Star Endorsement
To endorse the organic vision of the product, a Canadian celebrity may be invited to participate in the marketing campaign. The celebrity can either be a sports star or an individual strongly associated with a healthy lifestyle (e.g. a nutritionist). This strategy would target the customers oriented towards factual outcomes and interested in performance (e.g. athletes and active rest enthusiasts). Therefore, the promotion materials should include health data such as drink’s calorie count, nutritional value, and advantages over non-organic products. Consequently, the product placement would be focused on specialized stores and distribution chains associated with sports, as well as fitness and wellness vendors. However, the cost of such a campaign depends on the popularity of the celebrity / authoritative figure in question and may become extremely costly. The sales associated with the identified target audience will, under the optimistic situation, cover the expenses, but more likely will be insufficient due to the poor health reputation of PepsiCo (Bendle and George 2016). Under the pessimistic situation, such a strategy may even backlash in the form of a protest event or movement.
Partnership With Restaurant Chains
It is also possible to seek partnership with restaurant chains and food vendors known for health-oriented products. In this case, the target segment is somewhat broader, since it would include individuals who find the idea of healthy living and athletic activities attractive but do not necessarily engage in the sports activity. This group is both more numerous and less selective in its purchasing behavioral patterns (Cosgrove 2012). Besides, the positioning of organic Gatorade in food vendors will provide a greater possibility of spontaneous and unplanned purchases, which is rare for performance-oriented supplements. Therefore, the promotion of the product can emphasize its wellness benefits rather than concrete health outcomes. Visual advertisements are expected to be a part of this strategy, with an emphasis on positive emotions and satisfaction associated with the product. The cost of such a strategy may vary but is expected to be lower than the involvement of the professional sports star even in the most pessimistic scenario. Most likely, the resulting sales will cover the sales early since the general public is familiar with the brand and has no alternatives of comparable scale (Bendle and George 2016). In the most optimistic situation, the product will be firmly established in the organic market segment.
Social Media and Online Marketing
Finally, it is possible to utilize social media and online marketing tools to promote the product by advertising it to buyers based on related web searches. This alternative has several advantages over the previous ones. First, the focused nature of context marketing allows creating several promotional pitches that would not interfere with each other. In other words, both target markets can be appealed to by specialized advertisements. Second, the extended information (e.g. nutritional benefits) can be integrated into the online resources for the customers oriented at performance, making it more accessible. Third, the strong online presence would decrease dependence on brick-and-mortar retailers and encourage direct sales through online stores, which will minimize transportation costs. Finally, due to the most optimistic estimates, the expenses associated with context marketing are to be considerably lower compared to any of the alternatives above (Tachalova 2015). Most likely, the sales will cover the expenses and generate sufficient revenues. Similarly to the first option, in the most pessimistic scenario, the advertisements promoting the health advantages of the product may encounter criticism. Nevertheless, this alternative is the most viable one in terms of its estimated net efficiency.
Bibliography
Bendle, Neil, and Rob George. 2016. “PepsiCo: The Launch of Organic Gatorade.” Web.
Cosgrove, Joanna. 2012. “The Market for Health & Wellness.”
Tachalova, Alexandra. 2015. “Digital Marketing Agencies’ Rates and Services Cost Less Than You Think.”