The soft drinks market in Cameroon

The soft drinks market is one of the most competitive in Cameroon’s food industry. Long a duopoly between Boissons du Cameroun and Union des Brasseries du Cameroun, the sector has been expanding over the past decade with the arrival of new players, which means a wide variety of flavors and significant marketing investment. Faced with stiff competition, these brands compete exclusively on the basis of price, packaging and the launch of flavours which, for the most part, already exist on the market. The marketing approaches developed by these brands over almost two decades, relying essentially on promotions, do not allow consumers to make choices based on known competitive advantages or on lasting emotional relationships with them. The aim of this research was to identify the consequences of the absence of disruptive and innovative approaches for a brand like Spécial Drinks in such a saturated sector.