1. Assignment Requirement – Fiji Pitch
The assignment wants us to:
1) choose a consumer staple sold in the Netherlands
a) bottled water - perfect
2) interview Dutch consumers
a) easy - everyone buys bottled water
3) identify unmet needs
a) health, sustainability, microplastics, convenience, reusability
4) and then propose internal improvements for the company
a) production → packaging → marketing → logistics → retail strategy
Our new idea — transforming Fiji Water’s market strategy, distribution, packaging, and
positioning to make it a mass-market product in Dutch supermarkets — fits the assignment
perfectly.
2. New angle is academically strong: “The Netflix Pivot Strategy”
This gives us a business transformation storyline that the teacher will LOVE.
We can say:
“Just like Netflix moved from a niche DVD rental service → to a mass-market streaming
platform,
Fiji Water can evolve from a niche luxury import → to a mass-market sustainable water
brand in Dutch supermarkets.”
This gives us:

a business-model transformation

a marketing transformation

a distribution transformation

a sustainability transformation

clear consumer reasoning behind it
It perfectly aligns with:
PLO2 – Business Transformation
(required for the research part)
3. Internal Environment Issues to Analyze
The assignment requires us to identify a problem inside the company (Internal), not
outside.
This concept gives us real problems we can use:
Internal issues Fiji would face:

production system entirely based on plastic → must shift to glass

logistics not suited for heavier packaging

no existing Dutch supermarket distribution agreements

brand identity currently “luxury” → needs repositioning to “health” or
“environmental”

communication (brand) not geared toward sustainability messaging

operations must ensure dishwasher-safe glass

sourcing of metal caps

CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy must be clearer

internal resistance to change (classic business issue)
Every one of these is gold for BEC
4. Fiji mass market sustainable” for the research interviews
The interviews will ask Dutch consumers:

Do you buy bottled water? Which brands?

Do you trust plastic bottles?

Are you worried about microplastics / nanoplastics?

Do you prefer reusable (dishwasher safe) glass bottles?

What makes you choose a bottled water brand?

Would you buy premium water if it were sustainable?

Would you reuse a dishwasher-safe bottle?
The themes will be crystal clear:

sustainability

purity

health concerns

plastic avoidance

reusability (Circular Economy – Netherlands is a pioneer of this industry)

convenience

brand perception

price sensitivity
Our research findings will be strong and easy to code into the assignment
5. Full Concept in Netherlands
Here’s how we adapt it to fit the Dutch context:
Fiji Water is available in NL
Just not mainstream → which becomes part of our analysis:
“Fiji is niche because it relies on its luxury identity. We want to transform it into a
mainstream sustainable alternative.”
Dutch consumers care heavily about sustainability
Netherlands has one of the highest:

recycling rates

environmental awareness

plastic bottle deposit systems (statiegeld)

anti-plastic sentiment

interest in reusable glass bottles
This fits our concept perfectly.
✔ Dutch supermarkets (Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Dirk) LOVE premium-but-eco products
Look at:

Tony’s Chocolonely

Oatly milk

innocent juice drinks

Voss water

Kombucha brands

refill systems
We are plugging Fiji Water (rebrand to Fiji Glass? – separate fiji from bottled water, its Fiji
Glass – Connects fFiji to message) directly into this ecosystem.
6. Reusable Fiji glass bottles
This is the strongest part of the entire idea.
We are not selling water — we are selling a reusable object that:

is aesthetic

is non-plastic

is dishwasher-safe

can be kept as a lifestyle bottle

works for school, gym, office

becomes everyday advertising for the brand (look DOPPER water bottles, it is all over
Netherlands, it isn’t another water bottle, it’s a dutch water bottle with color choices,
etc..but it is still plastic – Maybe partner with Dopper for design but glass?)
This will score extremely high in the assignment because we are meeting multiple consumer
needs at once.
7. Group project becomes easier
Choosing bottled water means:

interviews are easier

transcription is easy

coding themes are obvious

the research question flows naturally

the BEC meeting has clear internal issues

the presentation is straightforward
Most other products (chips, shampoo, cookies) are much more boring and give no deep
insights.
Our concept is:

creative

academically relevant

logistically simple

and deeply connected to sustainability → which the teacher might reward
8. What to do
1) analyse why it’s niche in NL
2) propose a strategy to turn it mass-market
3) redesign the packaging (glass + metal)
4) reposition the brand around sustainability
5) use microplastics/nanoplastics as the consumer insight
6) use Netflix as a business transformation parallel
7) analyse Dutch supermarket standards
8) research retail refrigeration setups, logistics, shelf placement
9) design a reusable, dishwasher-safe bottle strategy
10) recommend CSR improvements
11) do a full PESTEL for the Netherlands
Everything aligns with:

the research part

the internal environment analysis

the interview requirements

the BEC meeting scenario