JULY 27, 2023 – Since our Michigan distribution kickoff that began near the end of March of this year, the growth that Agua Plus has seen has been nothing short of phenomenal. We are excited by the overwhelming support from our customers, distribution partners, retail partners, and the social media community. The feeling of gratitude is matched only by the excitement for the momentum that continues to build and the anticipation of what is to come!
From 180 to 1500 Stores: A Rapid Ascent
Within just four months, Agua Plus has experienced an exponential surge in distribution across Michigan. Back in March, when we announced our Store Locator and proudly stocked our product in 180 stores, It felt like a monumental achievement to see our unique alkaline water product on shelves and in coolers. It began to validate the demand for a fun and easy solution to bottle confusion. Today, we stand tall as Agua Plus graces the shelves of just under 1,500 esteemed stores and chains throughout the state, with that number increasing daily thanks to our amazing partners and teams. This tremendous growth is a testament to the unwavering faith that our retail partners have placed in our product and the incredible response from our valued customers.
Store locator comparisons (March and July)
The growing list of retailers includes many independent convenience, grocery and party stores as well as larger retailers like Nino Salvaggio in Bloomfield Hills and Vince & Joes in Shelby and Clinton Township, both of which are recognized as some of the finest and busiest stores in metro Detroit. These retailers have placed significant and regular reorders within the relatively short period during which they have offered the product, reaffirming their belief in the quality and value of Agua Plus to their locations and their customers.
Giuseppe, location Manager from Vince and Joes in Clinton said ‘What I love about Agua Plus the most is the taste, but also how the scratch technology is great for waste reduction and the environment!’. Of course, we couldn’t agree more. We also caught up with Frank, Co-Owner of Nino Salvaggio’s who was quick to comment ‘We are excited to have added this unique and great quality tasting alkaline water to our beverage line!’
Giuseppe, Manager at Vince and Joes
Frank, Co-Owner at Nino Salvaggio’s
The fact that numerous locations have reordered three, four, five times in a short period further underscores the product’s demand and popularity, indicating that their customers genuinely love and appreciate the benefits that Agua Plus offers.
Thriving #ScratchYourBottle Contest & NEW Weekly Beach Kit Giveaways
Our #ScratchYourBottle contest has captured the attention of countless individuals, and its traction has been incredible to watch grow with every passing month. The outpouring of enthusiasm from participants has been exciting, and we love seeing the creativity and fun that everyone who has taken part is bringing to the contest. As we celebrate the incredible momentum and growth, we are delighted to announce that we have also already crowned six monthly contest winners for the months of May and June! Each taking home a $100 Agua Plus branded VISA Gift Card and a one month supply of Agua Plus. You can check out one of our recent winners, Christian, receiving his prize in this Instagram video.
Additionally, we are excited to introduce an upcoming new weekly beach kit giveaway on social media, offering participants a chance to win Agua Plus summer essentials kits; complete with a case of water and Agua Plus branded floatie mattress, beach ball, and inflatable cooler. Make sure to follow @aguaplusalkline to ensure you don’t miss your instant win opportunities!
Our journey on social media has definitely been a powerful one, driving significant brand awareness and customer engagement. In the past month alone, our Michigan social campaigns generated a staggering 4.2 million impressions with a 2.8 million person reach and achieved 13,500 clicks which included 6,500 unique landing page views on the Contest & Store Locator pages. In combination with over 130 billboard locations running daily throughout the state, yielding combined impressions of over 1,000,000 per day, we are thrilled to see our brand thriving and resonating with our audience. Deliveries of exciting new point of sale displays and signage will also start to hit stores through the month of August.
New Agua Plus Digital Retention and Remarketing Funnel Campaign
Also new this coming month is the official rollout of our strategic digital funnels to educate and engage online consumers through the use of cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology. A collective of campaigns that utilize Google Adwords, Bing and Yahoo to generate broad product and technology awareness, contest entries and newsletter subscriptions will also be used to drive traffic to local retailers through the store locator page for IP addresses within reasonable distances to brick-and-mortar retail offerings. For those outside of access to local retailers, traffic will be driven to Amazon and Walmart which offer national access to Agua Plus with free one and two-day shipping.
Strategic retargeting campaigns directed towards the 2.8 million (and increasing daily) viewers mentioned above will also run in concert. When combined with new behavioral and activity retention AI software that produces customer-specific, unique ads to educate and capture data, the result will be personalized and automated AI developed email and SMS funnels that maximize the results at the individual consumer level. Amazon.com and Walmart.com marketplaces will also be retargeting to the same individuals from their respective platforms, aiding in indexing and making the contest and Agua Plus available to the entire nation even while brick-and-mortar distribution grows.
Customized email flows will also aid the process by focusing on product and technology education, utilizing data captured through the various processes to direct traffic to local retailers, promoting contest participation and social media interaction as well as driving online purchases. The email funnel will include a new weekly newsletter subscription focused on topics like wellness tips, self-care, exercise, hydration benefits, contest participation and winners, brand ambassador activity and customer reviews. The new system will utilize all of the efficiencies of AI technology to raise customer satisfaction and increase overall effectiveness of messaging through highly customized predictive content development.
Until now, Agua Plus has grown via old school “word of mouth” and “hit the streets” type of methods. We couldn’t be more excited about the growth that will be achieved now that we are in a position to leverage the very best that technology has to offer to connect with our customers.
Collaboration with Influencers & #ScratchingTheSurface Series
We’ve also joined forces with many influencers over the same time frame and our association with prominent personalities has resulted in exceptional engagement from their followers, with numerous videos gaining thousands of likes, including this standout piece from the talented @Autumnannofficial.
On top of that, our new social video series, #ScratchingTheSurface has also generated great engagement, offering exclusive insights into the lives and routines of our esteemed Agua Plus ambassadors. The overwhelming response to the debut video feature with basketball star Jett Howard, garnering over 6000 plays, further reinforces the strong connection between our brand and the community.
In light of the tremendous success so far in Michigan, we are thrilled to share that Agua Plus is preparing for a grand launch in both Florida and New York as additional primary hubs. Between those three hub states and the reach of the distributors servicing them, Agua Plus will soon be available in a total of 13 states. This expansion is a direct result of the overwhelming support we have received from all of you and will carry with it all of the same dedication to distributor and retailer support. From billboards, targeted social media campaigns featuring local personalities, to on the ground merchandising support, all of our efforts are geared towards ensuring that the product connects with consumers in order to move off the shelves and out of the coolers.
In the words of National Sales Director George Zrinyi, “We really couldn’t be more pleased with the way in which the market is responding to Agua Plus. We believed strongly from the start that the product would connect with consumers due to the fact that it is so much more than just a water; it’s a solution. A solution to bottle confusion that is fun for all ages and just plain works. To see that validated in the market is exciting and is opening doors at a fast pace for Plus Brand.”
We sincerely thank each one of you for being an integral part of Agua Plus’ journey and we are excited to keep delivering premium hydration and solving the problem of bottle confusion!
If you are a retailer looking to be serviced by a DSD distributor that offers Agua Plus, please feel free to reach out to info@plusbrand.com in order to be connected with one in your region. Plus Brand is committed to supporting wholesale customers with localized marketing and brand awareness campaigns to build demand within the regions served.
Plus Brand® Industries, the consumer packaged goods and technology company behind the world’s first confusion-prevention and package-level verification platform, today announced the launch of its Latin America expansion strategy, anchored by production in Mérida, Mexico, and near-shore distribution through La Guaira, Venezuela … Read More
Plus Brand® Industries is advancing All-Scratch!®, a patented, market-tested ownership identification technology that reduces confusion-driven waste. … Read More
