With their loyal community of supporters, Wonki - an alcoholic seltzer brand - are on a mission to “Do the World a Flavour.”
They are fighting food waste by diverting misshapen produce that would otherwise end up in landfills. Using it, instead, to flavour our fizzy, refreshing, and healthy seasonal drinks.
Introduction - Batch 1 Membership
In April '23, Wonki secured over $38k+ through the presale and crowdfund of their first batch of Seltzer. Over 240 supporters backed the campaign and were rewarded by getting access to the first release and being invited to the launch event in Melbourne.
Supporters were recognised as being part of "Batch 1", through a digital collectible and with many supporters opting to get a physical medallion.
Introducing Blood Orange + Mandarin - New Release
With the new season in Nov '23, Wonki was preparing the release of the new Blood Orange and Mandarin flavour.
To involve and reward their Batch 1 supporters in April, the team wanted to further recognise this community by providing them with:
exclusive discounts on the new release;
early access to purchase before the general public;
and event invitations to future parties.
Introducing Wonki People - a new community of early backers and brand ambassadors
To communicate the new summer release, the Wonki team turned to Frontcover and setup a page for Wonki People (see immediately below) to organise a new community of supporters and ambassadors for Wonki and communicate the key benefits of being part of it.
The Wonki team also introduced a Batch 1 Membership tier for their early supporters, and with it, four exclusive benefits.
Membership Eligibility - a requirement
Eligibility for Batch 1 membership was based on the email list of 240 supporters through the Pozible crowdfund in April 2024.
Batch 1 Membership Benefits
Each crowdfund supporter was eligible for four key benefits, starting with their "Juicy 10% Discount".
Four Benefits
Access to members-only discount.
Special invitations to events.
Claim the unique digital web3 collectible (from the Pozible campaign)
The opportunity to get their hands on epic merch.
Digital Wallet Pass
Delighting the Wonki People Community with Frontcover
Ahead of the new Blood Orange + Mandarin release, the Wonki Team wanted to communicate the new community and benefits - so they decided to announce the Wonki People community and invite their early Batch 1 supporters to claim their membership and benefits
Before the new release, the Wonki team did the following:
Setup a profile on Frontcover;
Prepared a short video update and added all relevant news and updates to the page;
Invited eligible Batch 1 members to join Wonki People Community;
Communicated the range of unique & exclusive Batch 1 member benefits;
and allowed eligible members to claim and download the digital wallet pass (see above).
At the time of the new release, the team followed with the following:
announced the release and provided Batch 1 members exclusive discounts before the general public.
communicated the new release through the community page on Frontcover
further incentivised early purchases by offering free shipping (on top of the Batch 1 member discount)
“Without our community, Wonki would not be the business it is today. We’re as invested in our community of Wonki People as they are in us.
Frontcover has been a really valuable tool to deliver REAL rewards and benefits to our community and also allows us to keep our community members on the same page with news and announcements.”
- Bridget Lansell, Wonki Co-Founder.
Wonki People and New Release Results
Over 80 people (close to 35% of their crowdfund supporters) took up Batch 1 membership and added their Apple or Google wallet pass through Frontcover. Subsequently, a large percentage of these members redeemed their benefits with the launch of the new Blood Orange and Mandarin release.
Many holders of the digital wallet pass receive notifications and alerts when they are close to venues pouring Wonki.
Location-based alert example:
Additional benefits of the Apple and Google Wallet Pass
The Wonki Team opted to issue digital mobile wallet passes to all eligible Batch 1 members for the following reasons.
Allow the redemption of rewards e.g. At event check-in
Allow notifications to wallet pass holders for future releases
Configure and update the wallet with venues stocking Wonki products
Communicate visually and digitally Batch 1 membership, and also their part in the community.
Community Management + Managers
The community was set up and community admin by Bridget, and supported by Wonki team members Max, Gabe and Frontcover community success manager Liz van Zyl.
The private Whatsapp group called "Wonki x Frontcover Dream Team" was created ahead of the launch to help all community managers with the following:
Reviewing copy and visuals for the Frontcover community page;
Quickly communicating changes and updates;
Co-ordinating comms and timelines;
Sharing images, documents and reports;
Discussing ongoing engagement, results + data; and
Scheduling notifications and future updates.
Community Focus + Near Future
“Our Frontcover community has been an integral part of the successful release and launch of our new flavour - and the home of the Wonki People community.
Frontcover enabled us to stay true to our goal of offering our community actual benefits - with early access to the new release and exclusive discounts on the website.
The batch 1 community engagement and initial sales was fantastic.” - Bridget Lansell, Wonki Co-Founder
This Wonki team's unique approach to growing and building a brand is inspiring and we love that the company continues to involve their community with their mission.
Stay tuned for more community updates.