A word about the market
Bottled water French industry is very concentrated since the multinational group Danone, Nestlé and Castel are doing 70% of the global market share. Many sources’ exploitation have been created for several years. However, it didn’t change the domination of the biggest group. Actually, there is a clear leader in value on the market: Evian. However, water brands have all different brand image and positioning: Evian as the baby and youth’s water, Contrex as the diet water, Cristaline as the family water, Hepar’s as the mineralized water. Even if they have success thanks to their marketing and communication strategy, Evian doesn’t have an real influence on brands such as Contrex. Their images are different and so are their benefits.Contrex, the most sexy water brand on the market
First of all, it is important to emphasize on the fact that the product is quite simple. Consumers can find water everywhere. Differentiate its water brand is important on the market in order to help the consumer to make his choice. You can find water for baby, for diet, for health benefit and also for the day to day life. Let’s take a look at Contrex brand which is a good example of differentiation.
Contrex is on a leading position on the slimness market and the number three on the bottled water market after Evian and Volvic. The main problem with the product isthe taste which is quite unusual and hard to getting used to it. Before 1950, the Contrex source was positioned as a water that help dissolving stone in the bladder. Since 1950, Contrex plays on the same positioning that now: a slimness help image for women thanks to its diuretic benefit. They understand that it is a preoccupation for every woman to lose weight and that they are ready to pay more in order to succeed in their diet. However, many of them want a simple solution that is not involving complicated action or physical activities. This is why they clearly emphasize on the fact that it is water for women who want to be slim and beautiful.
Since 2011, Contrex changed its communication brand road. Previously, Contrex was communicating by an informal way: it wasn’t using the emotional way but just a factual message. The message was judged too naïve: people were ridiculing it. They changed it in order to make it more fun and in order that women feel understood by the brand. Contrex was positionned as a feminine and healthy product. In Fact, Contrex wants to be the partner of every woman who are on a diet and helps them thanks to its benefits.
The advertisement 20 years ago was a woman alone taking care of her body by drinking Contrex. However, now, the advertisement focuses on a community of women who are sharing the same experience: the “contrexpérience”. The slogan of this experience is quite fun : we would lose more weight if it was more fun”. It was a impressive way of keeping its own brand identity and still create a difference. Contrex is using functional aspects because of the benefit and the way of consuming the product, emotional because they are now emphasizing on different emotions, and psychological because consumers believe it is a key of success in their diet.
Emotions, used in Contrex last communication is fun as explained earlier but also security. Consumers are more and more health conscious and need to be reassured. They are also seeking for health benefits and characteristics linked to their well-being. However, Contrex is a from a unique thermal source which means that they have the legitimacy to claim their important qualities as water brand and the helath benefit Contrex sources have. The consumer insights for Contrex are: Contrex is my friend that is following me during all my diet, Contrex is helping me in every step of my diet, Contrex is good for my body, Contrex is fun!, Contrex understands me !
Contrex have a strong positioning on the market thanks to its own image and its brand awareness. Since they have been emphasizing for 50 years on their benefits, every consumer knows their positioning. Furthermore, thanks to their last communication plan, they succeed in reaching younger consumers by using communication tools such as facebook and its anti-cracking game, where you can heard a sexy man voice telling you not cracking up in a humoristic way. Another element of performance is their ecological values. The company is aware of the attention paid by consumers on ecological aspects: all the bottles' packaging are made in order to be recycled.
The "contrexperience" : advertisement 2011 (97s)
