A continuation of the feature which appeared in the March 2008 edition of Beverage World magazine, looking at some of the notable beverage innovations from across the globe.

EUROPE

Lucozade Alert
Lucozade, one of the world's first sports and energy drinks that has a ubiquitous presence on the sportsfields and in the gym bags of UK athletes, is introducing a new low-calorie stimulation drink aimed at office workers. Lucozade Alert is "designed to combat those everyday energy lulls at work," helped by 80mgs of caffeine per 250 ml serving, the company says. This is the same caffeine content that is found in Red Bull as well as Coca-Cola's new energy drink, Relentless, and compares with about 50mgs of caffeine in a cup of tea and 60 in an average cup of coffee. Lucozade Alert will be rolled out throughout the UK and Ireland in April when it will be available in 250ml bottles and promoted with a £4 million ($7.78 million) marketing campaign.
lucozade.com

St. Edmunds
Traditionally, British brewers have offered different beers for different tastes: light and sparkly beers aimed at dieting women, for example, and dark, heavier concoctions to put hair on the chests of brew aficionados. But now, UK brewer and pub operator Greene King has developed a new cask ale that enables bartenders to give customers a choice between a brew with a head of loose bubbles—as favored, the company says, by drinkers in the south of England—or one with a tighter, creamy head, as preferred up north. The secret is in the company's patent-applied-for "beer engine" behind the bar, which varies the way carbon dioxide is injected into the beer as it's dispensed into the customer's glass. "We wanted people to have a choice," says Greene King managing director Justin Adams.

The beer, named St. Edmunds after the brewer's home town, Bury St. Edmunds, has also been formulated to taste better at cooler temperatures than has been the norm in Britain, reflecting changing consumer tastes, Greene King says. St. Edmunds is also available in bottles in UK stores including Tesco and Sainsbury's.
greeneking.co.uk/stedmunds/stedmunds.html

Sip
There have been cosmoceutical beverages before—drinks designed to give you healthier skin—-but the creators of Sip are coming at it from a unique perspective: "the two Kate's," as they have come to be known in the business, consists of Kate Shapland, who has written a beauty/wellbeing column for the London Telegraph newspaper for many years, and her business partner, Kate Cazenove. Flavors in the range currently include Mango, Lemongrass & Ginger, Elderflower and the newest Ruby Orange with detox benefits. "The seed of the idea for sip evolved as the trend for glamorous holistic beauty has developed," explains Shapland. "We wanted to offer consumers a delicious way to rehydrate and help their skin because we know that most women know that drinking water is good for their skin, but many reach for a double latte or canned fizzy drink instead... Sip is not a medicine; it's a delicious natural drink with beauty benefits, and is designed to complement a skincare regime."
sipdrink.com

Dairy Does Good
Tut Gut Molke, marketed in Austria by Alpenmilch Salzburg, is a functional drink containing a mix of fruit and whey. Tut Gut, which translates into "do good," has an expanded line that includes a yogurt buttermilk drink with honey and lecithin designed for baby boomers to help improve memory and concentration.
milch.com

NORTH AMERICA

Nielsen's P.R.I.S.M.
Expected to take the shopping world by storm, P.R.I.S.M., a new project developed by Nielsen Media and the In-store Marketing Institute, is designed to monitor consumer-shopping behavior. By installing sensors throughout the retail outlet—-entrances, exits and even some aisles—the program is able to record consumer traffic flow. That data is then compared against sales information and allows retailers to gain insight into shopper behavior and purchasing trends. Initial findings revealed such results, for example, like those who visited the dairy aisle were much less likely to make a purchase than those that walked down the salty-snacks aisle. Consumer-good manufacturers and retailers that have already gotten involved with the program include Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart. The program is expected to take effect in the US soon with European markets to follow.
instoremarketer.org

Sweet Spot
Launched in natural and specialty stores in the US, Zevia is an all-natural sugar-free alternative to diet carbonated soft drinks as it contains stevia, an herb native to the South American rainforest that's been used as a sugar substitute in many countries outside the US for centuries. Stevia has 300 times the sweetness of sugar, but does not effect blood sugar levels. Zevia, which comes in all-natural flavors cola, orange and twist, is marketed as a carbonated stevia supplement, since stevia is approved as a dietary supplement in the US, but not as a food additive.


ASIA

Giving a Lift
The cosmeceutical beverage trend shows no signs of slowing as cosmetic firms are now getting into the beverage sector. Japan-based Kanebo Cosmetics launched Kanebo Lifting Collagen Functional Beverage with eye-popping ingredients such as extract of shark fin, swallow's nest and lychee. An anti-aging drink designed for consumers over 40, the drink was developed to give skin a collagen boost and restore elasticity as well as an amino acid complex to smooth wrinkles.
kanebo.com


AUSTRALIA

Tooheys Extra Dry Multi-Media
Last year, those taking the bus in all capitol cities across Australia were able to interact with a broadcast campaign that incorporated LCD, Bluetooth, sound station and wrap executions to spread the word about Tooheys Extra Dry beer. The campaign, developed by Adshel, Lion Nathan, ZenithOptimedia and BMF allowed potential Tooheys consumers to see mini "webisodes," plug headphones into the sound station to hear them and, through Bluetooth capabilities, download the video onto a mobile phone. "Innovative brands can now create truly interactive advertising campaigns by combining our technologies with traditionally static out of home media like street furniture, providing even greater opportunities to engage and interact with audiences in the out of home space," says Anthony Xydis, Adshel marketing director.
adshel.com.au