I like Jones Soda. I’ve had a couple flavors and don’t even drink it that often, but I know they’ve never done anything by the book, and that is why I like them!
If you’ve been in a conversation with Shahar I’m sure you’ve heard her spiel about Pepsi competing with Coke and spending a bunch of money but even then never becoming the number one in the cola department, but that smart companies create their own niche and become the un-cola and so forth… well, Peter van Stolk did just that!
He basically built a cult and he did it well, in part by positioning Jones as the anti-Coke. Its offerings have included flavors such as Jelly Donut, Egg Nog, and Bug Juice, sold in bottles labeled with customer-submitted photos. The company does no traditional advertising. Instead, its two RVs ramble from town to town nationwide, stocked with sodas that are distributed free to teens in malls and schoolyards.
I must say that their strategies have changed since the start of the company, obviously (what successful company stuck to their original plan until the end?!) Granted they’ve had a few misses, but they have such an engaging approach that it’s worth pointing out…
1. anti-Coke.
2. Super weird, but original flavors.
3. Customer-submitted photos (phenomenal strategy!)
4. No advertising.
Care to read an interesting article about them? Go here.