Following 18 months of research and development, Lucozade Energy has changed its Original and Orange flavours.
The new recipes are said to deliver a more “zingy” taste, with a bolder flavour for the Original variant and more citrusy, orange note for Orange. The changes are subtle but are claimed to further elevate the drinks’ flavours, giving Lucozade Energy drinkers more of the unique notes they associate with the brand.
Marketing plans, set to be unveiled in the coming weeks, will work to bring in new consumers to trial Lucozade Energy and help drive retailer sales.
The evolution is part of SBF GB&I’s Core Brand Innovation (CBI) programme, an approach to growing brands created by its global parent company Suntory which has proven successful across markets in Japan and Europe. The process involves continual prototyping and testing, putting the consumer at the heart of the insight and solution.
The Lucozade Energy Orange and Original flavours are also getting a fresh pack design that reveals more of the liquid to shoppers, aimed at creating greater appeal by allowing for more flavour and refreshment cues.
The brand pointed to consumer research that revealed that the new-look sleeves help increase purchase intent among shoppers, as well as making them more likely to spot the new bottle design on shelves.
Zoe Trimble, Head of Lucozade Energy at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, commented: “Core Brand Innovation is at the heart of our approach to brand building. We believe across our business that brands must evolve to keep up with changing consumer needs.
“Our thorough process involves extensive research and agile prototyping with consumers and leans heavily on successful techniques developed by Suntory, our global parent company.
“The goal is to better understand the lives of our consumers, what they’re looking for and what drives their decision making, so we can adapt our brands to meet their needs – delivering a win for our consumers and our customers.
“We are excited to be launching this new taste and look for Lucozade Energy Original and Orange and are confident the bold new flavours and design will help us reach even more shoppers.”
The changes are effective across all Lucozade Energy Orange and Lucozade Energy Original 380ml, 500ml and 900ml bottles for individual sale and inclusion in multipacks.
The packaging changes will roll out across bottles for the remaining Lucozade Energy flavours in the coming months.
NAM Implications:
- This initiative represents Lucozade’s take on their ‘better understanding of the lives of their consumers, what they’re looking for and what drives their decision making’
- Rivals might benefit from reassessing their relative competitive appeal vs Lucozade resulting from these changes.
- The gradual roll-out will provide an opportunity for rivals to tweak their offerings accordingly…
