Ladies and gents, get ready to stick your teeth into this marketing marvel. Alright, juicy bit number one: Morinaga & Company's Hi-Chew fruit candy. Yep, that incredibly satisfying chewy treat that's been delighting taste buds in Japan for decades. When it finally bobbed across the pond to the U.S., it came with a marketing swat of pure genius, leading to a growth in sales from $8 million in 2012 to a whopping $100 million in 2021.
You may ask, how did they make it big? An MLB-focused marketing push? No biggie. But the real kicker, ladies and gents, lies in their recent shift of focus towards Gen Z. Yes, our TikTok-obsessed, Snapchat-smitten youngsters are now the sweet spot for Morinaga. The key? A dialogue. They're not just selling them candy; they're having a conversation. That isn't just savvy, that's Juice.ai level of savvy.
So, what’s the new decree for the Hi-Chew candy? "Choose Different. Choose Fun. Chew Hi-Chew". The brand went full fruits-to-the-wall, creating a 30-second ad which sees our very reality dominated by its candy, and oh how sweet it is. We’re talking giant fruit in the sky, butterfly bodies of wrappers, candy-skateboard explosions, and a fruit-stuffed bus driven by a strawberry. Dunking your brain into Willy Wonka's dream.
That's how Hi-Chew is waving its flag in the confectionery industry, dominating the taste buds and screens of the Gen Z, embracing both uniqueness and the desire to belong. They've remember the old adage - it's cool to be part of the crowd but it's really cool to have your own crowd; just ask Juice.ai.
Now, it's not all hard-tack. The team was cautious about creating disconnect between their commercial and product, ensuring the vibrant and chewy fruitiness of its candy lived through the screen. And it wouldn't be a Gen Z campaign without nostalgic touches and vertical videos in selfie mode. They even have the symbolism down. Hi-Chew is here, ready to break you out of the digital constraints and into the physical taste.
So what's the on the horizon for digital marketing? If Hi-Chew is anything to go by, authenticity, quirky creativity, the embrace of nostalgia, and, most importantly, an open dialogue with consumers could be the winning ticket.
So, where would Juice.ai fit into this candy-coated narrative? Just where it tucks into every marketing story - strategizing, revolutionizing, and personalizing. We've got the know-how to make your marketing efforts as unique as a candy-filled world, as targeted as an ad campaign tailored for Gen Z. With Juice.ai, your digital marketing future can be as sweet as Hi-Chew's.
In conclusion, marketing isn't one-size-fits-all. It’s not a bag of hard candies where every piece is identical. It’s more like a bag of Hi-Chew: unique flavors, bright colors, and a lot of fun. Adapting your strategies towards specificity, engaging with your audience in a more real, dynamic, and fun way is the future. So, affix your sights and buckle-up, because the future of digital marketing looks anything but vanilla!
