Case study: How FELLR is using Tracksuit to set strategy that gets consumers fizzing

We were fizzed (pun intended) to chat with FELLR drink’s Marketing Director, Zoe Wendland to find out how she uses Tracksuit data to track the effectiveness of their marketing activities in their target demographics.

If you live in the hot, dry climate of Australia, you likely work up a bit of a thirst from time to time. Enter FELLR.

FELLR is an alcoholic drinks (or RTD) brand founded out of Sydney that blends its custom brewed alcohol base with sparkling water and all-natural fruit flavours to create a refreshing, fizzy, internationally awarded beverage.

Co-Founders Andy Skora and Will Morgan previously worked in sales for alcohol giant Pernod Ricard, but had started to notice the seltzer industry taking off in the United States.

Over a beer in Bondi, they hatched a plan to start their own seltzer business and capitalize on the category’s growing popularity overseas.

FELLR launched just as COVID-19 struck, which initially would seem like unfortunate timing for a brand that wanted people to get familiar with the drink by tasting it in pubs.

However, the timing proved to be a perfect opportunity, as Aussies had no other option but crack open a cold bevvy at home during lockdown. This allowed FELLR to build up its customer base.

Fast forward to 2024, and FELLR has gone from strength to strength and is stocked in-store and on tap in countless stores across Australia. The fizzy drinks are a fan favorite amongst younger consumers and are often spotted in the hands of people at festivals, in pubs and at home.

How FELLR is using Tracksuit to target tightly and set clever strategy 🎯

Entering 2023, FELLR knew that in order to have the most impact with their marketing spend (and to work within the perimeters of their budget) they couldn’t try to be everything to everyone, or everywhere all at once.

Zoe Wendland, FELLR’s Marketing Director, shares that the goal was to expand their targeting of 18 - 24-year-olds to key precincts on the East Coast. Replicating the success they had seen with this demographic when they initially rolled out in hero suburbs like Bondi in NSW, in VIC, and ultimately, QLD, too!

FELLR had brilliantly targeted stockists and their marketing to areas where they knew this demographic spent a lot of time hanging out, such as Bondi in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs.

Their drinks are available on tap in bars in Bondi with some of the highest footfall, including Hotel Ravesis and Beach Road Hotel.

Over the summer months, FELLR also leveraged their Tracksuit data to secure festival and event partnerships, demonstrating how strongly their brand resonated with younger age groups.

This multi-pronged approach means FELLR is driving a strong wedge of coverage in this specific area, building mental availability with its ideal customer personas (ICP).

What the Tracksuit data shows 📈

FELLR is logging when key campaigns kick off in their Tracksuit dashboard using the Milestone feature, and they’ve seen an uplift in their brand metrics as a result.

In the 18 to 24-year-old age group, FELLR’s awareness has grown by 9% since May 2023 (that’s an extra 126K humans who are now aware of the brand!). Consideration and usage of the brand has also grown 6% within this age group.

Over the last 12 months, FELLR also has one of the strongest conversion rates in consumers aged 18 to 24 down the marketing funnel out of their category competitors. Out of those this age who are aware of the brand, 70% have converted from awareness to consideration – a truly impressive metric.

Tracksuit data is helping the FELLR team validate that their targeted, budget efficient approach is paying off.

“We use Tracksuit to validate hunches and shape the way forward,” Zoe shares. “While insights and intuition as marketers serve as important reference points, being able to back that up with data goes a long way, particularly in those discussions with key partners who aren't as familiar with our brand.”

Compared to their competitive set, we can see that FELLR is growing awareness steadily as an emerging growth brand, while similar awareness level brands are less stable. FELLR can be proud that their strong, consistent marketing initiatives are resulting in steady brand growth.

By cleverly targeting their campaigns to the demographics that most resonate with their products, while also creating surprise and delight with strategic partnerships, FELLR is growing their brand. More on those joyful partnerships below!

Other iconic marketing moves: FELLR x Messina ice cream 🍦

Brand collaborations have become a marketing must-have for widening a brand’s customer base, while creating excitement and hype amongst their existing base.

Working with another reputable business also boosts trust and credibility in the eyes of consumers, as they consider two brands working together as aligned in their values and mission.

For FELLR, this clever marketing collab was teaming upOpens in new tab with gelato brand Messina on a product collaboration of epic proportions.

You can’t move far throughout Australia without running into a Gelato Messina store.

The gelato shop was founded in 2002 in Sydney, and has since become a staple in many suburbs across the country. On any given day, Messina’s stores will have large lines of people sprawling out the door.

For the collaboration, FELLR created unique and limited edition seltzer flavours inspired by Messina’s most loved ice cream flavours, including Yuzu Sorbet, Blood Orange Sorbet and Salted Coconut & Mango Sorbet seltzers.

On Messina’s side, they rolled out limited edition seltzer-inspired gelato flavours including a yuzu cheesecake flavor called Fizzy FELLR and mango and coconut flavor called Little FELLR.

Talk about a flavor explosion (just typing that sentence made us crave a seltzer-inspired gelato!)

Combining the creative powers (and flavors) of both brands has paid off and Zoe is delighted to report that FELLR has seen a lift in engagement, as well as great sales of the limited-edition flavors.

“There was an instant connection with Messina, two independent Sydney-based brands bound by an obsession for quality and a deep commitment to our communities. The idea of a sorbet-inspired seltzer series emerged naturally and clicked. Building a memorable brand doesn't always hinge on hefty budgets. Instead, clever collaborations, great distribution, and a simple means of tracking whether or not you’re heading in the right direction can be incredibly powerful in themselves”

The finishing line 🏁

We love working with clever marketers like Zoe at FELLR to craft compelling brand strategies that yield epic results like the ones shared above.

While it’s one thing to have a theory on what is most effective at driving growth and loyalty from a marketing standpoint, it’s another thing to be able to validate this hunch with data and measure impact, which is what Tracksuit is here to help brands do.

Thanks for sharing your smarts with us, Zoe!

Check out more of FELLR’s marketing goodness on their InstagramOpens in new tab and websiteOpens in new tab.