When Reize founders Marty Spargo and Steve MacDonald entered the $50 billion global energy drink market they knew they had to go big to stand out in a category dominated by the likes of Red Bull and V Energy.
Reize, a powdered product available via a subscription model, has a different proposition to its competitors so wanted to reflect the uniqueness of its brand in its advertising.
"We realised that we had to be different. Fortunately we also found out that our customers were ready for something different. The energy drink market has matured. People of all ages and from all walks of life enjoy energy drinks, so we didn't want to alienate them with marketing that only appeals to a very specific group of people,” MacDonald tells AdNews.
Red Bull is the global leader in the energy drinks sector, renowned for its high budget content strategy, but interestingly the number two player in Australia. It still trails closely behind the V brand operated by Frucor Beverages, with Coca-Cola Amatil in third position. This year Coca-Cola Amatil is set to step up its presence in Australia, now it has purchased Monster Energy Drinks, and V significantly ramped up its marketing in 2016 with a millennial-focused marketing push.
Enter DeadPan Guy - a man who never cracks a smile, unless he's guzzling down on the energy drink. From sky diving to getting his hand stuck in a mouse trap, DeadPan Guy, the mascot that fronts the brand, racked up hundreds of thousands of views on its Facebook page.
“This ad campaign flies in the face of other energy drink companies whose marketing tends to centre around young, scantily clad women, and male extreme sports athletes,” Spargo says.
“We launched the viral Deadpan Guy campaign and in the process turned traditional marketing on it's head.”
With no marketing experience or budget for a creative agency, Spargo and MacDonald ran with Deadpan Guy and are now doubling their revenue every six weeks.
“We don't use our marketing to stand out from Red Bull and V, our product stands out from them all on its own. It is so unique and has so many benefits over traditional energy drinks, but we just need to get the message across to the customer,” Spargo says.
“Because we are creating a new category, product education is a big factor for us. Once people understand the product, and taste it, they buy it.”
As part of the Deadpan Guy campaign, Spargo and MacDonald targeted Australian celebrities with specific content.
In a video posted on Twitter, Deadpan Guy “interviewed” Lee Lin Chin. Lin Chin took to Twitter to voice her tongue-in-cheek disapproval, which in turn boosted the content.
Reize has also created content featuring other Aussie stars, including Shane Warne, Karl Stefanovic, Ian Thorpe and more.
#DeadpanGuy interviews @LeeLinChinSBS PARODY! Has Lee Lin Chin been unseated as Australia's most stoic human? pic.twitter.com/z6bhAR7RmT
— REIZE Energy Drink (@reizeenergy) November 5, 2016
The energy drink version of the Dollar Shave Club
The founders see themselves as the energy drink version of the Dollar Shave Club - a subscription based razor company which created massive disruption in its category and recently sold to Unilever for $1 billion.
The same subscription model has been adopted by Reize, allowing the brand to cut out the retailer and wholesaler as well as provide convenience for its customers.
"By offering Reize on a monthly home delivery service, we save our customers the hassle of going to the shops, and we save them a lot of money by cutting out the retailer and distributor,” Spargo says.
In 2017, the company plans to increase its presence in Australia while also looking to expand its business globally.
Want to know more about Reize? Watch this clip:
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