case studies / Sorted Drinks
case study
from launch to national ranging, with retention up 75%
A new prebiotic soft drink up against a couple of dominant players. As fractional CMO, Harry led brand strategy, the DTC channel, media and measurement while the brand raised $750k through equity crowdfunding and won ranging in Coles & IGA.
functional beverage · DTC, grocery & Amazon
+75%
customer retention (20% to 35%)
+30%
branded online sales volume
3.28×
Meta ROAS on 18-month customer value
category
Better-for-you soft drink
sales channel
DTC, Amazon, Coles, IGA & specialty retail
services
Brand strategy, crowdfunding campaign, DTC build, lifecycle email/SMS & chat, creative direction, media buying, brand tracking
the problem
A premium-priced newcomer in a category dominated by a couple of players, run by a small team, with a health benefit people only believe once they've tasted it.
the call
buy awareness before you can afford to, & get the can into hands fast
Start-up beverage brands usually put every dollar into performance ads and discounts. We moved Sorted from pure performance to a 40/60 split between awareness and performance, ran eight weeks of BVOD (7plus) and OTT before summer, and later used retail DOOH and street posters for new-year resolution season.
We also shortened the path to the first taste: Amazon cartons with fast Prime delivery for a first online order, single cans through retail, and in-home sampling to reach people who weren't looking for a new drink.
why it works
Platform ROAS undercounts video and ignores lifetime value, so we measured on 18-month customer value and our own brand tracker instead (Binet & Field on the brand and activation balance).
what we did
credibility in the category
Dietitian endorsements, sampling through GoodnessMe and RetreatYourself, and creator video built around one message: great taste plus a health benefit.
subscription as the default
Setting subscription (no delivery fee, lower price) as the default purchase option found true fans faster and lifted retention from 20% to 35% over six months.
lifecycle on autopilot
Email, SMS and chat automation by lifecycle stage for a small team. Email and SMS also added a small, direct uplift of around 2% to in-store sales.
a tracker, not just a dashboard
An in-house brand tracker on Qualtrics measured awareness, consideration and purchase intent against competitors, plus message and channel effectiveness.
the creative
results
How we measured: ROAS measured against customer value over 18 months. Online sales uplift is monthly volume through branded channels, adjusted for Amazon deal events. Retention measured over six months.
the takeaway
For a new challenger, the brand budget is what makes the performance budget work. With hindsight we'd push the split closer to 70/30.
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