Social Media Monitoring Project, Part 2
Recap
Polar Beverages is a highly successful company that excels in the increasingly health-conscious beverage market. Seltzer is here for the longhaul 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.
Social Media Monitoring Project; Part One
Introduction
When you think of Polar Beverages, you most likely think local. They have been a mainstay on Southbridge Street for decades – longer than any of us have been alive. What you might not know is that Polar Beverages is the country’s largest independent soft-drink bottler and a fourth-generation, family-owned business that traces its roots back to 1882.
In addition to the main production plant in Worcester, Polar owns Adirondack Beverages in Scotia, NY and Polar South, a bottling facility in Fitzgerald, GA. Within the last 6 months, Polar began contracting out to Pepsi Bottling in Olympia, WA to start making and distributing along the west coast. As of today, Polar is distributed in 35 states in the country and works with nearly 90 distributors in the United States alone.
You don’t see commercials for Polar during television events – it’s marketing is largely based upon word-of-mouth recommendations that have slowly created demands in other regions as people moved out of New England and into other states. For example, Polar has a consistently high demand in Florida due to the number of people from New England that want to retire to warmer weather. With such a vast, stable, and growing reach across the country it is important to implement the available social media tools in order to extend that reach, create excitement and harness the groundswell.
However, is Polar still embracing a ‘local’ mindset when they should be acting like a national brand? Do their social media practices prevent them from being able to perform at a higher level?
Platforms
This local purveyor of all things bubbly boasts a wide portfolio of products – at times, perhaps too wide.
Polar Beverages divides their online presence by subcategories: Polar Beverages (main company), Polar Seltzer, Polar Dry, Polar Frost, Polar Classics & the brand new line of Seltzer’ade. For each individual subcategory, an entirely new Website URL and social media handle is created, therefore dividing the company’s portfolio and creating unneeded distance between each subcategory.
Polar Beverages is currently represented on the three major Social Media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Polar does not self-publish any blogs or additional content.The presence of each and number of followers is listed in the table below.
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| Number of Total Followers as of 2/28/17 |
In regards to their activity on Instagram, they are very apt to “like” a post that they are tagged in, but again, fail to address specific inquiries. What I feel works in Polar’s favor is that the stakeholders that do reach out to them are enthusiastic about the products and want to either praise them or inquire about them. Though, in looking into the ‘Visitor Posts’ on their Facebook page, (again, the page with the most followers of any maintained by the company) Polar has not responded to a customer question, comment or complaint on Facebook in months. In fact, I couldn’t find a single post in the last 3.5 months that they responded to. There is of course, the chance that they reply to each person privately but I can’t prove that. In the age of groundswell, I feel it is important to demonstrate your involvement with the pubic, publicly.Analytics
Google Trends
Social Mention
Polar Beverages:
Overall, we see very consistent percentages in the Strength, Passion, and Reach categories as well as a stable ratio of Sentiment at the Polar Brand level. We do notice a jump on the most recent screen capture which I would assume has to do with increased online visibility of the Seltzer’ade brand.
Polar Seltzer:
Again, we see very consistent percentages in the Strength, Passion, and Reach categories as well as a stronger ratio of Sentiment at the Seltzer level on the most recent pull. Similarly, we do notice a jump on the most recent screen capture which I would assume has to do with the recent online visibility of the Seltzer’ade brand.
Technographic Profiles and Engagement
Polar seems to do well in engaging creative individuals with a lot of passion for their products and are able to attract a large number of creators to their social media outlets.
Critics are another section that Polar needs to pay more attention to. The people who they are not responding to online will be the same people that go out and post less than stellar reviews.
Future marketing engagement should involve much more listening and talking, making both creators and critics two of the audiences that should be targeted in order to create a more well-rounded effort to engage the entire groundswell. This would enhance the numbers of joiners and spectators who may be inclined to get more involved at a higher level in the future.
Concluding Thoughts
- Polar is consistently inconsistent. So what do you do when you’ve put yourself in a place where your portfolios are fragmented and you can’t consistently answer to the groundswell?
- There is an extreme disconnect between the Polar Brand and Polar Seltzer. People consistently look to the Brand to find the seltzer rather than just looking to the Seltzer products alone. They are hurting the chances of engagement with the ENTIRE portfolio by suggesting that people should engage with each specific subcategory.
- In my opinion, it would seem that by fragmenting the products so drastically, Polar has not seriously considered or thought out the ways in which they can access the groundswell. By not engaging with the bulk of their followers, they are completely bypassing the listening and the talking phases.
- They have no problem energizing the groundswell – they threw the ‘ade suffix on the word ‘seltzer’ and repackaged pre-existing flavors as new products. They are keenly aware of what creates a buzz.
- Local Brand or National Brand? Polar needs to figure out how to make the transition.
Mythical Creatures of the Groundswell
If you are from Worcester, MA or have spent any significant amount of time here – you are probably familiar with Polar Beverages – purveyors or all things bubbly and good. Upset stomach? Someone has probably offered a Polar Ginger Ale. That cold cup of Coca-Cola that you asked for at your favorite local eatery? Yup – you were probably served a Polar Cola instead. Decided to give up soda completely? Polar seltzers should be your go-to carbonated beverage of choice.
Polar prides itself on being a ‘fourth generation owned’ company which is fantastic but also implies some archaic attitudes. In my (almost) ten year tenure at Polar, I have developed a number of personal opinions on how they could better market themselves – particularly through social media. Only recently, have I realized that there is a defined ideology behind these social marketing trends and initiatives referred to as the groundswell. As defined in the book by the same name, the groundswell is “a social trend in which people use technologies to get things they need from each other rather than from traditional institutions like corporations” (pg 9).
Polar unexpectedly hit the groundswell jackpot in April of 2016 when the majestic limited edition (only 5,000 cases) Unicorn Kisses “mystery flavor” came out to coincide with April Fool’s Day. As a company that only used social media seemingly out of obligation, the users of these social technologies took matters into their own hands and created a massive buzz both locally and nationwide.
Online users began crowd-sourcing information in order to locate bottles of this elusive flavor. At the time, I was fielding consumer emails and I was
overwhelmed by the number of people trying to locate this item. Emails that I sent in response to retail locations were being shared across Twitter. People were tapping into into the groundswell in ways that I am confident, Polar was not expecting. In fact, Polar sold out of all 60,000 bottles in a 72 hour period.
The momentum behind this item as well as the brand as a whole, should have been an opportunity to pursue the groundswell by listening to stakeholders, engaging with the messaging of the brand, getting energized, supporting the customer base, and embracing what the stakeholders had to offer in terms of feedback (pg 68-69). I can offer more in-depth analysis at the conclusion of my social media marketing project, but in short, Polar let this momentum fade quickly by relying solely on the work of their consumers rather than becoming a participant in their experience and actively pursuing the groundswell. What potential harm can come of a company when they ignore the will of the people? How long will they idly sit by and wait for the next great thing? Does the corporation ever REALLY know what is best for the brand if they aren’t paying attention to what people say about it?
Even today, nearly a year after their debut, bottles are still being sold on eBay for $25.00 per liter. There is still a demand for a product that we would not recommend consuming based on its “best-by” date. If Polar doesn’t take heed of the groundswell, its bound to be swallowed up when the next best competitor brand comes along.