Evian and Alexander Wang: Talking Commodity in a Prestige World
Key Takeaways
By 2014, premium bottled water brand Evian had become outdated in the eyes of Millennial consumers, who thought of the brand as their “mother’s water.” This is because the brand hadn’t changed its messaging or presence in years, and as a result, aged along with its target audience. This represented a significant missed opportunity for the brand, as the premium bottled water industry (which Evian created) was experiencing 20 percent year-over-year growth, driven by Millennials.
“Premium” Redefined
There is a common misconception that Millennials don’t care about image. This is untrue, especially among active, affluent Millennials, who put brands they love on a pedestal and will gladly pay a premium for (see: Apple). However, it is true that Millennials are not impressed by name recognition alone; to them, “premium” is a combination of image and substance. A product needs to be authentic and well-made, or the brand name itself is immaterial.
Evian x Alexander Wang
Transitioning an established luxury brand into a new space is a risky endeavor, as it could potentially alienate existing fans of the brand. Evian knew, however, that in order to remain viable, it needed to find elements of the brand’s essence that were relevant to Millennials and present them in “today’s language.” The brand partnered with young, well-known fashion designer Alexander Wang to create a new design for the Evian water bottle. The campaign featured a bold, high-fashion video ad without words or text, presenting the new bottles in a visually stimulating way. The campaign was a major success for the brand, as the total number of campaign impressions dwarfed all previous bottle launches, and the brand experienced a 66 percent increase in penetration among consumers 25 to 34 over the previous year.
Source
"Evian and Alexander Wang: Talking Commodity in a Prestige World." Olga Osminkina-Jones, VP of Marketing, North America, Water Division at Danone. The Internationalist 1000 Think Tank Breakfast, 10/27/15.