Marketing Strategy and SWOT Analysis of Yakult
Lots of companies out there put out specific drinks that are supposed to be good for you. Sometimes these drinks that are ‘good for you’ taste questionable, and it takes guts to get around to consuming those drinks. But some other companies make sure that aside from being healthy, these juices are also pleasant to drink. One company like that is Yakult, a nonfat probiotic drink manufacturer. Now, “What is a probiotic drink?” you may ask. Probiotics, or in other words, good bacteria, fight the harmful bacteria inside your body. In this blog, we are going to focus on Yakult and its marketing strategies.
First and foremost, we are going to walk through the mission and vision statements of Yakult.
The mission statement of the company is as follows.
“To contribute to the health and happiness of every person around the world through the pursuit of excellence in life sciences and the study of microorganisms.”
Even before the founding of this company, there was a universal belief. The latter supposes that among human longevity factors is a healthy intestinal tract. And that is exactly what Dr. Minoru Shirota took into consideration before establishing the company.
His idea was to create something new and monumental. He wanted to enable people to take after their health effortlessly.
Yakult ended up being the world’s first probiotic drink, so Shirota truly did make a difference. The science behind probiotics is rather complex. There are different types of probiotics, and all of them hold varying effects.
Dr. Shirota’s ambition and goal-orientation directed to the discovery of ‘Yakult’s probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei Shirota’. And now that is the key ingredient to every bottle of these drinks.
Dr. Shirota did not simply want to earn money alongside a great invention. Instead, he truly wished well for everybody around the world. Thus, he made sure that the goods that Yakult produces come at a reasonable price. That way most if not all people can easily manage to buy a bottle or two on a day.
And below you can see the vision statement of Yakult.
“Expanding our business range and presence to help people around the world lead a healthy life. Yakult will continue to honor our roots in Shirota-ism and our corporate philosophy and deliver the irreplaceable joy of good health to people around the world”.
Nowadays, there is so much bad food and drinks available in stores that people unconsciously continuously purchase. We must make a lifestyle change and look for more healthy diet additions.
Products like these make the occurrence of those lifestyle shifts a lot easier. That is also the vision of Yakult. The company has done everything for you. The drinks taste good, they come at an affordable price, and are available in many locations.
The company cares about the health of the overall population. Because what the future holds depends on the current citizens of the world.
Moving along, let’s discuss the positioning strategy of Yakult.
Looking at this post out of context is kind of challenging. So, if we scroll down a little bit and reach the 4th of October, things will become more apparent.
For a month, the Instagram page took it upon itself to spread happiness. All of the posts under that mission fall under the ‘HappyMission’ hashtag.
This post, in particular, talks about human connection. We all know that keeping in
touch with our loved ones through a phone is convenient these days. But there is something else about this habit that we are not familiar with. So, apparently, chatting with a friend for at least ten minutes a day can act as a tool for memory advancement.
In the photo, we see a lovely woman chatting with someone on the phone. The picture is captured at such a precious moment because we can genuinely see her emotions through her facial expression.
Now, what can we gather from this post?
Firstly, the spreading of happiness is the most significant message that we can distinguish. Yakult dedicated a whole month to talking about various ways to maintain happiness. So that should tell you something.
Then, of course, optimism is another hint that we receive from this post. The caption is unraveling a possible outcome to a regular habit we all have. It is so easy to speak about the harm that technology has managed to do to people. But this post is taking a different viewpoint, mentioning how chatting can enhance one’s memory.
And then lastly, the company produces products that have a direct connection to health. That also becomes evident as we have checked out the mission and vision statements of the company.
Surely, we do not need any more hints to understand that the archetype that Yakult belongs to is the Innocent.
What do we know about this archetype?
Desire: to experience paradise
Aim: to be happy
Strategy: do things right
These are the messaging levels of the archetype:
Level One: a desire for purity, goodness, and simplicity
Level Two: childlike simplicity, naive, dependent, obedient, trusting, idyllic
Level Three: renewal, positive, reinventing, reframing, cleansing, reentering the Promised Land
Level Four: an almost mystical sense of oneness, whereby Innocence comes from values and integrity, not outer experience, being, not doing
The Innocent archetype might provide a suitable identity for brands that:
- give a comparably simple answer to an identifiable issue
- are linked with goodness, purity, innocence, nostalgia, or childhood
- have functions associated with freshness, health, or virtue-and that are highly replicable
- are priced moderate to low
- are provided by a company with straight-arrow core values
- wish to distinguish from a product with a disgraced image
Now, we are going to look at the SWOT analysis of Yakult.
Strengths
High brand awareness: The company has done a great job at making its company known to a wide variety of people. Since its establishment and to this day, Yakult has stayed true to its values. The company continues to spread the word about health. And, of course, people love that.
Available for everyone: There is no age restriction regarding these drinks. Your child can have it, you can have it, your grandma can, etc. It is an excellent option for everyone.
Strong brand reputation: Dr. Shirota’s efforts have been proven to be worthy. All the time that he devoted to coming up with the perfect formula has seen its goodness. People love Yakult even more for its status and reliability.
Weaknesses
Limited flavor choices: Overall, there are only four flavors of these drinks. Those are the original flavor, green apple, orange, and grape. While these are great flavors, they may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Storage difficulty: The taste of the drink is not as nice if not kept correctly. You have to keep your Yakults in the refrigerator.
It is alright to leave them out for a little bit. However, if you keep it outside, the sugar inside the drink will cause the creation of lactic acid. We all know that acid tastes sour. However, the point of these drinks is not sourness but freshness and fruitiness.
Limited distribution channel: Yakult is marketed in about forty countries worldwide. While that is a high enough number, it is moderate in the big picture.
Challenging to see: Yakult drinks tend to get lost in supermarket aisles. As they are small, they are not as eye-catching. Thus, customers may go for different options simply because they did not catch the Yakult.
Opportunities
Health concern trends: People are starting to become more and more cautious about what they put in their bodies. They use substitute products for their favorite junk foods. Yakult can surely benefit from that and use updated marketing tactics.
Increase in convenience stores and hypermarkets: Yakult is a simple every morning drink. People buy it with their usual groceries. As the number of stores is increasing, so is the possibility for sales for Yakult.
Threats
Competitor advantages: For example, Amul, one of Yakult’s greatest competitors, makes considerably more flavors than Yakult. Hence why, as people’s likings vary, they choose to buy competitors’ products.
Quick expiration: You can buy a whole bunch of Yakult drinks and store them in your fridge for as long as 45 days. But as soon as you open a bottle, you have to consume it at once. If you do not do so, the probiotics will not do their magic.
Ultimately, we are going to cover the segment that Yakult has chosen to target.
Let’s watch this video to help us do so:
We see a gorgeous woman walk by two highly confident men. But what she does is that she approaches someone who is stereotypically nerdy. These two then have the most fun they can. They go kayaking in the river, go on a bike ride, play fair games, etc. Whenever they eat something, it is accompanied by a Yakult drink. The latter provides a healthier digestive system and stronger immunity.
The positivity these two fill the video with, their inclination to enjoy life, and the bond between them are enough. These points make us with only one inference. The segment that Yakult has chosen to target is Chardonnays.
Lifestyle and values:
Chardonnays are positive. Positivity is an inseparable aspect of their personalities. This is rather great. Whenever Chardonnays are faced with a challenge, their positivity will get them through it as winners.
This segment finds immense importance in enjoying life to the fullest. Their loved ones are a contribution to it. Their friend groups also vary. Because they are sociable, they get associated with people of different personalities, backgrounds, ages, etc.
Friends from different sides of the world introduce Chardonnays to their cultures.
You can not make Chardonnays leave the house if they are not ready. They have to take their sweet time to put themselves together in the morning. You would not guess it by looking at them. But just remember not to judge a book by its cover.
Chardonnays believe that there is something out there that is greater than them. This segment is not necessarily religious or spiritual. Instead, they just think of the possible variants.
Chardonnays are something else. They are different, unique, original, and they are not scared of showing it to the world.
These bright personalities have to find residence somewhere lively. It is usually an urban area or a big city.
It indeed is vital to be successful in career life. However, it is also contradictory because Chardonnays like remaining in their comfort zone. So, sometimes this segment does not search for new opportunities because it requires extra effort.
The natural charisma that Chardonnays are gifted with allows them to be the center of attention everywhere they go.
Chardonnays are impulsive when it comes to some decisions, especially shopping. Thus, they do everything they can to earn a good amount of money. That allows them to not feel guilty after not well-thought-out purchases.
Brand usage:
While some shop out of obligation, Chardonnays perceive it as a hobby. Shopping is something this segment fills its free time with.
As we already can guess, Chardonnays obsess over their style. They will buy everything they need to look trendy and up-to-date. They will even sometimes purchase from luxury brands. However, the clothing piece does not necessarily have to scream about its brand. Chardonnays love fashion, and they love following trends. But they never forget about staying classy.
If you want to sell a product to a Chardonnay, you have to think about how you advertise. Your advertisement should include something moving, refreshing, and powerful.
Other interesting facts:
Chardonnays
- Take on hobbies that reveal their personality
- Are socially active
- Live a nightlife. They attend pubs, clubs, anywhere fun you can think of
- Are above-average media consumers, especially social media. The latter is a way of sharing their life with friends and staying connected.
- Mainly watch sitcoms on TV.
- Read magazines about pretty much everything
And that is the Marketing Strategy and SWOT Analysis of Yakult, its marketing tactics in thorough detail. You read about the mission and vision statements of Yakult, its archetype, and targeted segment. For more blogs like this, be sure to check out our main website! There, we constantly come up with something new.
