est Cola is undergoing its most extreme rebranding of the decade, leveling up its brand proposition with a new appearance and formula, backed by a striking campaign under the concept "Born to be Awesome." The campaign brings together top Asian icons including Cha Eun Woo, Bowkylion, Yes Indeed, and three new-generation female volleyball players as est Cola's new roster of presenters to freshen up the brand, attracting Gen Zest to widen its customer base in Thailand and Asia. One million cans of est Cola will be given away across Thailand for the public to experience its fizzy new taste. After trying the product, they can score the awesomeness of est Cola's new flavors, rating it Awesome or Not. Ultimately, est Cola aims to capture the brand love of Asia's new generation.
Ms. Suporn Denpaisarn, Vice President of Marketing for non-alcoholic beverages in Thailand, Thai Drinks Co., Ltd., said, "est Cola's brand level-up is our biggest drive of the decade, covering every marketing dimension. We aspire to be a deserving representative as an Asian soft drink brand in Thailand's competitive carbonated drink market, which is worth over 57,000 million baht. Our goal is to differentiate ourselves using the lessons learned from our success and challenges, along with insights into young Asians that show everyone has their own awesomeness and they don't need to be perfect. They just want to express their unique style and have an opportunity to follow their passion, which we are reinforcing with the launch of our latest communications campaign 'Born to be Awesome'."
Focusing on Three Dimensions of Awesomeness to Make a Difference: 'Awesome Taste', 'Awesome Look', and 'Awesome Campaign'."
Over the past few years, a new generation of young and talented Asians has emerged on the global stage, gaining recognition and popularity worldwide while building soft power in the fields of entertainment, music, sports, fashion, food, and more. As est Cola always encourages the new generation to dare to be themselves, the "Born to be Awesome" communications campaign was created to differentiate est Cola's brand proposition as the new generation's companion, especially Gen Zest (Gen Z+est). The brand is ready to support every passion of the new generation, inspiring them to dare to express their awesomeness in their own unique way through three dimensions:
- #1 Awesome Taste: est Cola's new formula was adapted from consumer feedback. The product development team selected popular Asian spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and cola nuts to mix and create a perfect blend offering better taste and aroma with a fizzy and refreshing feel. The latest version of est Cola received a 98% score for taste preference in nationwide consumer research conducted by Ipsos Thailand in February 2022.
- #2 Awesome Look: The new logo design features trendy lines and colors with a touch of modern Asian style. It is used across all flavors, including both cola and non-cola variants. The product lineup is presented using sparkling graphics and colorful packaging designs that perfectly reflect the brand's cool, trendy, fizzy, and refreshing characteristics in every flavor (est Cola, est Cola Sugar Free, est Strawberry, est Cream Soda, est Orange, est Salty Lychee, est Grape Berry, est Kamikaze, est Pink Bomb, and est Lemon Lime).
- #3 Awesome Campaign: The cool marketing campaign aims to capture Gen Zest and expand est Cola's customer base in Thailand and Asia by showcasing idols who represent the Asian new generation. The most popular artists in their fields from Korea and Thailand, they include Cha Eun Woo, an Asian superstar who is the ultimate in awesomeness; Bowkylion, the top Thai female singer with a hit song that has stormed the nation; Yes Indeed, the ultimate rookie band that created a phenomenon at Siam Square; plus three new-generation female volleyball players, outstanding young volleyball players who have united Thai people to cheer them on. These presenters gather for the first time in the "Born to be Awesome" commercials, calling on Gen Zest to taste fizzy and delicious est Cola and dare to be themselves.
In addition, there will be a "Vote Awesome or Not" campaign for people across Thailand to voice their preferences on the taste, fizziness, and awesomeness of est Cola's new formula. They simply scan the QR code on any size new est Cola package to share their opinions about the product. A massive sampling program will give away more than a million cans of est Cola across Thailand. Other activities include roadshows targeting Gen Z in schools and universities and collaborations with partner restaurants through platforms such as Grab Food to offer a can of est Cola when ordering so people can enjoy it with their meals. Another upcoming activity is the "Awesome Stage" for Gen Zest to show off their energy and dare to be themselves.
Stay tuned for est Cola's movements and activities involving all four presenters on Facebook @estcola.
Based on Nielsen IQ data from January to December 2022, Thailand's carbonated drink market is valued at 57,000 million baht, with volume growth of 2%. est Cola currently holds an 8% market share, with growth of 9%.