By Access Asia
We’ve seen sports drinks in China before. Gatorade came into the market several years ago with a big splash but ended up largely exiting the market after sales were lower than expected, with consumers shunning the premium price of the brand. Now however the sports drinks market is in resurgence with new brands launching and existing products stepping up marketing efforts.
The resurgence in sports drinks is linked to the high profile of sport in the country now, a process that was kicked off with last year’s World Cup which featured two key aspects that raised its profile in China – participation from the Chinese national team and the fact that the tournament occurred regionally in Japan and Korea. The sports boom has continued with an upsurge of interest in football, basketball and other sports, and a growth in interest in fitness, health and gyms.
Basketball has become an adopted national sport thanks to widespread promotion of the NBA on TV and the success of Chinese player Yao Ming in the US. Pepsi have managed to capitalise on this trend and the popularity of soccer with sponsorship for David Beckham and Yao Ming.
The rise of a gym culture has led to a range of new energy and sports drinks that claim to add to the healthy experience and promote energy.
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By GlobalDataWith the success of Yao Ming, currently China’s favourite local hero,
Gatorade is looking to get back into the market soon through a co-promotion with the Houston Rockets star. When it first launched in China, Gatorade had a promotional tie-in with the NBA but back then basketball was still an emerging sport and Yao Ming was still a local player with the Shanghai Sharks. Things have moved quickly in China since then.
Other brands are getting into the market too. Japan’s Suntory is utilising the brand recognition it has built up in the beer market to expand nationwide and enter the sports drink market with its energy drink brands while traditional consumer favourite, Jianlibao, has launched a new sports drink called A8, targeting tourism sites and campuses to reach young people aged between 25 and 35 with interests in out-door activities and travelling.
However, many of these drinks come at a premium price and whether consumers are ready now, when they weren’t several years ago, to pay these remains to be seen.
