With its plastic bottle, white letters and ingredients printed in five different languages, Sriracha sauce produced by Huy Fong Foods has won the hearts of chefs and diners alike. Ten million bottles of Sriracha sauce are sold every year and they are displayed prominently on the tables of Vietnamese restaurants.
The Sriracha sauce easily achieved international success. However, since the sauce’s introduction, Huy Fong Foods has not spent any effort on marketing. So how did Sriracha sauce cultivate its popularity and win over the market?
I believe the answer lies in its brand. To begin, the sauce is well-made and it tastes consistently good. Sriracha’s brand emerges from consumer’s experience of the sauce and their subsequent discussion about their experiences. As stories spread, so did the name of the sauce. There is no better marketing tool than word of mouth.
Having no explicit brand, I discovered, also added to Sriracha’s brand. For example, when the founder David Tran explained his passion for creating quality sauce and his nonchalance towards creating a profitable business, Sriracha inherit Mr. Trans “no-brand” mentality and a focus on quality. This point of difference cultivates a loyal customer base, who love Sriracha just as much as Mr. Trans.
