Case Study: Crafting the Perfect Taste Profile for Bottled Water in China
Challenge: Why Was Evian Failing in China?
?
Danone Waters, the owner of Evian and Volvic, is a global leader in bottled water. Despite Evian’s immense success in Europe, it struggled to gain traction in China. Shipping Evian to China wasn’t just costly—it was environmentally unsustainable.
?
Danone recognized the need to establish a national water brand in China, sourcing locally to resonate with Chinese consumers. However, multiple attempts to launch locally sourced waters had failed. Despite investing heavily in boreholes and marketing, they couldn’t crack the Chinese market.
?
Why wasn’t their water working?
?
Danone turned to The Marketing Clinic for answers.
Objective: Discovering the Ideal Taste Profile for China
?
To establish a successful bottled water brand in China, Danone needed to identify the ideal taste profile together with the ideal emotional profile so that it would resonate with Chinese consumers.
The Marketing Clinic’s Approach: Redefining Freshness
?
What does “fresh water” taste like in China?
Using our proprietary sensory and emotional profiling techniques, we uncovered a critical cultural difference in how freshness is perceived.
? European Perspective:
In Europe, premium bottled water is associated with images of snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and bubbling springs. Consumers expect a taste profile with:
? Early minerality and dynamic mouthfeel
? Soft mid-mouth expansion and an accelerating finish
? Chinese Perspective:
In contrast, Chinese consumers imagine vast green plains and meandering streams. Their idea of freshness is rooted in the concept of “Big Nature,” which translates to a subtle, almost vegetative note at the rear of the mouth—a taste that unconsciously symbolizes natural outdoor freshness.
?
This nuanced “green vegetation note” is appealing to the Chinese palate but would be rejected in Europe as it contradicts Western ideals of freshness.
?
The Insight:
Danone’s water selection had failed because it was based on European taste ideals, not Chinese preferences. We revealed that Chinese consumers unconsciously sought a completely different taste profile—one that symbolized nature and vitality in a uniquely Chinese context.
Outcome: A Tailored Taste Profile and Commercial Success
Armed with these insights, Danone located a new water borehole that naturally matched the taste profile and emotional characteristics we identified.
?
This led to the successful national launch of Danone ‘HE’ Water in China, which resonated deeply with Chinese consumers and achieved commercial success.
?
Key Takeaway:
Taste is emotional and cultural. What symbolizes freshness and purity in one culture may not resonate in another. By understanding the emotional journey and cultural context of taste, brands can create products that truly connect with consumers.
?
The Marketing Clinic didn’t just help Danone find the right water—we helped them tap into the emotional landscape of Chinese consumers, transforming a failed category into a commercial success.
?
Chris Lukehurst is a Consumer Psychologist and a Director at The Marketing Clinic:
Providing Clarity on the Psychological relationships between consumers and brands
?
?
?