If you are from Worcester, MA or have spent any significant amount of time here - you are probably familiar with Polar Beverages - purveyors or all things bubbly and good. Upset stomach? Someone has probably offered a Polar Ginger Ale. That cold cup of Coca-Cola that you asked for at your favorite local eatery? Yup - you were probably served a Polar Cola instead. Decided to give up soda completely? Polar seltzers should be your go-to carbonated beverage of choice.Polar prides itself on being a 'fourth generation owned' company which is fantastic but also implies some archaic attitudes. In my (almost) ten year tenure at Polar, I have developed a number of personal opinions on how they could better market themselves - particularly through social media. Only recently, have I realized that there is a defined ideology behind these social marketing trends and initiatives referred to as the groundswell. As defined in the book by the same name, the groundswell is "a social trend in which people use technologies to get things they need from each other rather than from traditional institutions like corporations" (pg 9).
Polar unexpectedly hit the groundswell jackpot in April of 2016 when the majestic limited edition (only 5,000 cases) Unicorn Kisses "mystery flavor" came out to coincide with April Fool's Day. As a company that only used social media seemingly out of obligation, the users of these social technologies took matters into their own hands and created a massive buzz both locally and nationwide.
Online users began crowd-sourcing information in order to locate bottles of this elusive flavor. At the time, I was fielding consumer emails and I was overwhelmed by the number of people trying to locate this item. Emails that I sent in response to retail locations were being shared across Twitter. People were tapping into into the groundswell in ways that I am confident, Polar was not expecting. In fact, Polar sold out of all 60,000 bottles in a 72 hour period.
The momentum behind this item as well as the brand as a whole, should have been an opportunity to pursue the groundswell by listening to stakeholders, engaging with the messaging of the brand, getting energized, supporting the customer base, and embracing what the stakeholders had to offer in terms of feedback (pg 68-69). I can offer more in-depth analysis at the conclusion of my social media marketing project, but in short, Polar let this momentum fade quickly by relying solely on the work of their consumers rather than becoming a participant in their experience and actively pursuing the groundswell. What potential harm can come of a company when they ignore the will of the people? How long will they idly sit by and wait for the next great thing? Does the corporation ever REALLY know what is best for the brand if they aren't paying attention to what people say about it?
Even today, nearly a year after their debut, bottles are still being sold on eBay for $25.00 per liter. There is still a demand for a product that we would not recommend consuming based on its "best-by" date. If Polar doesn't take heed of the groundswell, its bound to be swallowed up when the next best competitor brand comes along.
Meaghan,
ReplyDeleteI totally forgot about Unicorn Kisses! It must have been quite a ride to work with the company during that time. Polar never engages in these types of "new age" marketing schemes, and I agree that it is hindering their performance 9and growth0 as a company. However, I also wonder if that is what makes Polar so special? They have largely ignored the same marketing methods that other companies have almost solely focused on- social media and the like-- yet, they are still doing well as a company. Is Polar an exception to the rule? Do tradition and history out weigh embracing the groundswell in this case?
You raise some good questions. In New England, Polar is capable of exceling based on its longevity in the field and it's reputation. However - Polar is currently sold in 33 states across the country and there are more on the way.
DeleteIf the majority of Polar's current stakeholders are local and interact based on their brand recognition I can see why social media may be a passive strategy. But are all of the technographic profiles being analyzed? How are we going to energize the markets out west? If you've grown up in Washington state or Oregon, you most likely have no idea what Polar is or what the brand stands for.
Say you decide to follow them on Instagram but their posts are sporadic or don't speak to the stakeholders...interest diminishes and as soon as La Croix goes on sale, that will be in the shopping basket instead.
One of the most efficient ways to accomplish this is by utilizing social media. If they have managed to do this well without it, I can only imagine what they could be capable of if they chose to use the resources.
Hey Meaghan!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post, partially because me and my friends LOVE Polar. Actually, one of my best friends is also from Washington, and she had another friend spend $25 dollars on shipping to get her Polar, until she found it finally being sold in a local Washington grocery store. You may actually know about her because she sent you guys a funny email about how excited she was, and received many replied including from the CEO. Well, the point of my post is I think one of Polar's strengths is its connection with its loyal customers. But you are right, it may need to do better if it wants to gain popularity across the country where most have never heard its name before. I was also thinking about following them for the social media project, but found very few posts to actually follow.
Oh wow! Did she send this email recently? Like in the last two weeks or so? I got a memorable email from someone on the west coast who was REALLY happy to finally see our stuff out there.
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