Fancy a haircut? Amazon’s got you covered

From the collaboration between Tony’s Chocolonely and BrewDog to the release of Marmite’s very own range of peanut butter, product launches and collaborations are a sure-fire way of causing a splash.

But are these PR stunts only aimed at garnering media attention? Or do brands stand to gain return on their investments in the form of market share, deeper penetration and stronger customer relationships?

Think back to 2019, when the polarizing brand, Marmite, added peanut butter to their range.  Love it or hate it, it turned heads, drove awareness, and resulted in the brand landing the product in a range of UK retailers, including Morrisons.

Launching a new product can help brands steal share, drive penetration and make a splash at the same time, driving awareness and reach.

In Marmite’s case, the new release helped to expand the category. Unilever saw peanut butter as a key source of category growth, responsible for the 3% year- on-year increase experienced by the spread's category. Marmite is widely acknowledged as an important contributor to this growth.  

Using the 16 Drivers of relationships, we’ll be looking into three brands that have captured attention with eye-catching product launches. These 16 Drivers are proven to determine the strength of a brand's relationship with people.

Amazon   

An Amazon hair salon? Not the surprise we thought 2021 would bring but we don’t hate the idea.    

Amazon’s latest foray into bricks and mortar taps into the universal nervousness around trying out new hairstyles. Their augmented reality app allows customers to see their intended cut or color before they dive in and make the cut.

This new concept has taken Amazon into the realm of virtual reality, which is fast gaining ground within the retail space. When it comes to the 16 Drivers of Relationships, Amazon is majoring on Differentiation, which is about the extent to which a brand sets itself apart and stands out from the crowd.

This new launch is definitely a head-turner. Amazon has always been at the forefront of innovation in technology. And this move within the beauty industry - and into physical retail space - is no exception.

Heck   

Who doesn’t love an ice-cold beer after chomping down on a delicious burger?  

Heck are tackling convenience, moving from sausages and patties to non-alcoholic beer. They’ve created a wide range of products catering for the health and eco-conscious, as well as mainstream meat-eaters. So, how did this non-alcoholic beer find its way into their product line? The brand wanted the perfect product to pair alongside their already extensive range of tasty meats, which can be enjoyed by all, even the designated driver.  

Empathy is all about understanding customers’ wants and needs and uniquely fulfilling those needs. With this launch, Heck has tapped into the rising trend towards health, understanding that customers are actively searching for more nutritious alternatives. 

The brand's timing couldn’t be better, with summer firmly in sights and the rise in demand for low and no-alcohol drinks surging. According to our low-no alcohol report, there has been a 506% increase in global sales since 2015, with the low-no alcohol category set to be worth £450m by 2024.  

Heck have taken a bold step and we can’t wait to see the results. 

Vita Coco   

Beverage brand Vita Coco, have launched their very own range of haircare products. It was their Managing Director, Tim Rees’s brainchild, who identified a growing need for natural, personal care products, and so their vegan, sustainable haircare range was born.  

With the organic and natural personal care market projected to grow 9.5% annually between 2017 and 2025, due to reach 25 billion U.S. dollars by 2025 (Statista), Vita Coco’s agile and disruptive move into a new category looks set to provide a sizeable return.  

Innovation is one of the 16 Drivers of relationships and is all about the extent to which people feel a brand is forward-thinking. Vita Coco has identified the growing trend towards natural products and has found an innovative way to capitalize on this through their sustainable range of haircare products (made from coconut, of course).  

The haircare category is already highly congested, but Vita Coco are well-positioned to take on the challenge: “I think we are an agile, disruptive brand that likes to have fun in the category and share that fun and humility with our consumer base. That’s how I think we stay relevant”, says Tim Rees.

PR stunts are a great vehicle for causing a splash and driving brand awareness, but brands also need to consider how these collaborations or NPD launches reflect their original core proposition, and whether they strengthen the brand amongst their target audience. ProQuo's creative testing platform is an ideal solution to understand whether your ideas will land in market, before putting the big bucks behind them. 

Want to know more about launching a new product? Check out our NPD guide below.