Young & Successful Media Corp. was retained by Vida Beverages, Inc. to perform a multi-market, bilingual usage test for Zico™ (http://www.zico.com), an exciting new pure coconut water beverage. The overall objective of the test was to provide Vida Beverages (VB) with quality information and recommendations on product acceptance in select target markets in order to determine feasibility of a successful U.S. launch. Zico™ was ultimately launched in the U.S. in late 2004.
Two weeks of field-testing was executed in both New York City and Los Angeles in both English and Spanish.
In conducting the usage tests, Y&S focused on several key target segments including: 1) "hip and cool" 18-23 year-old college students, 2) health-conscious individuals with active lifestyles, who understand the importance of good nutrition, and are well informed about healthy products, 3) internationally-savvy Anglos who have been to the Caribbean or Latin America, are familiar with coconut water, and have a positive association with Latin culture, and 4) bilingual Hispanics with origins in, or affinity for, "coconut consuming" regions, who are familiar with coconut water, and experience nostalgia for Latin Culture and its native products.
Project objectives successfully achieved for VB senior management and investors included:
- Validation of proposed Zico™ branding and value propositions vs. actual consumer usage
- Modification Zico™ branding, positioning, and overall value proposition based on direct consumer feedback
- Documentation of consumer experience with Zico™ in a variety of settings and circumstances
- Determination of probable success of Zico™ in various target segments
- Invaluable insights for sculpting a successful launch and formulating effective rollout strategies
