Tuning into Tastes: The Secret of Jones Soda’s Success
Tuning into Tastes: The Secret of Jones Soda’s Success
What van Stolk knew he had to do was create a brand that young people could identify with. With little money and no college education, van Stolk defied the odds to create a wildly successful beverage company with a loyal and passionate following. How did he do it?
Promotions: Van Stolk understood the importance of consumer interaction in order to build his brand. That is why, from roving RVs that distributed Jones Soda samples across the nation, to a website that promoted an interactive community with lots of freebies for download, van Stolk was able to create an active and involved following.
Attachment: “I believe a lot of marketers have this fundamental belief that people care,” says van Stolk. “I, on the other hand, have a fundamental belief that you don’t. If you don’t care, then I have to do something to make [the product] relevant to you. A really cool, funky ad may capture your attention, but it still doesn’t make you care.” To that end, van Stolk decided to create a participatory brand, encouraging customers to contribute their flavour suggestions, photographs, and more to enhance his product. “If I put your photo of something you love, whatever that may be, on a bottle of Jones Soda, you’ll actually care, because it’s your photo, not mine.”
Unpredictability: When van Stolk made the decision to start using pure sugar in his drinks, he claimed, “Everyone is happy. It’s not rocket science.” While it might not have been a “rocket science” decision, it was nonetheless a revolutionary one for the industry, catching both consumers and competitors off guard. And that is what van Stolk wanted Jones Soda to be all about.
Charity: Van Stolk would not consider what he does as charity, since that would mean he was getting nothing in return. But in deciding to sponsor charitable organizations as a marketing ploy instead of the usual athletes or celebrities, van Stolk believed he was in fact getting something back. “It’s the difference between being real,” he says, “and saying you’re real.”
Niche: “I’m not very smart,” claims van Stolk. “I’m just learning the beverage industry.” Few would believe his claim, since van Stolk seems to have quickly dominated the niche he was after. But, it was precisely by focusing on a niche that he was able to do so. Instead of trying to compete with the well-established industry giants, van Stolk went after a market they had always been missing.
“A soda company just means that you’re a carbonated soft drink or a beverage with sugar and bubbles. I think Jones means more than that,” says van Stolk, whose legacy with the company he founded remains strong despite his stepping down as Chairman and CEO. “We’re always evolving. If you’re not evolving, you’re dying.”
Tuning into Tastes The Secret of Jones Sodas Success
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“If you’re able to listen to customers from their perspective, not everything they say will make sense,” says van Stolk. “Not everything they do will be right. But you’ll know more about what you have to do because of it.”
What van Stolk knew he had to do was create a brand that young people could identify with. With little money and no college education, van Stolk defied the odds to create a wildly successful beverage company with a loyal and passionate following. How did he do it?
Promotions: Van Stolk understood the importance of consumer interaction in order to build his brand. That is why, from roving RVs that distributed Jones Soda samples across the nation, to a website that promoted an interactive community with lots of freebies for download, van Stolk was able to create an active and involved following.
Attachment: “I believe a lot of marketers have this fundamental belief that people care,” says van Stolk. “I, on the other hand, have a fundamental belief that you don’t. If you don’t care, then I have to do something to make [the product] relevant to you. A really cool, funky ad may capture your attention, but it still doesn’t make you care.” To that end, van Stolk decided to create a participatory brand, encouraging customers to contribute their flavour suggestions, photographs, and more to enhance his product. “If I put your photo of something you love, whatever that may be, on a bottle of Jones Soda, you’ll actually care, because it’s your photo, not mine.”
Unpredictability: When van Stolk made the decision to start using pure sugar in his drinks, he claimed, “Everyone is happy. It’s not rocket science.” While it might not have been a “rocket science” decision, it was nonetheless a revolutionary one for the industry, catching both consumers and competitors off guard. And that is what van Stolk wanted Jones Soda to be all about.
Charity: Van Stolk would not consider what he does as charity, since that would mean he was getting nothing in return. But in deciding to sponsor charitable organizations as a marketing ploy instead of the usual athletes or celebrities, van Stolk believed he was in fact getting something back. “It’s the difference between being real,” he says, “and saying you’re real.”
Niche: “I’m not very smart,” claims van Stolk. “I’m just learning the beverage industry.” Few would believe his claim, since van Stolk seems to have quickly dominated the niche he was after. But, it was precisely by focusing on a niche that he was able to do so. Instead of trying to compete with the well-established industry giants, van Stolk went after a market they had always been missing.
“A soda company just means that you’re a carbonated soft drink or a beverage with sugar and bubbles. I think Jones means more than that,” says van Stolk, whose legacy with the company he founded remains strong despite his stepping down as Chairman and CEO. “We’re always evolving. If you’re not evolving, you’re dying.”
Tuning into Tastes The Secret of Jones Sodas Success
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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