The challenge
 
Robinson’s was in the doldrums in the UK. There were lots of ‘new pretenders’ making big inroads into traditional in-home squash occasions, and out-of-home was a non-starter for a host of reasons. The reality with well-established brands is that new brands can be seen by consumers as more exciting. The new players in the category were louder and prouder and became ‘noisy neighbours’ for the more subdued and traditional Robinsons. But what was the solution? Product innovation hadn’t worked. The Britvic team was desperately seeking a way out of the malaise and to make Robinson’s great again! How could we create a new product idea that was more than simply a flavour addition?
 
The approach
 
There was no point in doing the ‘same old stuff’. We needed to get under the skin of the new realities. It was essential to identify why (and how) the new players were succeeding and to craft an approach that helped us get deep beneath the surface. The team utilised detailed ethnographic work, cultural analysis and a modified semiotics that we call ‘Living Semiotics’. Our ethnographic approach provided us with an intimate portrait of the lived-experience of soft drinks in the home and, crucially, what was needed for Robinson’s innovation to succeed. The semiotics and cultural analysis gave us an ‘outside-in’ view of the structural forces at play that were shaping the shift in the consumer attitude and behaviour landscape.
 
The solution

Building on our work, Britvic launched Robinson’s Squash’d, a portable pocket-sized super-concentrate. Squash’d was an innovation designed to liberate squash from the traditional shackles that had damaged visibility, relevance and modernity. It was also the ‘big bet innovation’ that the team hoped would kick-start a new era for the Robinsons brand. At launch, Britvic predicted that the innovation would create a new £200m category within five years. The success story continues with the recent launch of a re-energised Squash’d proposition.

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