‘Our desire to satisfy changing consumers leads us to new products’

Coca-Cola Nigeria recently made a multimillion naira investment to innovate and produce a consumer-inspired new product, 5Alive Pulpy. Patricia Jemibewon, the marketing director for Coca-Cola told BusinessDay in this interview that the product made from real fruit juice withpulp from oranges joins the 5Alive juice family which comprises of Orange, Berry Blast, Apple, Citrus Burst and Pineapple Punch. She said quick market acceptance of 5Alive Pulpy underlies Coke’s detailed consumer research.

When you assess Nigeria’s Juice market, what do you see?

Nigeria’s juice market is evolving in a fascinating way. It has witnessed consistent growth for many years with many more players at different levels and an increasing range of variants and SKUs and pack sizes. The growth projection is positive in the long term, and we are excited to play in this market with our leading brand, 5Alive, which has been a longstanding consumer favourite.

How is the competition playing out, would you describe it as healthy?

Like in many other FMCG segments in Nigeria, the competition in the juice market is vibrant. You have leading brands with nationwide consumer appeal like 5Alive and you have quite a lot of regional and even local players. Each of them is struggling hard to hold and grow their grounds. I think the competition is healthy. This development is stimulating innovation with an increasing array of variants, flavours and SKUs available to the consumer. What this means is that no brand can afford to take the consumer for granted. Plus, this level of competition has positive multiplier effects for the economy.

Why did you go in to 5Alive Pulpy Production?

We are in the business of a range of beverage choices for the consumer.  We are constantly delighting our consumers. That is why we came out with 5Alive Pulpy. It is an innovation, new and unique and very distinct and it delights our consumers at the end of the day. It is a product that stands out in the market.

So, what makes 5Alive Pulpy different from 5Alive?

5Alive Pulpy, as the name indicates, contains pulp, real pulp from oranges which consumers can feel in every taste in every gulp. That makes it different from the rest of the other 5Alive variants that do not include pulp. The juice is natural orange juice and the pulp is from real orange fruit. The new 5Alive Pulpy gives consumers the mouth-filling and sensorial experience of biting into an orange, and the feeling of pulp in every gulp.

Could you explain further?

First, 5Alive is a brand that people recognize and trust and it has been here for a long time. It is a household name.Apart from the fact that it contains real Orange pulp, 5Alive Pulpy is different from the other 5Alive variants because it is a mono-flavour, that is, a single fruit flavor whereas most of the other variants – Citrus Burst, Berry Blast and Pineapple Punch are a blend of five fruits.Of course, the unique nature of 5Alive Pulpy means that it sells at a slightly higher price than the other variants. At N150 for a 40cl PET bottle, it is a great price as it is the closest you get to oranges. When you do a vox pop with the consumers, many who have taken the product will tell you that the quality is good and the price is right.

Since the launch, how do you see its penetration?

It is doing well. We launched it just two months ago. The response from consumers on the product is positive. This confirms the market research.

What are the other revelations from the market research for this product?

We take time in coming out with products to the market. The research told us that it is a superior liquid and great tasting and consumers will love it and indeed they love it.

Tell me about the investment for the production

5Alive Pulpy is produced in Nigeria and we are the first to bring the hot-fill technology into Nigeria and perhaps West Africa.  It is a superior technology which allows for no added preservatives, and we source raw materials from local farmers for the production.

There is consciousness of healthy consumption, how healthy is 5Alive Pulpy when sugar content is considered.

When I think what health is, first of all I think what makes me happy, and Pulpy definitely does — it is refreshing and good for breakfast. Aside that and the fact that 5Alive Pulpy contains Vitamin C, every ingredient in the 5Alive Pulpy and all of our other products are certified safe for consumers.

Since 5Alive Pulpy is from orange, are we expecting other flavours

We are in the business of delighting our consumers. If our consumers want more flavours we would give them.

Where are you driving 5Alive Pulpy?

We will go far with the product as long as the consumers are happy with us. We will continue to delight them and give them great products and as the market changes and our consumers demand change, we will change with them

Is 5Alive Pulpy not in direct competition with Fanta which is also from orange

I wouldn’t say so. Though both have orange flavours and that is the only thing both share in common but they are different products.  5alive has no fizz for example. There is no product in the market like 5alive Pulpy.

What are the marketing strategies in pushing the product to the market?

Since we just launched the product about two months ago, we are making sure that everybody is aware what the product is and knows where to find it. Our strategy is to get the product out and to drive awareness. We had a media launch recently and there have been activations going on around cities.

Would you later package the product in Can?

Right now it is PET and it is convenient as it is handy. And the bottle shape and texture give you the orange feel.