News Published on 27 Nov, 2009
Coca-Cola India to re-enter energy drinks market with Burn
Filed by Bill Bruce
Coca-Cola India is having a second shot at energy drinks, after its first one – Shock – failed to make an impression. The company is set to bring in Burn, one of its global energy drink brands, in the first two weeks of December.
Unlike its other carbonated drinks and juices, Burn will not be mass distributed through conventional retail channels. Instead, the brand’s availability will be restricted to bars, select modern trade outlets, gyms and so on.
The company has apparently been working on plans to launch Burn for over a year. The brand is most likely to be imported, but a company spokesman declined to give details.
Burn, a high-caffeine energy drink, is available in various global markets in packs varying from 250ml, 300ml or 500ml cans. Burn will be priced at a premium; anywhere between Rs 55 to Rs 90 per can.
Burn will be Coca-Cola India’s first launch after juice drink Minute Maid, which it introduced in early 2007. Minute Maid, however, has met with lukewarm sales in the Indian market.
Coca-Cola had brought the carbonated energy drink beverage Shock to India in 2001, with the tagline ‘Unleash your wicked side’, but withdrew it two years later following a lukewarm response from consumers. Shock was positioned as a ‘lifestyle drink’.
Energy drinks remains a nascent category in India, with brands such as Red Bull, Power Horse and SoBe being the better-known names. Apart from pricing, which serves as a deterrent, the category hasn’t picked up scale in India.
Earlier this year, energy drinks were put under the scanner by the Food and Drug Administration in Maharashtra, which seized cans of various energy drink brands, including category leader Red Bull and Cloud 9, charging them with having caffeine content on labels beyond permissible limits.
Source: The Economic Times
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