Our debut episode, “Is Gatorade Beatable?” explores Coca-Cola’s mission to use a combined BodyArmor and Powerade to overtake sports drink leader Gatorade in the coming years. Coke leaders are through being an also-ran in this category, and PepsiCo has no plans to give up its supremacy. That will make for great competition, even as the category shifts beneath both companies’ feet with the emergence of “rapid hydration.”
Episode 2, “Is Sprite Beatable?” delves into PepsiCo’s Starry lemon-lime soda launch and the company’s plans to disrupt the dominance of Coca-Cola’s Sprite. We discuss how Sprite spent decades embracing hip-hop and the NBA to build a loyal consumer base, and how PepsiCo has decided to start from scratch with Starry to reach Gen Z consumers after years of struggles with lemon-lime brands including Sierra Mist.
Bottled Water Category Shines, While RTD Tea, Enhanced Waters Shed Volume
March 16, 2023
US non-carbonated beverage categories tracked by BD posted strong retail pricing growth in 2022 as manufacturers sought to offset higher costs for everything from packaging to transportation. In the face of higher pricing, volume sales declined meaningfully for...
Powdered Beverage ‘Headroom is Unlimited,’ CEO Says. Brand Represents Possible Long-Term Disruption for RTD Sector.
March 16, 2023
Liquid I.V., the powdered water enhancer acquired by Unilever in 2020, is closing in on $1 billion in net sales, according to the company. The brand will reach the milestone in the “near future,” the company said, while declining to define that timeframe. The “hydration multiplier,” which promises to hydrate as much as 2.5 times faster than water and is used by some consumers as a hangover remedy, is the largest single-serve drink mix brand on the market with a...
March Brings Investment Growth for Coke’s Sports Drink Brands, He Says
March 2, 2023
Bodyarmor-Powerade a ‘One-Two Punch’ Vs Gatorade With Two-Tier Pricing
BodyArmor leaders will look to double the brand’s awareness and make it a household name now that they have completed an integration with Coca-Cola’s Powerade, BodyArmor Sports Nutrition CMO Matt Dzamba told BD in an exclusive interview. “We can't just be a brand that athletes of the Nth degree understand,” he said of BodyArmor. “So we're widening the aperture and speaking to a broader audience, like gatekeepers and active adults.” He also said...
Exclusive Interview: BA Sports Nutrition CMO Matthew Dzamba
February 21, 2023
BodyArmor leaders will look to double the brand’s awareness and make it a household name now that they have completed an integration with Coca-Cola’s Powerade, BodyArmor Sports Nutrition CMO Matt Dzamba told BD in an exclusive interview. “We can't just be a brand that athletes of the Nth degree understand,” he said of BodyArmor. “So we're widening...
Fewer Price Hikes Expected in 2023. Promotional Activity to Remain Highly Selective
February 16, 2023
Plus: Updates on Alcohol Expansion, BodyArmor, SodaStream
A pressing question for 2023 is whether Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper will face a more challenging consumer and pricing environment later this year, especially in the US. Goldman Sachs estimates that by mid-January Americans had spent down...
Brand Looks to Capitalize on ‘Rapid Hydration’ Trend Without Going Into 'Hole.'
February 16, 2023
’We’re Not Desperate,” Co-founder Says, Thanks to Military Focus.
Military-focused isotonic brand Hoist is on the hunt for outside investment capital to help fund a deeper and eventually wider push into traditional retail markets, according to the brand’s founders. Hoist currently derives more than half of its revenue from US military sales, Co-founder and President Kelly Heekin told BD in an interview. Outside of the armed forces, Hoist’s traditional retail footprint comprises about...
Meanwhile, Can BodyArmor Regain Pre-Acquisition Momentum
February 1, 2023
For decades, Coca-Cola’s Powerade existed to fight off US sports drink leader Gatorade, which created what is now at least a $12 billion category, according to BD all-channel data. In more recent years, Powerade all but faded into the background, overshadowed by a challenger called BodyArmor that pledged to displace PepsiCo-owned Gatorade with claims of better-for-you ingredients and an in-your-face marketing voice. That may now change. A year after acquiring BodyArmor and merging it into a standalone unit with Powerade, Coca-Cola is ready to get...