Kathleen Destino
Three weeks ago, I returned from an American Marketing Association event at Maggiano’s in downtown Denver. It was the first event in their monthly luncheon series that includes speakers from successful companies who give insight into their marketing strategies. Todd Woolson, Founder and President of Izze Beverages in Boulder, kicked off the season.
When I returned to my desk, I poured my complimentary Izze beverage over a glass of ice (pear, sweeter than grapefruit, but fantastic nonetheless). I sat and contemplated the speech I just heard. I decided to write it down as a blog, which is much more fun than sending a memo to the office.
First a few quick facts for you:
1) Izze is a “100% pure fruit juice and sparkling water drink” (that means no preservatives and no sugar added – I love those hippies in Boulder, they come up with the best stuff);
2) It is equivalent to one serving of fruit;
3) It is sold in Target, Whole Foods, Safeway, and Starbucks stores;
4) It comes in really pretty cans and bottles that look beautiful on my desk (and in Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and Home Depot catalogs – check it out at their website www.izze.com).
While the facts are fun, Woolson talked mostly about their marketing strategy, which is based on loyalty and likeableness. He said their marketing efforts are rooted in gaining brand loyalty and awareness, not by creating advertising campaigns that tell you to like the product, but by being involved in the community. They do not refer to their strategy as “handing out samples,” instead they think of it as “giving” the product.
Izze participates in non-profit events by donating their product for fundraisers, galas or events. They rarely hang banners that scream the Izze name, and often do not have any signage at all at these events. The company believes banners and signage take away from the genuineness of the product and increases people’s skepticism.
To those of us who work in traditional marketing and advertising, our hearts were beating just a little faster as he spoke. What??? No print, no radio, no push on television to show that beautiful logo you paid for? You don’t even put up a sign when you are at an event??? Sacrilege, we wanted to cry! One person even asked, “Don’t the big box stores that house your product force you into traditional advertising?” (The answer to the question was “no”, but they do require a certain amount of in-store signage.) Clearly, I was not the only one in the room thinking about the absence of traditional marketing in their campaign.
Their strategy may sound like a gamble and is most definitely “non-traditional,” but it has worked for them. They have experienced rapid growth since their founding in 2002. Izze beverages started out being sold in coffee shops and small delis on the streets of Boulder, and now they can be found in Starbucks stores across the nation. Equally as impressive, they have been welcomed into schools to provide an alternative to high sugar soft drinks. Woolson cited that at the end of the 2005-2006 school year, the drink was found in 200 schools nationwide. To start the 2006-2007 school year, Izze beverages will be found in over 2,000 schools. This, of course, led to applause from the audience.
Izze has shown the beverage world that breaking out of the “traditional” marketing category can produce results. Each beverage company faces challenges not only in reaching their consumers, but in finding the distribution points, making sure they are at the forefront of aisles and shelves at these points and providing quality product for consumers. Izze has managed to incorporate all of these elements, step up to their challenges and maintain their integrity in the process.
A purely “non-traditional” advertising and marketing campaign may be a risk, but if a company can focus on their mission, execute consistently, and create a marketing environment that appeals to their consumer, it can be successful. Just ask Izze.
