Beverage Marketing

Beverage marketing touches every aspect of the brand. It communicates key product attributes to consumers, executes promotional programs, manages incentive programs for distributors and retailers, develops co-operative marketing campaigns with strategic partners, conducts and interprets research, stays on top of competitive activity, and is responsive to changing market conditions. It must also administer financial resources with the goal of achieving maximum ROI for every marketing dollar spent. It is important to understand the distinction between two key functional areas of beverage marketing—consumer marketing and channel marketing. Consumer Marketing Activities undertaken by the company to reach the end consumer is the definition of classic consumer beverage marketing. This can include sampling programs, public relations efforts, advertising campaigns, consumer research, internet activation, promotions, and more. Consumer marketing strategies and tactics are an essential part of brand management, and many companies will usually allocate adequate funds in this area. Channel Marketing and Co-op Marketing efforts On the other side of the coin, beverage marketing to the retail trade, or channel marketing, is important as it can strengthen a beverage brand's relationship with key retail partners. An effective channel-marketing program will focus on merchandising activity, heighten in-store awareness, and reach consumers where it matters most—at the point of purchase. A co-op marketing program can be an effective way to partner with a retailer to optimize promotional efforts, such as discount pricing, in-store displays, contests, advertising, direct mail and more. New brand owners will often find themselves inundated with offers and opportunities from vendors looking for promotional dollars. A producer must be able to evaluate these opportunities and determine which ones will best help the brand's growth.

Drink Manufacturing History

The drink manufacturing process in the United States, European Union and Asia, are among the most efficient manufacturing processes in the world. Because of the enormous scale of the drink industry, American, European and Asian drink manufacturers have become increasingly better equipped to manufacture drinks at high speed and low cost while maintaining high standards of quality. Drink manufacturing has a long history, tracing its origins to when drink manufacturers were simply tea brewers, wine growers and home producers. Back then, they produced a little more than they could consume and sold or bartered the rest, giving birth to a new livelihood. Drink manufacturing streamlined and became manufactured on a much larger scale. Vineyards flourished growing more and more grapes that would con into wine, tea plantations produced more tea and facilities that could manage the drink manufacturing process on a regional scale began to spring up to address the growing demand. This growth continued, until the day that Coca-Cola, founded in 1886, became one of the first major international drink manufacturers. Milestones in the Drink Manufacturing Industry 1966: Gatorade was born. Soon it would become the worlds first popular sports drink, and drink manufacturing would never be the same. 1971: Starbucks emerged, putting Seattle on the drink industry map, indicating another turning point for the industry. 1972: A couple of natural food storeowners wondered if the drink industry was ready for a healthier alternative beverage. Since then, Snapple has kept drink manufacturers busy for over 35 years. 1978: Perrier and Evian became the first widely available bottled waters in United States. 1980: Until Odwalla, the only way to get fresh juice was to squeeze it yourself. The drink industry has changed for the better with this innovative company. 1981: Red Bull energy drink started its iconic rise to become one of the most successful drink manufacturers in history. 1982: Diet Coke became the nation's favorite diet soda. 1992: Pepsi-Cola revolutionized drink distribution by including Lipton and Ocean Spray as part of its drink distribution strategy. 1995: Pepsi introduced Aquafina, and Coca-Cola introduced Dasani. Now bottled water is one of the largest segments of the drink industry and is here to stay. 1996: SoBe defined the functional drink category. 2007: Coca-Cola buys vitaminwater for a record $4.1 billion dollars, and the drink industry keeps growing.