Harrison Zuritsky, Business Editor
November 13, 2022
Henry Li won with the top comment in round four for the Wharton Global Youth Program 's Comment and Win Contest with his comment on the article “the Future of the Business World: Launching a Healthy Sports Drink ‘By Gen Z for Gen Z”. Henry is 17 and a senior from Bayview Secondary School in Ontario, Canada.
This was his winning commentary:
Hey Alana, I find it inspiring how proactive you are.
You’ve faced a problem in your life, decided to do something about it, and you’re now helping thousands of other people around the world who may be facing the same problem; or just want a healthy alternative to fuel their workouts. This personal connection is a key component of starting a successful business. It creates the drive and motivation to keep going just like for many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, and I’m rooting for you to land right in that pool (and better!)
But, as an entrepreneur myself, we both know that the best of businesses still have room for improvement. With a business like yours at the top of the “Innovation Nation,” I believe that the most important aspect now would be getting it out there more.
With not only a whopping 726mg of electrolytes but also over 11 vitamins & minerals, there is practically no sports drink – or even pop drink in general that can compete! Another unique aspect about your drink is the use of the exotic Monk Fruit grown in Southeast Asia as one of the completely natural sweeteners. Personally, I believe that all this is dream marketing material.
I see that you’ve previously worked with NBA athletes, investors, and experienced advisors to get your product known, but there is still a huge market out there to embrace and explore. This would be the general public (specifically youth), through social media like TikTok and Instagram. Picture it… those famous sports teams and athletes lovin’ on your drink daily, but on top of that – now thousands of teenagers and youth across America!
Handy for us, 69% of US teens use TikTok, and 72% use Instagram, and engagement on those apps are STILL rising every second. Using your current resources and batch of advisors and partners, Swey can easily rise to fame on those apps and gain major sales.
As of now, I notice that the Swey TikTok has 137 likes and 43 followers, and the Instagram has 65 posts and 6293 followers. The main reason for this is not the content itself, but the consistency and posting schedule. Both apps have an algorithm that discourages the promotion of multiple videos posted in the same time frame. And on TikTok, 9/10 videos were posted on only two days – May 21 and May 22, 2022. To expand your customer base using these apps, create a posting schedule based on when users are the most active and when you’re the most available!
Also, remember to abide by each app’s algorithms and use hashtags. For example, it’s proven to be best to post on TikTok at 7:00 PM on Thursdays and 9:00 AM on Tuesdays. Further, it’s best to post on Instagram at 11:00 AM on Wednesdays and 1:00 PM on Fridays. Using hashtags, such as #fyp or #healthylifestyle could also let the algorithm know who to promote it to, and let it appear on the search results when users search those keywords!
Moreover, you know young people these days – they can’t stop watching any video on their For You Page if it includes a fluffy, big-eyed cat staring right at the camera. Imagine one of those cats playing with a brand new Swey bottle (some real viral potential). So, remember to always follow trends and post videos according to what’s “poppin’”!
Ultimately, one of the main reasons social media works is because of your slogan and mission – to provide products made specifically for Gen Z, by Gen Z. This is made clear on your website and in various interviews, but not as clear in your videos when trying to promote the drink. So, what better way to advertise this to the strong, wise, energetic youth across the world than to use the apps that they are already familiar with (aka semi-addicted to)…?
Ayana, push this out there and make videos to reinforce the fact that Gen Zers do not have products specifically made for them, especially in the beverage industry (but you do). This will attract your target audience of Gen Zers to learn more about the specialties in the drink that makes it tailored to them and be inclined to buy it. You could also convince your NBA athletes such as Joe Harris to post videos themselves using their beloved Swey drinks, and reach a young audience with their own platforms.
All in all, remember that your product is one of a kind, and though you’ve already seen so much success in it already, your potential can still skyrocket. I wish the best for you and your product, and I hope that you can SWEY your way to success!
A final note that I have is to add a few more flavours to your drink on top of the three awesome ones you have right now. I did some research, and some of the most popular and plausible drink flavours to the young population that you can consider would be blue raspberry or cherry. Implementing those flavours would attract a whole new audience who loves them and would thus love your product as well. Furthermore, you can also keep these drinks healthy while not costing too much purchasing these common fruits. Blueberries and raspberries have the second highest fruit antioxidant activity and they only cost a low average of US$3.93 per pound. Cherries provide us with vitamins C, A, and K, and only cost an average of between US$2.51 and US$2.39 per pound. Try adding these flavours, promote them, and track the progress of your sales! I’ll definitely order a 12-pack if they come out :)
Henry should totally either work for Ayana or become a marketing specialist for his analysis of the promotion market because his comment is almost like a professional analysis of Ayana’s interview and product. He aligns his mindset to hers while offering new and innovative marketing strategies that can fit her niche product in the hands of her target market. His idea to continue to use social media but follow the publishing and hashtaging algorithm is genius and is sure to get Ayana’s branding more recognized. Generation Z appreciates the heart and soul that goes into their products, and the more you reach by promoting those ideas, the more her brand will grow.
In addition, matching preferred flavors and promoting with more Gen-Z-favored athletes will grant Ayana a new pathway to expanding her brand awareness and product demand. of You have already created a product that will attract our generation because of the “for Gen-Z by Gen-Z” motto and your attractive looking bottle, so expanding your product to make it more attractive with new flavors is an additional innovation to your brand identity.
About the Contributor
Harrison is the Chief Editor of the Canadian Youth Journal for Investing. In addition to the journal, he is also on the national exec team at CYIS and a Business Editor at the Harriton Banter.
For inquiries regarding publication please contact Harrison at: harrisonzuritsky.cyis@gmail.com