Ribena Marketing Essay

Ribena was first made in 1936 when HW Carter, a Bristol based food and drink manufacturer, started making pure fruit syrups to use in making milkshakes. This was when it was discovered that the blackcurrant syrup contained very high levels of vitamin C. People saw how valuable it would be as a nutritional drink and it went on sale in hospitals and nursing homes. The name Ribena was not used during this period but after the War, Ribena went on sale all across the UK and Ireland.

The word Ribena was based on the Latin name for blackcurrant “Ribes Negrum”. The name is very important to the product, it needs to be easy to remember, easy to spell and easy to say especially if the target audience is children. Ribena also has the added advantage that the name has an international ring to it. Ribena has established a strong brand name over the years and it has maintained its position in the market. In recent years Ribena have introduced new flavours to the market such as Strawberry, Raspberry, Apple, Orange, Raspberry and Pomegranate. Product A product is defined as anything that can be offered to satisfy a need or want.

To help its product sell in greater quantities, a business must give consideration to the packaging and brand name it uses. Ribena is available in lots of different flavours these include Blackcurrant, Strawberry, Orange, Raspberry, Raspberry and Pomegranate. The blackcurrant flavour is available in original and really light (low calorie). Ribena’s target market is every child and every parent. Ribena is a brand that children love and that mothers prefer to buy for their family because it is rich in Vitamin C and has a unique blackcurrant taste. Mothers are satisfied that they are giving their children a nutritional drink; full of vitamin C.

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Mothers will be more likely to give their children Ribena to bring to school with them as a drink for their lunch rather than a bottle of coke because of the nutritional value in Ribena. Ribena’s iconic slogan uses their nutritional value to attract customers “The blackcurrants in Ribena contain four times the Vitamin C of oranges”. Another key aspect of the product is the packaging. The packaging needs to attractive and bright in colour in order to attract the child’s attention. It must attract the consumers’ attention enough to make them want to buy Ribena ahead of all the other brands like Robinson’s, Mi Wadi, Kia Ora…

Ribena is packaged in glass bottles, plastic bottles and cartons. The glass bottles only come in 600ml, 1 litre and 2 litres. The plastic bottles range in size from 330ml, 500ml, 1litre and 2 litres. The single carton comes in 288ml. The cartons also come in a multi pack; 4 cartons of 200ml and 10 cartons of 200ml. In 2000 Ribena launched “Ribena Pouch Pack”. It was developed for older children who want the great taste of Ribena but in a more grown up and trendy pack. The Ribena Pouch is still very strongly linked to Ribena’s key messages which are that Ribena is full of vitamin C, very nutritional and it has a unique blackcurrant taste.

The target market for the Ribena pouch is the children themselves especially older children who are buying their own drinks. It is very up to date with an emphasis on a key point about Ribena that it is purple. The packaging for the Ribena pouch pack is portable, light to carry and re-sealable so can be used again. The colour distinguishes it from its competitors like Robinson’s, Mi Wadi and Kia Ora. Since its launch in March 2000, sales have been very good, with more and more consumers buying into this new trendy packaging. Promotion

Promotion involves communicating with customers to let them know about the product and to persuade them to buy it. The four main ways to promote a product are advertising, sales promotions, public relations and personal selling. Ribena put a lot of money into their advertising campaign each year. One of the main reasons Ribena has been so successful throughout the years is due to their strong advertising campaign especially their television adverts. The advertisements change with the years but Ribena’s main message remains the same. Ribena’s core values are based around its vitamin C goodness and its unique blackcurrant taste.

The TV advertisements feature the Ribenaberry cartoon characters. They have evolved with the brand over the years. The Ribenaberry cartoon characters are very popular and are an excellent advertising tool. The target market for Ribena is children and most children watch cartoons so they would be able to relate to the ads compared to the Capri sun ad which isn’t as child friendly as the Ribena one. The cartoon characters covey the essence of the drink and the fact that it is made from blackcurrants. They also add an element of fun to the ads which appeals to children. This encourages hildren to buy it and obviously mothers would be more inclined to buy Ribena for their children compared to fizzy drinks because of the nutritional value. Ribena also use a lot of purple in their adverts. Ribena emphasises that it is a very nutritional drink suitable for children and they incorporate this into their advertising, sales promotions, public relations and personal selling. Ribena also use their website to promote competitions, discounts, new products that they are launching etc… In May 2009 Ribena launched a range of sales promotions initiatives as part of their summer campaign. t was basically a loyalty scheme that allowed consumers to collect on-pack tokens and redeem them for prizes that included kites, juggling balls, cricket sets and skittles. In Ribena’s 2009 summer campaign they also gave away 1 million free inflatable “office assistants” as part of their summer on-pack promotion in order to win one of office assistants consumers had to purchase a bottle or carton of Ribena’s and text in an on-pack code. Consumers could also choose between a male or female inflatable. The promotion took place from May 1st and ran for 12 weeks. It was part of a ? 6 million campaign for the brand.

In May 2011 Ribena launched their summer advertising and promotion campaign. Their aim was to target more than a million consumers in order to promote the brand and increase sales. The campaign centred around a mobile “Berry Wagon”. It toured around the UK stopping in in picnic areas giving out free samples. The Ribena tour targeted young adults to mums and families. Ribena also gave away 300 free passes to family friendly festivals around the UK. The promotion also drove consumers to the Ribena website, further promoting engagement with the brand. Inflatable office assistant Ribenaberry cartoon character The Ribena “Berry Wagon”

Price The price is the amount of money the business charges consumers for its product. It is important that the business charges the right price for its product. If it is too high, consumers will not buy it. If it is too low, the business might make a loss and consumers might think it is inferior. The price of Ribena is quite reasonable considering the nutritional value. . It appeals to parents who believe that the higher price is worth paying because they believe Ribena is better for their children than fizzy drinks such as Coca-Cola, Club Orange. In this way, Ribena makes higher profits from the higher price.

The Ribena prices range from €1. 23 to €3. 94. Here is a list of the prices in Euro €: Ribena ready to drink carton 288ml€1. 45 Ribena ready to drink 500ml€1. 59 Ribena Pouch Pack 288ml€1. 45 Ribena Blackcurrant 1litre€2. 89 Ribena Blackcurrant 2 litre€3. 94 Ribena Strawberry 1litre€2. 89 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 10 X 200ml€3. 49 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 10 X 200ml €3. 49 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 4 X 200ml€1. 23 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 4 X 200ml€1. 23 The Ribena prices range from 99p to ? 2. 95 Here is a list of the prices in Pounds ? : Ribena ready to drink carton 288ml 99p

Ribena ready to drink 500ml 99p Ribena Pouch Pack 288ml 99p Ribena Blackcurrant 1litre? 2. 65 Ribena Blackcurrant 2 litre? 2. 95 Ribena Strawberry 1litre? 1. 89 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 10 X 200ml? 2. 59 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 10 X 200ml ? 2. 59 Ribena Ready to drink blackcurrant 4 X 200ml? 1. 40 Ribena Ready to drink strawberry 4 X 200ml? 1. 40 Place Place involves the business getting its product to consumers by using an appropriate channel of distribution. The product has to be available where and when people need and want it. In order to manufacture Ribena the fruits need to be harvested.

Harvest starts in July and it lasts for about eight weeks. Weather conditions are very important to ensuring a good crop. They need a frost –free spring, steady rain in May and June and a sunny harvesting season in July and august. The Scottish Crop Research Institute has been trying to develop new blackcurrant varieties that cope with difficult weather patterns for the past 15 years. They completed a three year trial of two new varieties which were harvested for the first time in 2007 and have been specially bred to withstand the effects of climate change. Blackcurrant harvesters do not cut the berries off the bush.

The berries on blackcurrant bushes ripen all at the same time, which makes picking them easier. Speed is very important, blackcurrants are not long lasting and therefore most of them are pressed into juice within 24 hours which are made into concentrate. They are then taken to the Ribena plant at Coleford, Gloucestershire in the UK, where it is held in tanks beneath the factory and is bottled as needed throughout the year. Ribena is well distributed throughout England, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. It is sold in supermarkets, newsagents and garage forecourts around the country.

It is available everywhere children might look for it. If they are shopping with their parents in the supermarket, it is there. If their parents pull in to get petrol, Ribena is there also. Bibliography http://www. ribena. co. uk/summer-soundtrack/ http://www. facebook. com/#! /RibenaUK http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=mxf6OPoaXCA http://theodmgroup. com/2011/06/03/gift-with-purchase-promotion-ribena-drinks/ http://www. brandrepublic. com/news/899422/Ribena-launches-range-promotional-activity-2009/ http://www. promomarketing. info/ribena-offers-a-summer-of-festival-fun/P004419/

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