Hawaiian Punch: Go-to-Market Strategy

Hawaiian Punch is the leading brand of fruit drink brands in the United States and has a long history of satisfying customers. The Hawaiian Punch brand traces its roots back to the 1930’s when it was developed as tropical-tasting syrup for ice cream and later sold as a drink. The brand has been owned by several different companies over the years and was recently purchased by the Cadbury Schweppes Company from Procter and Gamble Corporation. Hawaiian Punch joined the Dr. Pepper-Seven UP Inc. bottling network, which is the third largest carbonated soft drink bottler in the United States. This allowed the brand to be distributed in the soft drink aisle of the supermarket. The brand is unique in that it is sold in two different sections of the supermarket: the juice aisle as well as the carbonated soft drink aisle.
Kate Hoedebeck, Director of Marketing at Cadbury Schweppes American Beverages, has been assigned to the Hawaiian Punch Brand. She and her team, who are new to the Hawaiian Punch brand, must develop a marketing plan for the upcoming year. The team must review and determine what the marketing plan will be for the coming year that will enable the company to increase Hawaiian Punch brand sales, continue the brand margins, and maintain the high brand equity that Hawaiian Punch has. The team has a large constraint of not being able to change the selling price and has several goals for the plan:
• Positioning
• Innovation
• Allowances and advertising

SWOT Analysis
Strengths
• Hawaiian Punch is the number one fruit drink in the United States.
• Ninety-four percent brand awareness of consumers in the United States.
• Fourth largest brand by volume
• Dual distribution systems – easy for consumers to find. o Juice aisle in Supermarket o Soda aisle in Supermarket o Available in many different sizes, from single serving to gallon size.
• Brand linked with fun and youthfulness
• Unique and refreshing taste
• Contains Vitamin C
• Popular mascot,