The next generation of bottled water drinkers is the target of a new brand called Drench from Britvic Soft Drinks, which is seeking to increase its presence in the category as carbonated drinks continue to slump.
Drench is being hailed as the first bottled water designed specifically with 16 to 24 year olds in mind.
Its entry into the booming take-home category will increase pressure on major players such as Coca-Cola to launch a water brand in the UK after the Dasani disaster.
Britvic says still spring water brand Drench, on shelf in January, will add
an extra 5.5 million consumers to the bottled water category.
The £577m mineral water category alone is growing at 9.4% [ACNielsen, MAT, 52 w/e October 1, 2005]
Rather than following the traditional method of focusing on provenance, Drench will be marketed as a branded unisex water for on-the-go drinking with a flip-top anti-leak valve on 500ml and 750ml bottles and a wraparound logo.
Andrew Marsden, category director at Britvic Soft Drinks, said the design would give it true resonance among young people who were not so concerned about provenance.
“There are lots of bottled waters but many are not designed for people on the move,” he said.
“Most brands are quite female-orientated and many males are not enthusiastic about being seen with a bottle.”
A £2.3m campaign will support Drench, with Britvic opting for outdoor marketing and sampling rather than TV.
John Place, soft drinks buyer at Somerfield, said: “Britvic has identified a gap in the market by targeting the younger consumer.”
Britvic is also relaunching its Pennine Spring mineral water in January.
Beechams is showing people how they can avoid the snuffles in winter with a TV campaign breaking today (November 26). Two ads, part of a £5.4m spend on the brand, continue a folklore theme looking at old wives’ remedies for cold and flu sufferers. Both carry the strap ‘Until there’s a cure, there’s Beechams’ and focus on Beechams All-in-One and Beechams Flu Plus, including the new Hot Drinks stick sachet.
Stefan Chomka