Fanta Apple: Making Waves Beyond Traditional Target Market

COCA-COLA Nigeria’s decision to extend its popular Fanta brand with a new Apple flavour seems to have struck the right chord with consumers. The great tasting apple-flavoured drink aptly named Fanta Apple launched in October last year has already become many consumers’ choice for refreshment, going by the trend observed at markets, malls, restaurants and other channels in Lagos and neighbouring cities.

  Findings also revealed an increasing shelf presence in malls and small-scale outlets across Lagos and neighboring states. The survey also found out that Fanta Apple is available nationwide in both wholesale and retail outlets in three pack types and four sizes – 35cl and 50cl returnable glass bottle, 50cl glass bottle and PET bottle as well as 33cl can.

  A random market survey conducted recently revealed that the fruity Fanta variant has been enjoying patronage beyond its traditional target market — teens and young adults — and this has been attributed to the drink’s great fruit flavour that also appeals to older consumers.

 Some of the respondents who spoke with The Guardian gave reasons why they have quickly taken to the fruity drink, with most of them noting that it has authentic apple taste, refreshing and goes well with meals.

    According to a trader in Balogun Market on Lagos Island, Mrs. Adebimpe Osho, Fanta Apple variant scores big with adults because of its authentic fruity taste. 

  “People are buying the new Fanta Apple; it is moving market faster than I expected. I didn’t know that sales of the drink will catch up so fast. Of course, that means people are enjoying it which is good for my business,” she said.

  For Mrs. Abigail Onyemachara, a housewife in Surulere, Lagos, “Fanta Apple tastes great. It is the first Apple drink that gives the same fruity taste originally like the fruit it was formulated to taste like.” 

  A young lady who declined to give her name at an eatery inside the Ikeja Mall said: “I love Fanta Apple because it is a subtle drink that goes well with meals.”

   As consumers bask in their new found love for the apple-flavoured fruity drink, it is worth asking whether Fanta Apple as a brand and the company, Nigeria Bottling Company noted for its world-class beverages and premium pricing can sustain this consumer love in the face of intense competition, dwindling disposable income and the flirty nature of consumers.