Taking the surprise economy to another level, Singapore beverage company Out of the Box caters to consumers who respond to "What would you like to drink?" with a non-committal "anything" or "whatever". Two weeks ago, the company launched two complementary brands: Anything and Whatever. Anything is fizzy and comes in six flavours (Cola with Lemon, Apple, Fizz Up, Cloudy Lemon and Root Beer) and Whatever is non-carbonated (Ice Lemon Tea, Peach Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, White Grape Tea, Apple Tea, Chrysanthemum Tea).
The surprise part? Consumers don't know which flavour they're getting until they take a sip. Cans are simply labelled Anything and Whatever, and the list of ingredients is limited to generic wording: carbonated water, sugar, permitted flavouring, permitted colouring, preservative, tea extract, fruit juice concentrate. Judging from the buzz on Singapore forums, teens immediately got the concept and are loving it.
Novel product to launch elsewhere, as the drink for people who don't know what they want? The key, of course, is to produce products that are good enough to guarantee repeat sales. We think established food and beverage brands could have fun with this one, too, and would have the benefit of working from a brand consumers already trust. How about Snapple or Stonyfield Yoghurt marketing surprise six-packs filled with random flavours? Could be a good way to get customers to try new varieties of any FMCG.
Website: www.anything.com.sg
Contact: info@ootbgroup.com
Spotted by: Brenton Wong
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I agree with you Mark. I also agree with 'Springwise' that if the product is good enough, people will buy it again.
Reminds me of the "???" flavor in the mixed bag of Dum-Dum Pops lollipops. I always hoped it was butterscotch and it usually turned out to be root beer.
I checked out Singaporean forms on that topic to find out what that idea brings on. Pretty interesting, but to me it looks more like something that will die off soon.
It's really kinda' cute. I hope it doesn't die off, it seems interesting...
I'm Singaporean and I've tired the darn Apple Tea flavour of Whatever. Bombed, for me. Way too sweet.
If the contents were really special instead of the usual totally plastic tasting 'soda-pop' then this product could last a long time. Unfortunately big companies just don't 'get it' when it comes to these things.
Fantastic idea, especially for the Gen X..Pretty sure the brand will create a lot of buzz in the market. Awareness and probably even trial will hit the roof- Question is on repeat and loyalty , how long will the curiosity factor last? Due to the hype, expectation is bound to be high and one wrong flavor could turn the idea of repurchase off! A la Gwen:) Having said that , it is literally very refreshing idea for what is a very boring product category! Hope the idea spreads to other categories in the FMCG industry..
This is interesting. I do wonder whether it will simply be a one off 'oh lets try it' and whether it would bring people back or simply a novelty. It will be interesting to follow this one.
Mark Bowness | May 29, 2007 8:46 PM