Case study

Fueling Fitness: A Sampling Success Story for Onest Energy

Onest Energy is an all-natural energy drink that has recently been launched in the UK. It’s leaning towards being a healthier alternative to the energy drink goliaths is Onest’s way of disrupting the already saturated market. This means meeting consumer expectations and giving the more health-conscious generation a product they trust. THAT’S where Onest plays.

The brief

As a new brand Onest knew it was important to get cans in hands, and drive product trial. But what the brand also understood was that it was important to understand its audience on a deeper, more detailed level to instruct future campaigns.

Initially, the goal had been to reach gym goers, particularly those using value gyms such as Pure Gym and Anytime Fitness, as they were looking to reach those who saw the gym as a fitness/ wellbeing venture over simply leisure. This then developed as we began sampling across offices as well, aiming to get the product in front of young professionals looking for energy without the usual coffee or nasties synonymous with other energy drink brands.

This isn’t a one-and-done for Onest, they are continuing to grow this sampling programme each month as they expand their distribution, in line with their growth plans for the next 12 months.

Fueling Fitness: A Sampling Success Story for Onest Energy gallery image

Mechanics

Selected gyms that aligned with their target audience (Puregym, Anytime Fitness) and began our sampling here, being present and engaging. The Onest team also visited a gym to support and capture content for use across multiple channels, primarily socials. This evergreen content was our way of taking the moment beyond what was happening in that gym, with those particular individuals and amplifying it. This was then all used to support the launch of their new flavour.

We sampled almost 10,000 units across 3 months and gained some invaluable insight from Onest’s audience around propensity to purchase, taste preference, income, and more.

We were able to drive a cost-effective trial whilst arming the Onest team with invaluable audience insight.

Results

The campaign delivered valuable insights into Onest’s target audience, deepening the understanding of product usage and alignment with consumer preferences within a contextual setting. Strong product performance across both flavours reinforced its appeal, while positive purchase intent highlighted its potential to drive repeat behaviour. Supported by engaging social content, the activation extended its reach and ensured continued impact beyond the initial touchpoints.

10,000 units sampled across 3 months

Invaluable core audience insight gathered