Anything or Whatever???

Taking the surprise economy to another level, Singapore beverage
company Out of the Box caters to consumers who respond to “What would
you like to drink?” with a non-committal “anything” or “whatever”. Two
weeks ago, the company launched two complementary brands: Anything and
Whatever. Anything is fizzy and comes in six flavours (Cola with
Lemon, Apple, Fizz Up, Cloudy Lemon and Root Beer) and Whatever is
non-carbonated (Ice Lemon Tea, Peach Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, White
Grape Tea, Apple Tea, Chrysanthemum Tea).

The surprise part? Consumers don’t know which flavour they’re getting
until they take a sip. Cans are simply labelled Anything and Whatever,
and the list of ingredients is limited to generic wording: carbonated
water, sugar, permitted flavouring, permitted colouring, preservative,
tea extract, fruit juice concentrate. Judging from the buzz on
Singapore forums, teens immediately got the concept and are loving it.

Novel product to launch elsewhere, as the drink for people who don’t
know what they want? The key, of course, is to produce products that
are good enough to guarantee repeat sales. We think established food
and beverage brands could have fun with this one, too, and would have
the benefit of working from a brand consumers already trust. How about
Snapple or Stonyfield Yoghurt marketing surprise six-packs filled with
random flavours? Could be a good way to get customers to try new
varieties of any FMCG.