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PepsiCo’s SoBe Life Water: A Marketing 50 Case Study
SoBe Life Water was reintroduced at retail in February after making a splash on the U.S.’ biggest advertising stage, the Super Bowl. Arnell, New York, brought the SoBe lizard to life with a series of commercials featuring supermodel Naomi Campbell. She and a group of lizards groove to popular tunes such as Carlos Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The kickoff spot has since gone on to score 3.5 million hits on YouTube.
PepsiCo’s SoBe is using Life Water to stake a claim in the fast-growing enhanced-water category, with some success. Life Water’s market share grew to 6.1% in the first half, according to Beverage Digest, while volume was up 167% from a year earlier. The SoBe Life Water business is now about the same size as the SoBe parent brand, says Jeff Dubiel, VP-marketing for Sobe.
Life Water ramped up sales and created buzz with an event in New York’s Time Square, sampling and webisodes. The web fare, housed at brand site thrillicious.com, follow the exploits of lizards Lee and Donny.
The New York Times - Business Day
The New York Times - Business Day