Liu Chunxiong once said that all products should have social attributes. What are social attributes? Products carry their own topics, making them social currency. Recently, RIO's floral water-flavored premixed cocktail frequently appeared on social media feeds and topped Weibo's hot search list. Netizens commented: "Can I repel mosquitoes after drinking it? If so, give me a case"; "RIO's magical operation: one cup refreshes the mind, two cups never tire"; "This isn't an onion news story, I really want to try it"... It is understood that during the first pre-sale on RIO's Tmall flagship store on June 6, 2,500 sets of the product sold out in 17 seconds, even causing the server to crash, showing its immense popularity. The author carefully studied this product. Regardless of whether its taste truly resembles floral water as rumored, just the appearance and the buzz it generated on social media made the author want to grab a bottle to try. It must be admitted that RIO's cross-industry collaboration with Liushen successfully captured everyone's attention, becoming what Liu Chunxiong described as "products with social attributes." As a daily alcoholic beverage category, why did RIO launch such a floral water-flavored product? What is the underlying logic?

  1. Why RIO launched a floral water-flavored product In the past, many innovations might have been born from a whim or stubbornness, but in today's "magical" market where focus constantly shifts, relying solely on "whims" and "stubbornness" is no longer sufficient. How to grasp the daily dynamics of the market? RIO seems to have done its homework.
  2. Product innovation is inseparable from changes in the consumption environment. RIO, in collaboration with Alibaba's big data, has more precisely targeted young people. What do young consumers like? Alibaba has provided answers. Through research on 2017 Double 11 purchase data, the Alibaba Research Institute pointed out consumption trends under Generation Z (post-95s): independent and personalized products are being embraced by Generation Z. Analysis of Taobao stores shows that Generation Z accounts for up to 40% of followers of Taobao's "quirky" creative stores. It is evident that as long as products are fresh, unique, and interesting, they can attract the enthusiasm of young consumer groups. This time, RIO leveraged Alibaba's big data to study industry trends, consumer profiles, and other basic data, quickly and accurately understanding the preferences of the target audience, identifying consumer pain points, and thus the "non-mainstream" floral water-flavored RIO was born. This seems to perfectly align with young consumers' demands, even exceeding their expectations. Such personalized products, unexpected yet reasonable, naturally attract consumer attention and affection.
  3. The collision of old and new never lacks topics. RIO, skilled at capturing topics, used an innovative perspective to "dig" topics this time. For RIO, its very birth was an innovative fusion of juice and alcohol, creating a new category of premixed cocktails in China. Moreover, RIO has continuously introduced new flavors, scenarios, and marketing strategies over the years. It is not an exaggeration to say that "innovation is deeply rooted in RIO's blood." Floral water, as a childhood memory, is well-known to every household. When RIO's innovative DNA meets the national floral water, the collision of old and new produces not just a floral water-flavored RIO, but also a highly topical "national trend" spark. Launched during Tmall's 618 National Trend campaign, it attracted a large number of young people and sparked widespread attention.
  4. What is the foundation of RIO's innovation? Besides relying on big data to identify the "pain points" of young consumers, coupled with a continuous innovative drive, the young RIO seems confident in creating wave after wave of hit products. However, in the author's view, innovation is a talent, youth is an advantage, big data is a tool, and whether RIO can continue to improve depends on its "physical fitness" and its "sense of smell and action."
  5. "Physical fitness": Baorun's R&D strength supports RIO's flavor innovation The birth of various hit flavors requires not only creative ideas but also strong R&D capabilities. Notably, RIO's parent company, Baorun Co., Ltd., is the first listed company in China's flavor and fragrance industry, with first-class R&D capabilities in flavors and fragrances. According to Baorun's official website, Baorun possesses leading domestic technology and is one of the first domestic flavor companies to fully apply sensory evaluation technology to fragrance creation, imitation, quality control, and application, providing technical assurance for effective and systematic R&D, analysis, evaluation, and testing of flavors. In summary, Baorun's R&D strength enables RIO to continuously innovate in flavors, meeting the "ever-changing" consumption preferences of the younger generation. In the author's view, the success of this floral water-flavored product is a good start. Undoubtedly, RIO will continue to leverage Baorun's R&D capabilities to launch more "magical" and imaginative flavors. It is rumored that RIO may later introduce innovative flavors such as spicy crayfish, Laoganma, and cherry blossom.
  6. "Sense of smell and action": RIO's marketing strength remains a clear advantage The author collected RIO's marketing communication formats over the years, which may offer a glimpse into the foundation of its innovation. In cross-industry marketing, RIO has tried various approaches, including IP collaborations with Hello Kitty, Line, Miss Candy, and others, launching limited-edition products. Additionally, through strategic cooperation with Youku and leveraging Alibaba's marketing resources, RIO has created a super matrix of all-media touchpoints, achieving multi-scenario consumer reach, covering all aspects of consumers' daily lives, even crossing virtual and real spaces. Besides IP and scenario crossovers, RIO has continuously explored channel crossovers, such as its meaningful collaboration with Zhou Hei Ya. RIO has been exploring and experimenting with content marketing, even leading the latest content marketing trends in the FMCG sector, expressing RIO's brand culture in ways that young consumers are willing to accept and share. RIO has produced custom micro-dramas, released on major online video platforms like Tencent Video, Youku, and iQiyi, capturing consumer pain points and resonating with audiences. Beyond strong media dissemination, RIO uses Weibo, WeChat, and Xiaohongshu, partnering with top resources like "Idol Producer" and cultural IPs like "One Person Economy" and "Shijishi," co-creating content with consumers to further extend product topics and win the favor of young consumers. When consumers changed, RIO changed too. It has innovative genes, good "R&D" physical fitness, and a keen sense of smell and action in marketing. With the support of big data, the young RIO seems ready to create another hit product like this floral water-flavored RIO, which is just around the corner. -END-