Fridge Pak Redux

My friend Clark asked if I’d seen the new Coca-Cola Sixer 6 pack for cans. It is a slimmed down version of the Fridge Pak. He was aware of my connection to the original Fridge Pak and wanted to make sure I saw this new version. I set out immediately after leaving our meeting to find it and quickly gave it a new home in my refrigerator.

The story of the original Fridge Pak actually began in the spring of 2001 when Steve Hyland (a Shopper Marketing Hall of Fame member) called me. It has to do with an important marketing success principle, which is, asking the right questions and finding the right answers.

“I don’t do research,” I respectfully replied. I explained that I did not think I was qualified to consolidate a large volume of survey data into actionable business intelligence. I have always held research and the professionals who conduct and interpret it in high regard. “Would you please pray about it and meet with me tomorrow morning?” asked Steve. I hate that question! Whenever I am asked this question I end up saying “Yes Lord!”

During our meeting the next morning Steve showed me two huge binders full of IRI Panel query and response data. He needed to have the data reviewed, interpreted and formatted into a PowerPoint presentation that he and his team would review with senior management. He asked me to do it all. I agreed. As I was carrying the huge binders to my car I recall thinking, “There is no way I can do this! It’s time for another miracle Lord.”

Over the next several days I immersed myself in data regarding purchase cycles, consumption rates, household buyer types for a multitude of product and package (both primary and secondary) combinations. Eventually some interesting patterns emerged. One morning in particular I was questioning why 2 liter bottles and six pack cans were consumed almost twice as fast as 12 pack cans. I thought to compare the consumption rates for these packages to the consumption rates for different temp states. The 2 liter bottles and six pak can consumption rates were very close to cold temp state consumption; the 12 pack can consumption rate was much closer to room temp consumption. Hmm. Could it be that 2 liter and six pack cans were put into the refrigerator when they entered the household and that 12 pack cans were split between the refrigerator and the pantry?

I developed a format for the presentation and reviewed the deliverable with Steve in his office the following week. I shared that the single big idea was to “consider development of a more refrigerator friendly 12 pack.” He agreed.

This picture is of Page 20 of the actual research report deck.

A couple of months later Steve called me into his office after I had met with one of his associates to show me the mock-up of the prototype Fridge Pak that he had on his desk. The rest of this story and the volume that his new outer package generated is soft drink industry history. My kids are prone to tell their friends that I invented the Fridge Pak. I tell them that some very clever package designers invented the Fridge Pak but I gave them the idea to do it.

As evidenced by the new Sixes package, some ideas have longer half-lives than others. Hopefully this is one of them.