Coca Cola Joins Big Alcohol
First Japan, now the UK, U.S. sugary beverage giant Coca-Cola has joined Big Alcohol with the launch of a premium mixer range. This new product is designed to mix cola with dark spirits and comes in four flavors. It will launch in the UK in June 2019 boosted by an aggressive marketing campaign. The product called “Coca-Cola Signature Mixers” will be available both in the on-trade, off-trade and grocery stores.
Coca Cola’s expansion into the alcohol market with premium mixer comes as more and more alcohol users are increasingly preferring expensive mixers. In a global first for the company, three alcoholic lemon beverages were launched in Japan in May 2018. Coca Cola attempted to exploit new markets and consumers with thes lemon flavoured alcopops.
Joining Big Alcohol, with the launch of alcoholic sugary mixers in both the Japanese and Western European market these products aim at a growing market of young alcohol users – especially women.
The alcohol content of the three Japanese products are high, ranging from 3% to 8%. In the UK, Coca Cola is now producing the four most popular mixers – after researching tastes in focus groups. The beverage giant is moving agressively to get their share of profits from this growing market.
Under CEO James Quincey the company was undergoing a “change in mindset” to reduce its reliance on its core sugary drink brands.
Evidently this change has led to teaming up with Big Alcohol. As always it seems to be a case of profit at the expense of public health.
It has been found time and again brand loyalty predicts more alcohol use. By joining Big Alcohol, Coca Cola will inevitably influence its large base of consumers and specially youth to use alcohol, despite the growing burden of alcohol on health, economy and society.
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