Recap
Polar Beverages is a highly successful company that excels in the increasingly health-conscious beverage market. Seltzer is here for the long
haul and Polar has been doing it longer than most which gives them an advantage. However, are they using it?
There is a reason why Polar is jokingly referred to as a cult or obsession; there are reasons why Polar has ‘Super Fans’. Despite this ‘hardcore’ following, there is still plenty of room for Polar to expand upon its social media presence and the ways in which it decides to engage with its customer base.
Campaigns
Polar runs some very successful campaigns that revolve around the release of small limited edition batches a couple of times a year and the more widely available season flavors that are released in the summer and winter. These campaigns produce visible spikes on the graph data, are well received, and create a buzz.
Data Comparison
Followers Update
All of the Polar seltzer (including the Seltzer’ade) pages across all platforms had a steady increase of about 200-400 followers over the past month. Other increases in followers were seen in the Polar Family brand pages on twitter and Instagram. Polar Dry, Polar Classics, and Polar Frost sat stagnant and had approximately +/- 5 followers.
I opted to look at the 7-day graphs for comparisons because larger stretches of time did not provide an adequate distinction.
So, we remember this graph:
And this is our recent seven day graph:
While the averages between the Seltzer search and the Polar Beverage search are still about the same, we see that the recent graph shows a much more active interest in both the brand and the drink category. This (again) is most likely indicative of the popularity of the new Seltzer’ade line of products. We also see that the lines mimic each other, again leading me to the conclusion that people are looking for the same items when searching for the product or the company.
Social Mention
When we look at the comparisons of the most popular day a month ago and the current snapshot, there are some stark contrasts:
Polar Beverages –
A month ago, the strength of the Polar Beverage search term was much higher that it is today. Positive sentiment has gone down slightly, and its reach declined drastically.
Polar Seltzer –
However, when looking at Polar Seltzer, we see a current increase across strength, sentiment, passion and reach. Again, I believe that this drastic increase in interest is in direct correlation with the Seltzer’ade launch.
Target Market
Polar has the key benefit of not speaking directly to a niche community of beverage connoisseurs. There is a seltzer drinker in everyone, from kids to adults. In a market where traditionally surgery sodas are being demonized as being a threat to one’s health, seltzer provides crisp carbonation and flavor without the sugar or sodium and with all the benefits of water.
If Polar was to narrow their focus, the health-conscious among us would be the target. Traditionally, the highest populations of “health conscious” folks are found in urban and metropolitan areas and often do not mind spending a little bit more on a product that they deem “worth it”. Another key area would be the next generations of Polar Super fans – children. Who better than kids to learn early that seltzer is the supreme nectar of choice?
Analysis
Strengths
- Polar is already working with a solid reputation which has been established almost 135 years ago.
- Polar knows how to energize its consumers through limited editions products and plays up its “cult-like” status to create interest.
Weaknesses
- There are too many divides across the companies product categories.
- Polar’s public communications across social media outlets is seriously suffering.
Opportunities
- Due to what I would consider Polar’s two largest weaknesses, there is still plenty of room to unite the brand under the company name since the company itself is still extremely relevant in terms online search interest.
- Taking the time to engage further and harvest data from these communications may improve consumer/company relations and give Polar a new direction based on the suggestions made to them in regards to all of their product categories.
Threats
- If Polar does not start taking it’s social media presence more seriously, it will be come easier for fans to move on to another company that is more willing to communicate with them on a personal level.
- If this lack of communication continues, Polar makes itself vulnerable to more serious consumer complaints when the company refuses to respond publicly.
Goals & Suggestions
I believe that the process to bring Polar’s Social Media presence up to speed will be a serious time investment as well as a long term commitment. Here are three easy starter ideas to get this ball rolling:
(1) The phrase “divide and conquer” is not relevant when it comes to your brand portfolio.
Polar needs to consolidate. Despite the fact that most of the social media attention goes to the seltzer line there are other categories in the brand that don’t do as well because they are not getting the same amount of effort or attention.
Maybe, just maybe – if a comparable amount of attention was paid to the other sub-categories online, you could successfully unite the entire brand. I think it is time to allow the other beverage categories to piggyback off of seltzers successes. Consistency is key.
(2) Everyone needs to be able to hear you.
This project showed that Polar has a serious problem when it comes to communicating with consumers and fans on a public forum. There is a lot of friendly back and forth on Twitter and the time is taken to ‘like’ things that they are tagged in on Instagram. However, when consumers go to Facebook to ask a question or express displeasure, there is no sign that Polar reaches out to these customers.
I can not rule out that Polar isn’t contacting these people directly in a private setting, but I think that it is important for the groundswell to see for itself that Polar takes that initiative first in a public forum rather than to find this out when they themselves experience a problem.
Also, all platforms need to engage with somewhat equally. You can’t spend all the resources engaging on Twitter when the real issues are coming to light on Facebook.
(3) Engagement
As a consumer of Polar’s bubbly decadence, I completely understand the allure of their carbonated treasures. It is clear from the way people try to engage with the company that they are always looking for new ways to be noticed and recognized by the company online, while at the same time, are still just happy enough to feel like they own it.
Polar should try to find new ways to engage the groundswell online through means such as blogs, online contests, polls, and the collection, review, and sharing of flavor/packaging suggestions. At this same time, they could use these opportunities to expose consumers and fans to other products in the company portfolio.
POST Analysis/Suggestions
(P)eople
Polar need to become fully conscious of the ways in which people opt to communicate with them on each social platform. By doing so, Polar will be able to better anticipate the needs of their consumer base as it continues to grow.
(O)bjectives
Polar should have an established list of objectives when it comes to social media. Do they want consumers to direct their grievances online? Do they just want to try to generate more revenue through basic advertising? Should social media be used to promote more of the corporate social responsibility campaigns that often go over looked in the social stratosphere? Each platform should have a concise goal that it is striving towards.
(S)trategy
When the objectives are laid out, decisions will need to be made as to how this new engagement will be treated. This would be a prime opportunity to collect data and be able to listen to and talk with stakeholders. In doing so, there should be a person or team whose sole focus is on implementing these strategies in order to see that the objective s are being accomplished.
(T)echnology
I feel that when it comes to the three major networks (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) – it has to be an all or nothing thing. Your company HAS to have a Facebook page if each product category has one (assuming you decide to keep these pages divided).
Don’t jump into things like Pinterest unless objectives are starting to be met in other areas and the groundswell indicate to you that there is a space for you there. That goes for any and every other social media platform that has or will come out in the future.
If there is room to have another comment added, I believe that a blog would best serve Polars interests at this time. It would allow an outlet for the company to establish its missions and goals (in more that 140 characters), allow stakeholders to converse with each other through message boards and share information that other stakeholders may find interesting.
Finally…
As soon as Polar starts spending more time listening and talking with the groundswell, they will find that the areas in which they already excel
(such as energizing) will ultimately become more lucrative in a much wider capacity.
The data shows that there is interest in Polar within areas of the country that it isn’t even available in yet. Investing in the internet with the opportunity of reaching these consumers earlier, will allow a stronger presence and excitement around the brand if and when they do enter these territories.
To conclude, investing the time and strategy in the groundswell will push Polar into a new area of communication and create a greater bond with their loyal consumers. If consumers could actually become more loyal to a brand than they already are, Polar wouldn’t know what to do with the attention that it would provide them. I think it is time to take this next step and invest in the future of this company and in the established technologies which will not only support them, but the groundswell as well.