A spoonful of sugar could make the sales go down

This year, the soft drinks industry, and more specifically, fruit juice companies, could soon have a bittersweet taste in their mouths. Government advisers are now referring to Fruit Juice as the “new tobacco”, with juices being said to contain as much sugar as Coca-Cola.

With fruit juice no longer being considered the ‘healthy’ option, numerous soft drinks companies are looking to capitalise on this, seeping into the gaps that will soon permeate the sugary beverage industry.

Coco-Cola has kicked off what it is promising to be a massive year for their sugar free offering, Coke Zero. Caroline Carter, Coco-Cola’s Operational Marketing Director, commented on the launch of their new “Just Add Zero” campaign, stating that they hope to “establish Coke Zero as an icon to a new generation”. Carter goes on to explain that the campaign reflects their “on-going commitment to highlight the choices available for consumers who don’t want to compromise on taste for zero sugar and zero calories”.

In a considerate and beneficial move for the mother of all soft drinks brands, Britvic, JD Weatherspoon will now be giving away Britvic’s 7 Up Free on draught. This will hopefully see a rise in their profits for 2014. As the issue of sugar in drinks becomes more ferocious, this could be a great opportunity for Britvic to consider a sugar free Fruit Shoot or other 0% sugar offerings.

Although they already have the established distribution and manufacturing lines, it's not just the beverage giants that have an opportunity to innovate in this climate. If a smaller brand can  identify how consumers really feel, as opposed to how they think they should feel because of societal pressures, they will have a fighting chance in an otherwise saturated marketplace.