New Competition

CLIENT: A Top Beverage Company in Korea

The Business Issue

The client needed to revitalize their existing beverage brand to compete with a newly launched, powerful brand stealing valuable market share.

The Background

Our client had typically achieved a 50% market share in the soju industry and had little competition. [Note: Soju is a an alcoholic beverage made from distilled rice. Chamisul is a brand of soju that is quadruple-distilled.]  When a stylish new competitive product was launched and started to steal market share, our client updated packaging and enhanced taste to fight off the competition. These changes did not make a big enough impact to compete with the new product and the client's outdated brand image. The client looked to Research International to create a wholesale brand change to better position the product in the new competitive landscape.

The Solution

RI first diagnosed the brand and performed a detailed competitive assessment. Through this work, we gained a deeper understanding of the current brand perception. From there, we held Super Group and Super Clinic workshops to generate ideas and create and nourish new product concepts. With eValuate, Research International's concept screening and validation tool, we ensured we were developing the right product for the new market space.

The Business Value

The client launched a new product based on the concepts created with the help of RI to compete with the new competition. Within 6 months, our client gained back lost market share and increased total sales volume. Through the battle between two brands, the Korean soju market got bigger. The client's product continues to be successfully positioned in the marketplace and is now seen as a new, exciting brand.