Welcome to Rekorder-Land | Case Study with Results
NB: All information in this document is confidential and not for publication.
Summary
A decade after launching in Australia and leading the cider explosion, Rekorderlig faced new pressures of increasing competition from new market entrants. A decline from 35% market share in 2013/14, to 8% in 2020, coupled with increasing competition from seltzers and RTDs, meant Rekorderlig needed to push the boundaries of the category and unleash the unexpected.
With COVID locking down bars and travel, and knowing our audience were early adopters of technology, we created Rekorder-land - a virtual travel destination where Rekorderlig’s hometown became a place of virtual wonders. The result? $5.1M of sales in only 28 days.
Background
A decade after leading the cider explosion in Australia, Rekorderlig was fighting to remain relevant, shown through the significant difference in awareness between 25-34 year olds (ranked 4th) compared to 18-24 year olds (ranked 25th). Adding to that the stagnation and decline of the cider category as a whole (down $22 million in the two years prior to 2019), and Rekorderlig faced a challenge to become relevant again to their target audience.
We had a budget of just $190k available to drive awareness and trial amongst an audience of 18 to 24 year old cider drinkers who were unengaged and distracted in a crowded digital environment and searching for creative experiences.
Our objectives were:
- To boost sales volume vs same period in the year prior
- To grow % of total Australian drinkers trialling Rekorderlig
The approach
With COVID locking down bars and travel - and knowing our audience are early adopters of visually rich digital experiences - our strategy was to create a groundbreaking truly virtual travel destination to re-introduce the audience to Rekorderlig and bring back the Swedish cool factor to drive awareness, trial and repeat consumption. We also planned to drive interest in the experience through the use of hand picked influencers popular with 18 to 24 year olds, who knew their audience were craving an alternative to traditional travel experiences during COVID.
The idea
We created Rekorder-land; a ground-breaking virtual trip to Vimmerby, where you can experience the true flavours of Rekorderlig from the comfort of your own escape pod. Popular Swedish tourist attractions were reimagined into all-original digital experiences - inspired by Rekorderlig’s flavours - and brought to life through meticulous design and interactive technology.
To spread the word about Rekorder-land, we engaged a range of influencers who were not only key for our audience but connected to Rekorderlig’s fun, irreverent Swedish coolness. The influencers' content was (pre COVID-19) heavily travel focused which made them perfect for our digital destination campaign. Kits were sent out which contained ‘airline’ tickets to visit Vimmerby (Sweden) albeit the digital Rekorderlig version. From there the influencers created content, shared their experiences and broadcast the hottest location to visit while in lockdown: Rekorder-land.
Results
SALES VOLUME
Result: 7.3% increase in volume for a total of $5.1M in sales during campaign period.
We increased the total sales volume compared to the same period the year before by 7.3% despite cider sales declining during the pandemic. Compared to the months prior this is an incredible uplift of 83% (vs September - October 2020).
INCREASING TRIAL
Result: Uplift of 3% in number of total Aus drinkers who state they will trial Rekorderlig.
One of, if not the most important long term results that will impact sales in years to come is the ‘trial’ metric. By growing this by 3% among all Australian drinkers, we can predict an increase in campaign ROI in the year(s) to come.
ROI
The total campaign spend was $253,250 including media.
Result (Immediate): Based on the total sales driven by the campaign, we were able to attribute an ROI of 4.3x during the campaign period alone - with every dollar spent on the campaign generating $4.30 in gross profit.
Result (Forecast): Based on the uplift in trial, we can forecast an additional 392,190 new trials of Rekorderlig, which would result in a gross profit of $3,557,141 and an ROI of 14x - meaning for every dollar spent on the campaign, it is predicted to generate $14 in sales due to new trials.