Shine Drink CEO Stephen Chapman stepped attendees through the story behind Australia's first 'smart drink' and its subsequent success in social channels at Future Unpacked.
Shine+ went from idea to shelf in five months, and has since has scaled up and rolled out nationally, he told attendees at the annual Food & Drink Business + PKN LIVE event.
The smart drink fits neatly into the functional beverage category, one of the fastest growing segments in the beverage industry.
It comes in a distinctive 110ml glass bottle, and is sold in counter-top packs of 12.
According to Chapman, the Shine + formulation “addresses the growing consumer demand for getting a health benefit from a beverage, as well as a possible solution to the universal problem of mental fatigue”.
At the forum, Chapman spoke about how he designed Shine's marketing and brand strategies to resonate with the brand's target market.
He shared the five steps Shine took to engage and maintain loyalty.
1. Know your major players and industry.
2. Engage in content. Do the work on understanding your product and share it with your target market.
3. Who do you hit first? Cross-examine everyone you know for answers. "Stand on the shoulders of giants."
4. Ask people about their failures so you know what not to do.
5. Assemble your own ad-hoc advisory board, and ask them whether it will actually sell.
Shine launched online first, which gave it information about its target consumers, and has found the ROI from Facebook ads and social media influencers to be strong.
It is now able to charge a premium for a functional product that consumers want to buy.
