Image courtesy of Más+ by Messi
Who knew the hydration product market was so fierce. I guess when it’s valued at over $35 billion, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. When youtuber-boxer-podcaster Logan Paul entered the space with his brand, Prime, he certainly didn’t anticipate competition from arguably the world’s greatest soccer star, Lionel Messi.
In June of this year, Messi entered the insanely lucrative market with his product line, Más+, but folks were quick to point out the eerily similar product design to that of Prime. Now, we aren’t ones to get involved with all this legal drama, but there’s been some Suits-level sh*t going on which has piqued the interest of sports fans, marketing fans, and everyone in between.
Prime let Más+ know that they weren’t happy, basically demanding they stop selling products until they change their packaging. Legal things like trademark violations, packaging infringements, and issues around intellectual property were all brought up. But Messi and Más+ aren’t going down quietly, accusing Prime of “anti-competitive” behavior. This type of behavior is basically any action taken by a business to limit, restrict, or eliminate competition in a particular market.
I have to say that the legal-ness around this topic is interesting and as a John Grisham fan, I can appreciate good legal drama. But I’m more interested in the idea of competitive marketing and how this affects a business, especially with two mega-popular personalities involved.
What Is Competitive Marketing, Why Does It Matter, and How Does It Shape the Más+ vs. Prime Drama?
Competitive marketing is promoting your product or service by highlighting the advantages over your competitors. It aims to differentiate your brand from others in the market in order to attract customers and increase your market share. Strategies include product positioning, pricing, distribution, and promotion.
Why does it matter? Let’s think about what competition does. It drives innovation, increases consumer choice, keeps prices lower, encourages industry efficiency, and promotes fair play. When businesses compete, they are motivated to improve their products, services, and marketing strategies to attract and retain customers. This leads to a wider range of options for consumers and lower prices, which I certainly won’t complain about.
But it also does something around monopolies and here’s what Messi’s camp is addressing. Competitive markets help prevent monopolies and ensure that all businesses have a fair chance to compete. The “anti-competitive” behaviors filed by Messi and Más+ are, in effect, claiming Prime is trying to prevent the success of a competitor. And one that is sure to be mighty successful given Messi’s status.
Does Messi’s bottle look similar to Prime? Yes. But it seems like the competitive nature of the lucrative hydration market and the potential for market dominance given their celebrity statuses could be contributing factors to the allegations of anti-competitive behavior.
So, who has the upperhand? Tough to say. It seems like Prime has the advantage in bottle aesthetics, but Más+ has the edge with market make-up. Whatever the case, we certainly have a reality TV-like situation unfolding.
