FCB Shanghai gets sports lovers to challenge the newest energy drink Go Player in gyms

Go Player is a new energy drink that was recently introduced to the China market with low awareness and limited distribution. The energy drink market in China is dominated by Red Bull, with 47% volume share, and the rest of the pie is occupied by the local beverage brands such as the market leader of bottled water, Nongfu Spring (Source: Sports and Energy drinks, China Mintel July 2014). While Red Bull dominates the on-trade channels (clubs and bars) and local players occupy the retail space, there are very few opportunities for a new brand like Go Player.

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FCB Shanghai decided to use a unique way to get to their main target: sports lovers. Their solution was to create a Go Player Challenge Pack: a series of bottles with specially designed caps. On every cap, there is a number indicating the strength needed to open it. The larger the number, the more power required to open up the bottle. They placed these special packs on top of the dumbbell racks in gyms. Now even opening a bottle of drink can be a real challenge.

After the launch of the challenge pack, they successfully generated buzz on social media. People took pictures of the bottles and filmed themselves trying to open them. Consumers were curious about which brand was behind the challenge and where they could buy it for themselves. The public demand drove the launch of Go Player on the shelves of one of China’s biggest convenience stores: FamilyMart.

Credits – Chief Creative Officer: Feiwei

Retouching: Shanghai E-ju Culture Communication