Sanzo the Sparkling Superhero
If and when you open my fridge, you’ll find that sparkling water is a staple that is always stocked. For a health nut like me, the zero added sugar and zero-calorie ones are essential. The only difference each time is their flavors. I like to say, I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new things! And, drinking the same grapefruit or lime flavor every time can get pretty boring if you ask me.
Nevertheless, the sparkling water game has come a long way and if it wasn’t for Joseph Priestly, my fridge wouldn’t be what it is today. I guess not all kinds of curiosity kill cats.
Speaking of coming a long way, there’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up you, me, and the rest of the world around us. From one social upheaval to another, to rising climate and environmental concerns, economic instability, and even global governmental disruptions all while we physically battled a life-threatening virus worldwide. It’s astonishing how much we were tested in the past two years, yet somehow still prevailed against the odds. If it’s one thing we learned from this pandemic, its adaptability.
Alas, we all witnessed loss to some degree, some more than others. Businesses went bankrupt, people fell into furlough or even got laid off, and we watched our favorite local corner stores closed down for good. But like all things in life, with every storm comes a rainbow. While many companies flopped, a handful of others emerged and thrived.
The best of both worlds
One specific company that did so is Sanzo, the first Asian-inspired sparkling water founded by Sandro Roco, a Queens-born Filipino American. The beverage company was established to bridge American and Asian beverages, a stark divide between the two. In comparison, beverage brands free of preservatives and sugar already existed in the American market, which was sparse in Asian beverage companies here in the U.S.
As of now, Sanzo comes in three flavors — calamansi, lychee, and Alfonso mango. All of which have no added sugar, non-gmo, made with real fruits, and 0 calories! Yes, please, Sanzo is preaching and calling my name! The company truly pioneered a balance of Asian notes without compromising from an ingredient standpoint and Roco understood this. But, he understood more than just what was missing in the market. Somehow, Roco’s combined experience in finance, engineering, and operations came together cohesively to build what Sanzo is now.
Even throughout this pandemic, their uphill success continues to soar with sales tripling since March of 2020. They recently settled on a $1.3 million seed funding to expand its distribution. And it’s all thanks to their marketing efforts. Throwing it back to how the company came to be, Roco decided to detour from partnering with grocery stores like most brands in the CPG industry and instead, took a similar route that was inspired by Oatly’s marketing approach. By partnering with Asian-inspired restaurants, Sanzo was able to capture their audience by simply being there. After all, you can’t possibly eat without a beverage, right? (Hence, the typical New York slang, “no bev?”).
Digital Authenticity
Yet, when the pandemic hit, in-house dining was no longer an option and Sanzo shifted towards supplementing their digital strategy. Luckily, their prior partnerships with QSRs already jumpstarted this approach in cross-marketing with their partner’s social media channels. This allowed them to engage with wider audience prospectives and gain even more traction through their consistent promotional efforts. Including, polls, giveaways, forums, campaigns, and special announcements, all of which are educational, humorous, and most importantly, inclusive. While each effort varies, with every post telling a different story, the brand’s authenticity is effortlessly consistent.
A lending hand
We all saw how much the hospitality industry was affected by the pandemic, especially during its peak. Nevertheless, it brought together more empathy and supportiveness than ever before.
Back in March 2020, Sanzo took a few extra steps to help out other community members. To name a few, the brand dedicated 5% of its online proceeds to affected employees at Spoon & Pork, a modern Filipino Comfort Food Restaurant, Win Son, a local Taiwanese restaurant and bakery, and by CHLOE (now known as Beatnic), a vegan based restaurant.
But, their generosity extends beyond just their community. They have also collaborated with other vendors in contributing to funds that are dedicated to helping first responders and healthcare workers.
By doing so, these gestures compliment Sanzo’s compassion for their neighbors. Building a strong brand equity and image as a selfless and caring entity. In hindsight, without those initial partnerships pre-pandemic, Sanzo would not have reached the growth it had shown. So, from a more technical perspective, you can say that they are indebted to their local QSRs. Alleviating a portion of the financial burdens of their vendors is the least they could do. Nevertheless, Sanzo’s humble beginnings and unwavering efforts to build and connect with their community are enough to convince me of their charitable intentions.
Greatness & Gratitude
Moreover, Sanzo also spotlights their consumers via social platforms, harnessing a personal side that keeps the brand grounded and engaged. From homemade cocktails to sharing humorous videos, and even some handcraft artwork. Bringing their customers onto their gives people a chance to get involved with the brand, creating exposure on both ends.
Customer centricity plays a crucial role in building growth for most, if not all companies. Hence, continually showing gratitude towards your supporters is pivotal in building a strong image as well.
A new hero in town
With all the nobility that Sanzo has shown, it’s appropriate to say that they’ve been a hero to others. With that being said, heroes who fight together, stick together. In the Marvel world, a new superhero has also emerged, gaining much attention and positivity in the last few months — Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
There couldn’t have possibly been better timing for the collaboration of these two powerhouses. Particularly because of recent awareness, appreciation, and celebration of the Asian community. The partnership included the feature of the 4 main characters of the movie on their limited-edition cans. Moreover, Sanzo also devoted 5% of these proceeds towards the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) — think of a better name than this, I’ll wait (cape…superhero…coincidence?!).
Moving forward
With the rest of the world progressively adapting to ‘normalcy, we must also shift. Likewise, companies must also modify their methods to keep up with the changing times. Sanzo has already shown their capabilities and prominent role in the AAPI community by giving back any chance it can. They set an example for their existing and new consumers that long-term change never happens overnight, it’s a constant work in progress. They tell us through their leadership that consistent efforts, big or small, can turn into a domino effect in bettering the lives of others.
Sanzo’s adaptiveness to this new climate and the needs of their community has shown that they are here for us in the long haul — starting with the AAPI community, one that holds very dear to heart, and then working their way to touch the lives of others beyond.
