Sports drinks take a sour turn

Sports drinks take a sour turn

The latest innovation insight from Gama Compass™

MANCHESTER – 5th December 2014: Underlining the growing appeal of ‘extreme’ taste experiences, this week Gama looks at a new “sour” sports drink based on apple cider vinegar – Stu’s Sour Elixir 100% Pickle Juice.

Promoted with the slogan “Gain power. Go sour”, Stu’s Sour Elixir from Stu’s Heritage Foods is a new vinegar-based product that is being advertised as an alternative to traditional sports drinks. Sold in a shot format and in almost industrial-style black packaging, the product exudes strength and masculinity, characteristics it emphasises through marketing copy such as “Sports drinks are weak. But Stu’s Pickle Juice? A force of nature”.

The launch of Stu’s Sour Elixir comes at a time when vinegar is becoming a fashionable health drink in some western markets, partly as a result of new celebrity-endorsed dietary regimes. Vinegar, in particular the apple cider vinegar used in Stu’s Sour Elixir, is being lionized for its supposed functional benefits, from its apparent ability to regulate blood sugar levels to its support for digestive health. Underscoring its ‘natural’ virtues, Stu’s Sour Elixir is promoted as both “clean” and “pure”, based on a recipe of “4 simple ingredients: pure water, sea salt, apple cider vinegar and a blend of pickling spices”.

Away from health benefits, Stu’s Sour Elixir provides further evidence for another significant product trend – that of adventurous or even ‘extreme’ taste experiences based on sour, salty and spicy flavours. Rather than attempting to disguise its unconventional flavour, Stu’s Sour Elixir turns it into a virtue, relating the sour taste to qualities of potency and strength.

By combining ‘power’-oriented marketing with ‘extreme’ flavours and bold but simple product claims, Stu’s Sour Elixir makes an interesting case for how natural functional drinks, which are often targeted at women, can be repositioned for a male audience. Changing the focus from the ‘light indulgence’ of female-oriented products to notions of potency, simplicity, and intensity of experience, manufacturers can begin to reframe health drinks for male consumers, responding to their specific needs and preferences in the functional space.

Additional source: Daily Mail

Image source: Stu's Heritage Foods

 

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Cesar Pereira, founder & CEO of Gama, is available for comment. To arrange an interview please contact +44 161 818 8700 or info@gamaconsumer.com.

 
About Gama

Gama is a global provider of information and insight that specialises in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) product innovation. With a wealth of experience in business information and a network of over 100 in-country experts in 46 key markets, we offer high-quality news, research and analysis that give our clients a compelling insight into their industry.

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