March Madness is just around the corner and, for college basketball fans everywhere, it’s the best three weeks of the year. Officials for XYIENCE Energy Drink also hope that March Madness brings their company more awareness, relevancy, and brand loyalty.
XYIENCE, a zero calorie energy beverage, will partner with Campus Insiders, the leading digital content syndication source for college sports fans, to produce a brand new series hosted by veteran sports journalist , Seth Davis. In addition, XYIENCE is sponsoring a national sweepstakes, which will send a lucky fan and his/her guest to the 2016 NCAA Tournament Final Four weekend (April 2-4) in Houston, TX.
In the 12-episode series titled, “Seth Davis’ X-FACTORS”, Davis will break down college basketball’s top teams and what makes them contenders for the national championship. Analysis will include highlights and discussions of individual players, coaching strategies and the strengths of teams’ overall tournament resumes. XYIENCE will serve as the program’s title sponsor as well as advertise on the Campus Insiders network throughout the college basketball season leading up to the NCAA tournament.
The V.I.P. national championship experience, provided in partnership with Campus Insiders, will include airfare, hotel, and tickets to the semifinals and championship games. The winner will also receive credentials granting floor access, attend an exclusive hospitality event, and meet with Campus Insiders on-air talent. The sweepstakes will be promoted online and supported with in-store point-of-sale displays. Basketball fans may enter now through March 16 for their chance to win at XYIENCE.com.
Loyalty360 caught up with Thomas Oh, SVP of Marketing at Big Red, Inc. (which owns XYIENCE) to learn more about this exciting venture.
What factors prompted XYIENCE to launch this partnership and national sweepstakes and what are your goals for it from a customer engagement/customer loyalty perspective?
We were looking to extend our fall college sports platform and college basketball made the most sense this spring. We met with Campus Insiders and liked their digital-only platform and thought they would be a great partner to reach the college basketball enthusiast. They were able to provide Seth Davis as part of the content package in addition to exclusive access at the Final Four in Houston. With our national sweepstakes, we hope to drive brand awareness and relevancy with consumers.
Why have college sports been an effective platform for the brand since last September’s relaunch?
We wanted to broaden the marketing platform from UFC/MMA, with which the brand had previously been associated. In conjunction with our September relaunch timing, college football was the perfect marketing vehicle to appeal to a less hardcore, more general market consumer who may find our zero calorie, great tasting product appealing.
What is different about the brand since the relaunch and how it cultivates strong customer relationships?
We’ve aged-up our target to “older Millennials”, 27-37-year-olds that are familiar with and likely lapsed consumers of the Energy Drink category. Our packaging graphics have been refreshed and simplified. Our marketing platform has moved from a niche, polarizing sport like MMA to more popular, widely appealing sports in college football/basketball. We believe that as we gain more awareness and consumers learn more about our zero calorie products, and most importantly taste them, they will become ardent fans of our brand.
The NCAA Tournament is the pinnacle of college sports and, for many, the best athletic event of the year, college or pro. The engagement level for fans during the NCAA Tournament is astronomical. Is this one of the reasons why your brand chose this national event to launch this sweepstakes?
Absolutely. As mentioned earlier, our partnership with Campus Insiders will provide a winner and their guest to exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the Final Four in addition to tickets to the games. Any college basketball fan would be thrilled to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
What does customer loyalty mean to XYIENCE and how has that definition changed or evolved in recent years?
Customer loyalty means providing a repeatedly consistent, positive experience to our consumers that motivates them to choose our products each time they need a great tasting, zero calorie boost during their hectic day. The Energy Drink category has exploded into the mainstream over the past couple of years and there are a multitude of Energy Drinks from which to choose. But we believe, as consumers get older and care a bit more about their caloric intake, a zero calorie Energy Drink will be more appealing, especially products that are better tasting and offer more flavor variety than other zero calorie drinks. So, by raising awareness of our brand and product features, we believe that more consumers will try and be pleasantly surprised at the efficacy and great taste that XYIENCE provides.