaSoberana in a different, bold and fresh way. The megaphone is the symbol of this legitimation made by Soberana and the Man in a yellow suit, whose face you would never see, became the brand personification it was looking for: a young, fun, authentic and above all, “sovereign” person. These elements were kept in every execution and point of contact in order to maintain communicational consistency and strengthen the “freedom” feeling.
SMG set four goals: Increase brand indicators by +30%; keep SOM brand growth (+2pp); increase consumption penetration among young adults (+10%) without cannibalisation in adults and lead digital media with Soberana (reach 100% of target consumers, ER +5% and users’ base +25%).
Execution
The campaign had two communication stages: 1/ October-November 2015 and 2/ January-March 2016. In order to reach younger adults in an efficient and effective manner, the media strategy played a key role to generate impact and boost the message. The media mix heavily relied on digital media due to its relevance and affinity with younger segments (20% of total investment) and had TV, radio, OOH as pillars to assure coverage.
For the launch of The Megaphone Man, SMG created an unbranded teaser phase with 15 NTA appearances on TV shows. In these appearances, the character proclaimed different rights to each show presenter. He also took selfies with more than 40 local celebrities creating relevant social media content (Instagram potential reach: 600K users). This unbranded phase created the necessary buzz to launch the branded campaign.
The first three TVCs proclaimed “the right to ´parkin´ (party) on Mondays (main consumption occasion), “the right to be yourself” and “the right to overcome your fears”. Besides traditional digital formats, it overtook two of the most growing platforms. With “the right to listen music without interruptions”, the brand gave away more than 105 Spotify Premium accounts. It also became the first advertiser within the category to invest on Instagram.
The second stage focused on two TVCs with “the right to refresh for real”, taking advantage of the Carnival period (most important national festivity). It made several Carnival activations and executed the “Soberana National Surf Tournament” that associated the brand with a youth and cool lifestyle.
Results
The results show that #VidaSoberana has been a success. Soberana is now market leader, it has rejuvenated its image and became the ally of young Panamanians for a more authentic, funny, risky and ‘sovereign’ life.
SOM: March 2016-17.1% (5 pp. vs. 2014).
Brand Equity: Target 18-29 years old, before campaign (Q3 2015) and after (Q1 2016). In all cases, the goals were achieved.
Brand Awareness: TOM +38%; Brand Impact: Ad Awareness +35%, Ad evaluation +75%; Brand Imprint: Closeness +91%; Approval +100%; Desired Personality (authentic, optimistic, leader, youth) +44% and Desired Positioning (makes the party started, refreshing, a disruptive brand, open to the world) +58%; Brand Appreciation: +64% in Uniqueness and +75% in Differentiation.
Consumer Penetration: It achieved its goal in consumption penetration in young adults (+10%) without cannibalising its base of consumers (+18% increase penetration in adults). Moreover, it has increased preference (Main Brand consumed) by 100%, surpassing all expectations.
Digital Performance: Through its social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), the campaign reached 100% of the target (700K 18-30 years old) with a frequency of 13; it had an engagement of 1.2 million interactions (engagement rate of 10.5%) and increased its fan base by 45% (vs. 3% industry average).