U.S. soft drinks sales declined last year for the seventh straight year as prices rose and consumers opted for healthier beverage options, reports Natalie Zmuda at AdAge.
Industry heavy weights Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi and Mountain Dew all saw sales drop, according to a Reuters report on the sales numbers.
Fanta, meanwhile, saw the strongest growth of the top 10 brands, reporting a 3 percent increase in sales volume. The Coca-Cola owned soft drink was reintroduced to the U.S. market in 2001 and has been the third Coke brand to surpass 2 billion in cases sales.
So what's Fanta's secret? Here are some of the factors:
Catering to its biggest customers
In the United States, two-thirds of the brand's volume comes from teenagers, which is helpful for the brand considering they are less health conscious than older consumers.
And brand officials continue to search for new ways to reach out to them. Last summer, Fanta announced a partnership with the Jenga mobile gaming application, aimed at targeting new teen customers and reinforcing the "less serious" campaign message.
Active social media campaigns
With so many teens glued to their computers and cell phones, Fanta also maintains an active Facebook and Twitter presence. It's Facebook page has nearly 3 million followers and the official Twitter account @FantaFun interacts with its followers on a daily basis.
Fun marketing
Who doesn't remember the Fanta girls campaign? And last year, Coca-Cola announced a unified global marketing campaign. The "Less Serious" campaign is intended to reach its target audience (moms and teens) with its ads featuring whimsical animated characters.
