Developing our Portfolio
Responding To Consumer Demand
We’ve added new products to our range. These include ‘Schweppes Straightcut’ and a number of new products under our ‘Minute Maid’ brand.
As a result of these efforts and much more besides, our portfolio is rapidly diversifying beyond the sparkling drinks for which we’re famous.
Our Portfolio 20072
But it doesn’t stop there, because we’re constantly looking for other ways to improve our portfolio and add healthier options. Among other initiatives, we seek advice from a Health and Wellness Expert Panel composed of leading health and wellness scientists, dieticians and nutritionists. Their expertise helps to guide the marketing and development of our products in line with external expectations.
Changing our portfolio: responding to consumer demand
‘Minute Maid’ Innovation
Our leading juice brand, ‘Minute Maid’ was launched in Great Britain in 2005 with ‘Minute Maid’ 100% Pure Squeezed Juice (made with ‘not from concentrate’ juice) and three flavours of ‘Minute Maid’ Juice Drink (made from a blend of ‘from concentrate’ juice and water).
In response to consumer feedback, that told us that ‘being healthy isn’t always easy’, in late 2007 we’ll be expanding the ‘Minute Maid’ range.
Our new range has been developed in partnership with top nutritionists and leading scientists and has been designed to meet consumers’ need for chilled juice products that offer health and functional benefits.
Our new ‘Minute Maid’ range will include:
- ‘Minute Maid’ Nutri Top-Up: a family-friendly 80% juice drink that provides at least 30% of the recommended daily amount of selected vitamins with each 250ml serving, available in Tropical, Apple and Berries and Citrus flavours.
- ‘Minute Maid’ Breakfast on-the-go Smoothie: a 100% fruit smoothie in 330ml Citrus and Summer Fruits flavours – designed for those who have skipped the most important meal of the day.
- ‘Minute Maid’ Cell Defence: a 70% juice drink containing natural antioxidants, providing a simple way to help support the body’s natural defences.
- ‘Minute Maid’ Digestive Wellbeing: a 70% juice drink that contains prebiotic fibre to feed the body’s friendly bacteria and support digestive wellbeing.
‘Schweppes Straightcut’- Helping consumers choose an alternative to alcohol
April 2007 also saw the launch of ‘Schweppes Straightcut’, a soft drink targeted at adults. Launched initially in four variants – ‘Regular’ and ‘Slimline’ Lemon, ‘Slimline’ Grapefruit & Mandarin and Regular Pomegranate & Blueberry – ‘Schweppes Straightcut’ contains fruit. It’s marketed as an alcohol-alternative for adults under the strapline: “At last, a soft drink for adults.”
‘Diet Coke Plus’
In 2007 we will launch a unique addition to our ‘Diet Coke’ brand – new ‘Diet Coke Plus’. This drink will offer consumers the choice of drinking a no-sugar soft drink with additional vitamins and an antioxidant. ‘Diet Coke Plus’ will be available in two variants; ‘Diet Coke Plus’ Vitamins and ‘Diet Coke Plus’ Antioxidant.
This is the first time that The Coca-Cola Company has added functional benefits to one of its sparkling beverages in Great Britain and it will be available in autumn 2007.
‘Coke Zero’ - Making sugar-free attractive to men
Our biggest launch in 2006 was ‘Coke‘ Zero. This product was specially designed for young men because our market research suggested that a ‘male’ orientated product would make diet drinks more appealing to men. The positioning has certainly worked. Over 3 million men have bought ‘Coke’ Zero and today 65% of ‘Coke’ Zero drinkers are male.
Our efforts to launch ‘Coke’ Zero in the marketplace were recognised in June 2007 when we won the Star Product Award for ‘Coke’ Zero as part of the prestigious Gold Awards run by the industry publication, The Grocer.
In the first 12 months, total sales of ‘Coke’ Zero reached 68 million litres, helping our sugar-free sales grow 4.4% year-on-year. And while regular ‘Coke’ remains the country’s largest retail brand at 512 million litres a year, sugar-free sales reached 510 million litres – a ratio of 50.1% to 49.9%.3
2 CCGB All Channels
3Source: ACNielsen Scantrack grocery and impulse volume 52wks to w/e 23/06/07
