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By Euromonitor International The recently released Enviga, from Coca-Cola and Nestlé, is likely to be the first energy drink to win over women, according to analysts at Euromonitor International, by cleverly positioning itself as a health drink and not just a quick way to boost energy levels. Dual effects will attract female market Women have so far been uninspired by the existing range of energy drinks, which typically are perceived as the most macho of all the soft drink categories. Enviga, however, is being positioned as a hybrid product that not only increases energy levels and burns calories, but is also fortified with health-enhancing ingredients such as calcium and green tea extracts. “Thanks to this blurring of the lines, Enviga stands an excellent chance of capturing a large slice of the female demographic”, according to Simone Baroke, an analyst at Euromonitor International. Energy drinks need a female touch The energy drinks market has, up until now, been dominated by products enhanced by caffeine. While these have proved extremely popular with men, women have been put-off by their unnatural, at times even harmful, image. Previous energy drinks targeted at women, such as Her (Brad Beverages) and Go Girl (Nor-Cal Beverage Co.) have failed to crack the market as their inherent 'bad-for-you' image has only appealed to a very young female audience. Simone Baroke explains,"It is not that women are adverse to energy drinks. They simply want them on their terms and this means the 'natural' way, preferably with additional health benefits to boot." Green tea extracts provide the key to women's hearts Coca-Cola and Nestlé are harnessing the health-boosting properties of Enviga's key ingredient, green tea, to promote the product. With its current reputation of being the world's healthiest drink, the demand for green tea has rocketed over the past few years. According to Euromonitor International's research, global sales of ready-to-drink (RTD) green tea have doubled between 2002 and 2005, helped by women who buy into its well-publicised health benefits. Its natural properties include a high level of anti-oxidants and ability to boost metabolism. Enviga is being promoted on the basis of these inherent health credentials, combined with the energy-boosting properties of caffeine. Its possible fat-burning functionality (it claims to burn 60-100 per 3 cans) is a further attention grabber for the female market. Other manufacturers will soon follow suit Other leading players in the soft drinks industry will soon want to tap into this budding market. PepsiCo recently announced that it “wants to give consumers the bubbles they love in a healthier way,” a statement that is guaranteed to appeal to the female audience. The company plans to launch Tava, a carbonated, fortified fruit drink with added chromium, a mineral claimed to boost metabolism and weight loss. Lipton could be the next big brand to introduce an 'energy-boosting' green tea beverage. Euromonitor's Simone Baroke believes that potential success could be just around the corner, “A market for these products most certainly exists. A handful of high-profile product launches may be all that is needed to propel this new hybrid category of green tea-based energy drinks into the mainstream.” For further detail about this article and other related findings, please visit Euromonitor International by clicking here.
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