Factors That Influence The Position Of Crescent Pure Of The Contemporary Market Space

Gatorade is a flagship brand of PepsiCo and has a commanding 75% market share of the sports nutrition beverage marketplace globally, being sold into 80 different countries according to the latest PepsiCo annual report published in late 2011. Gatorade's success in branding and product marketing has actually expanded the global market for sports nutrition beverages during the late 1990s and into the 21rst century. Recently however the company has faced many channels including product line extensions of the last decade which failed to deliver strong results (Pollack, 1997) and a more critical analysis of their ingredients as many of their beverages are sold in public schools (Tallon, 2009). Despite these challenges however, Gatorade continues to experience strong market share and growth. The intent of this analysis is to evaluate and provide recommendations for each of the four areas of the marketing mix including product, price, promotion and place or distribution.

The existing concentrate business is largely controlled by Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) and PepsiCo (Pepsi), together claiming a combined 72% of the U.S. carbonated soft drink (CSD) market sales volume in 2009. Refer to Exhibit 1 for an illustration of the CSD industry value chain. For more than a century, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have maintained growth and large market shares through mastering five competitive forces, shown in Exhibit 2, that drive profitability and shape the industry structure.

Competition within the carbonated drink categories, as well as other categories such as water and sport drinks.

Poter 's Five Competitive Forces Analysis for Concentrate Producers, Bottlers, and Retailers in the Soft Drink Industry

This document is part of the requirements of the Foundations of marketing course, the University of Newcastle. It is the first part of the marketing plan for Red Bull, the leader of energy drinks market.

JBI distributes principally bottled sports drinks provided by small specialty beverage companies. The company’s discounts policy depends on customers and is based on a number of commercial factors.

Our client, Premier Drinks of Sofia, Bulgaria specializes in the production and distribution of soft drinks and has been the primary soft drink company in Bulgaria for over 20 years. The company produces a variety of products that include carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, table water and energy drinks. For the past year Enhanced Analytics has delivered an expensive and competitive marketing campaign for Premier Drinks, but despite the continuous effort, careful management and professional dedication Premier Drinks have reported a drop in sales.

| Weaknesses: * Pays extra payment for new flavor. * More expensive to produce than other sports drinks. * Deciding the segment to target. * How to position the product in the mind of its potential consumers

Gatorade has emerged as the global leader in sports nutrition beverages by continually managing their brand to signify high energy, athletic excellence combine with one of the most efficient new product development and introduced processes in the beverage industry. As a result of being able to consistently synchronize these many components of their business so well, Gatorade today holds a 75% market share in the sports nutrition market globally today. Gatorade is owned by PepsiCo, which has made it possible for the company to sell in 80 countries today. Gatorade relies heavily on the PepsiCo distribution and retail network globally. Gatorades' revolutionary approach to managing branding for beverages has served to increase the total market size for this product category globally (Huang, Sarigöllü, 2012). Despite the continued widespread adoption of Gatorade as a healthy energy drink, the company has encountered resistance to its brand and the ingredients used for creating the many variations of Gatorade energy drinks (Tallon, 2009). Despite these setbacks the Gatorade brand continues to experience exceptional growth and stability over time.

The effect of this aggressive competition can be seen in Figure 2, which shows a sharp decrease in Lucozade’s market share from 2002, following the introduction of Powerade (owned by Coca-Cola) and C&C Club Energise (introduced in 2003) to the market. Every year since 2006, however, has seen Lucozade Sport regain market share, firmly consolidating its position of market dominance in Ireland. This trend endorses the quality of Lucozade Sport’s marketing, as it is succeeding in fighting off stiff competition. “Functional drinks is dominated by Lucozade brand, with Lucozade Energy and Lucozade Sport recording a combined volume (market)  share of  54%  in 2009” as stated in Euromonitor International (2011).

Portland Drake Beverages (PDB) had acquired Crescent Pure, a non-alcoholic, all natural energy enhancing and hydrating functional beverage. Having organic ingredients as the bases of Crescent Pure beverages made the perfect acquisition for extending the PDB organic brand to more markets. These multiple attributes made the drink an attractive product for the consumer, but the necessity to position it, sparked a debate. Some people wanted to market it as an energy drink, while others wanted to market it as a hydrating drink. The VP of marketing, Sarah Ryan, thought that although Crescent Pure fit both of these categories, there was an alternative option. The third option would be to position the new beverages as healthy drinks, this would be a broader market positioning strategy, one that a transcendent product like Crescent Pure, could fulfill. The concern was to simultaneously position the drink in the most lucrative market, while also ensuring that the drinks attributes aligned with the market consumers’ needs.

Lucozade Sport uses a strategy which is specific to sportsmen and sportswomen in order to sell their product. I will be analysing the segmentation, targeting and positioning strategy that Lucozade Sport adopt while also talking about how Lucozade Sport’s marketing mix which ensures it stands out from other competitors. The information gathered has been collected from various websites and articles to do with Lucozade Sport.

This report will critically be discussing the marketing strategy, position and the marketing mix employed by LUCOZADE and the use of some principles. Therefore, the analysis will help to identify how brand is positioned in the energy drinks market and how company promotes its product. After analysing existing marketing strategies, recommended future strategies will be given to advice companies of where the brands are leading to and how they will get there.

Red bull has dominated the energy market for a decade now. Its popularity and stylish design has allowed it to be charged at a premium price. Red Bull is a stylish and vibrant energy drink that is priced at least five times higher than the ordinary soft drink. Red Bull strongly believes that it offers its consumers something more than a beverage; it believes that it offers them a ‘way of life.’ It provides its consumers with energy and related brainpower to make the most of their time. Due to all of the above reasons, Red Bull can afford to price itself at such a high price. Therefore, it is important that Red Bull chooses those markets where the people have the financial capacity to purchase their product

Milton Berle once said, "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door," which is a prominent quote that highlights the motivational perspective startup companies should adopt to be successful both financially and functionally. Crescent Pure's founder, Peter Hooper, had motive in mind and that was to create a product alternative to energy drink and performance-enhancing drinks. The innovation of an organic, all-natural beverage that has herbal stimulants and electrolytes led to creation this company (the door he built). As with any startup, Crescent has to determine who the target market is and the perspective to establish in order to engage these consumers. The two positioning strategies that are under consideration are the energy drink or sports drink segments that would gain market momentum and stimulate revenues. One limitation that Crescent has to navigate is that the production capacity inhibited market presence, which led to