Zuji Beans. A delicious way to save for a "holiday" or vacation, as we call it in the U.S. Zuji is an online travel company who thought of a great way to get consumer attention and interaction with their brand. They have been struggling to book as many vacations as years past so their strategy is now to make, package and sell everyday items for a "ridiculously low price" so that consumers can take the money that they are saving in buying these Zuji products for a vacation. As you can see through the video, their compassion for their consumer and drive for more profit is the catalyst for their new strategy.
Genius.
They started with beans, and in the first week alone they sold over 10,000 cans of beans from renting out store space and promoting the product through print, radio and outdoor advertising. Just through a simple change of direction, and product, they were able to gain a great amount of media and consumer attention. Not only has Zuji proved that they care about their consumer, but they have gone out of their way and undoubtedly dug in their pockets, to make the life of their consumer a bit easier. Even if it is just with a can of beans. You may have never even heard of Zuji because they are an online vacation booker for Asia Pacific countries only. However, it is probably no surprise that a company that would come up with such a strategy is a subsidiary of Travelocity (you know, the travel site with the Gnome?).
When it comes to online booking sites for vacations, there are a number of options that are just like Zuji that we have to choose from. There are so many in fact, that you can use them to shop around for the lowest of the low prices on flights, hotels, rental cars, etc. If you are searching by ease you may pick Expedia or if you are searching by lowest fair, you may choose Orbitz. You may pick Travelocity to book your vacation because every time you see that garden gnome mascot he makes you smile. Regardless of where your destination might be, you arrive at a online booking site in some specific way. It was probably never predicted that a can of beans would be a reason why a consumer might choose an online vacation site but it a strange way, it makes sense. While Zuji is not serving a country that is in the worst economic position that it has ever experienced, Zuji understands that vacations are not coming easily for many consumers across the globe. For some, it may be that extra dollar that they are saving on their beans that allows for them to start thinking about saving in other areas of their lives for vacations, or maybe the strategy is humorous enough to gain consumer loyalty without ever having used their site.
Judging by the overwhelming success that Zuji had in selling their beans the first week of this campaign they will continue to make a name for themselves in a unique way among these potential consumers when it comes to booking an vacation online. It is a strategy that would not have worked if it wasn't already in line with the company's reputation for being a bit out of the ordinary. It is a lesson in a simple idea, executed correctly working in a new way that consumers or other brands for that matter would never anticipate. Now there is a deeper understanding of who Zuji is as a brand and they are able to establish a deeper connection with their consumers by impacting their lives in a small, yet meaningful way.
In the U.S. we are entertained by a traveling garden gnome in all of Travelocity's executions so beans really don't seem so "weird" after all...
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