IN 2019, local digital agency ESIROM conducted an April Fool’s joke on their client’s (Supligen) social media page. From this ‘joke’, a new product emerged for Supligen, and that said product is now on the shelves and available for sale to all.
According to Alex Morrissey, director of ESIROM: “We came out with the idea to announce a ‘fake’ new flavour to see how people would react. The results were incredible, within minutes persons started calling Seprod, its distributors and supermarkets to find out if this new flavour was in stock. We then had to let everyone down in the next post to say it was just a joke.
“We then did another post to offer $25,000 to the person who could suggest a new flavour. In just one week, we received over 4,000 comments on Instagram and over 10,000 comments on Facebook. After we dug into the comments, Cookies & Cream was still the most popular request, either because of the April Fool’s prank or because they genuinely wanted the flavour.
BRAINSTORMING
“We took the results to the client and they showed it to the team in charge of innovations, and within a few days, the green light was given to start formulating a Cookies & Cream flavour. We then quietly got to work brainstorming ideas to launch the following year to introduce the new flavour and label. This was one of those moments we (ESRIOM) could definitely show to our client, that not only does social media work for their brand, but it is a useful tool to assist with the launch of a new product in their portfolio.”
The Cookies & Cream product was developed, based on this social media response, and with COVID-19 ravishing us now, it’s a good time to excite people but also to give them a healthy nutritional product. Supligen Brand Manager Sherida Cohen said, “Our new Cookies & Cream flavour contains 45 per cent of daily requirements for vitamin C which is linked to boosting one’s immune system. It’s loaded with 17 vitamins and minerals, it’s convenient, tasty, and gives you 12g protein.”
She continued: “We have always encouraged persons to have a physically active lifestyle when consuming the Supligen product. The Cookies and Cream product can be consumed before or after a workout for strength and energy, with its high vitamin and mineral content, making it a nutritional supplement for persons whose diet is deficient in these areas.
“Many people generally love the cookies and cream flavour in various products, and in the age of innovation and millennial support (social media), adding this new flavour to their portfolio should bring new experiences,” shared Morrissey.