Introduction
The beverage industry is a complex array of businesses that collectively provide most of the beverages consumed in the world. According to the American Beverage Association, the industry contributes about $ 178.5 billion to the United States economy in domestic and foreign earnings per annum. Furthermore, it provides employment to more than 208,000 people in the nation and across the globe. It is one of the fastest growing industries with new products developed regularly.
The Coca Cola Company has been around for 125 years. It has provided soft drinks for its consumers for more than a century. With the introduction of more products in the market, Coca Cola now faces competition from other brands like Honest Tea. Honest Tea manufactures organic teas. The American beverage association regulates the companies that make up the beverage industry. This paper discusses protein beverages, Coca Cola as a brand leader, Honest Tea, a brand competitor and the contribution of the American beverage Association to the industry.
New formulations for protein beverages
Protein beverage manufacturers have developed new products to contribute to the campaigns on healthy living. Protein, the major component of the drinks tends to make the stomach full (Jacobsen 14). As a result, consumers reduce the amount of food they eat. Beverages, once meant for body builders, are currently embraced by ordinary consumers. The response of the consumers has empowered the manufacturers to develop drinks with low calories (Jacobsen 14).
To increase their appeal, these drinks are branded with trade names such as “Whey Juice Lean”. In addition, distributors have expanded their market by introducing different flavours. These flavours range from chocolate, strawberry, apple, mango and blueberry. According to Eric Hart “a brand development manager”, the taste of the drink is more salient in spite of the healthy content (Jacobsen 16).
Additionally, besides the calorie and protein content, firms formulate products that address consumers’ needs. For example, Gatorade Company introduced new formulations of sports drink. Their current portfolio comprises a three- tier brand known as the G-Series. One of the drinks, Recover 03, is designed to help in muscle recovery and prevent dehydration (Jacobsen 16). The G-Series Pro, another product developed by Gatorade, is produced to cater for the needs of a sportsman for the duration of training and after exercise.
Company Coca Cola
Coca Cola is a market leader in the beverage industry. The major objective of the firm is to use the power of the brand name to unite people in all the continents (Zegler 2). It is imperative for the corporation to stay focused and relevant due to the competition in the beverage industry. For this reason, the management together with a group of partners identified six trends that had the capacity to revolutionize its market (Zegler 4).
The first trend is the budding middle class. According to Muhtar Kent, the chairman of the company, more wealth would emerge from nations like China, Russia and Brazil. The second trend is urbanization, most of the young people will move to prime towns. Subsequently, a classy generation empowered by technological innovation will dominate the market (Zegler 3). Consumers will have high expectations, different concerns and values. Lastly, there will be a shortage of natural resources due to the population increases. This trend will affect energy and product prices.
The change in trends also comes with numerous possibilities and a promising future. With respect to approach, Coca Cola has put together a planning and executing process to create a successful marketing system (Zegler 6). The six pillars in this strategy include individuals, partners, turnover, portfolio, globe and efficiency. In terms of efficiency, the administration intends to manage the personnel, time and investments to achieve productivity.
The company further intends to be the favourite beverage partner in the industry (Zegler 16). The adopted framework is based on increasing the number of Coca Cola products served per day. Consequently, the extended portfolio will double the profits and strengthen the trademark. All these pillars are in line with Vision 2020, an initiative to make Coca Cola a global leader in the beverage industry (Zegler 18).
Brand Honest Tea
Honest Tea, one of the leading producers of organic teas recently introduced a new product dubbed “Honest Cocoa Nova (New Beverages 10). This new creation is a stylish brand of chocolate drink produced by the combination of dark chocolate and Cocoa beans, made of theobromine and antioxidants. The cacao beans are roasted and then refined to produce a powder prior to brewing. The antioxidant is natural; therefore, healthy for consumers.
According to New Beverages (10) the cacao beans used in manufacturing the drink is endorsed by USDA and Fair Trade. The end product gives the consumer a light yet gratifying flavour. This makes up a cocoa infusion”. Honest Cocoa Nova has three flavours, mint cacao, cherry cacao and mocha cacao (New Beverages 10).
America Business Association
The America Business Association represents beverage manufacturers, suppliers, marketers, and supports businesses (Industry Issues). It provides an unbiased medium in which members can discuss the challenges faced in the industry and find ways to forge ahead. It provides a link between the consumers, government and the beverage industry. During the year, American Beverage Association together with the White House launched a campaign to have the beverage industry add labels with calorie information (Industry Issues). This initiative supports the efforts of the first lady to empower people to make decisions that promote healthy living.
Participating corporations have been forced to consider and plan out their marketing strategy in order to implement the calories proposal. By the end of this year, all beverage companies are expected to have labels on all their products, vending equipment and fountain appliances. The process began last year with consumers testing the labels to see if the labels influenced their choices (Industry Issues).
Essentially, a product label indicating the total calories has to be exhibited on all beverage containers. In addition, firms are required to have a vending machine showing the totality of calories in each bottle (Industry Issues). Lastly, the fountain machinery is to be preset and controlled to show the number of calories.
Conclusion
The beverage industry is a multifaceted array of business that earns income for the economy. The products manufactured by the key players in this industry affect the health of its consumers. American Beverage Association, partners and the government are working towards promoting the health of consumers by implying strategies such as labelling the products to assist consumers in making informed choices. Other businesses have produced healthier beverages like organic tea and new formulations of protein drinks.
Works Cited
Industry Issues. ‘Front of Pack Calorie Labels Now in Stores’. Beverage Industry (2011):10-10.
Jacobsen, Jessica. ‘New Formulations Expand Protein’s Growth’. Beverage Industry, (2011):14-17.
New Beverages. ‘Cocoa Invasion’. Beverage World (2011):10-10.
Zegler, Jennifer. ‘125 Years Young’, Beverage Industry (2011):2-18.