Coke's Aquarius hydration drink lands in Thailand
COCA-COLA yesterday introduced to the Thai market its "enhanced hydration drink" called Aquarius that has only 90 calories per bottle.
Antonio Del Rosario, general manager of Coca-Cola (Thailand), said Aquarius sought to satisfy consumers who have an active lifestyle and recognise the importance of keeping well hydrated.
“Aquarius fills the gap between drinking water and sports drinks. While sports drinks aim at a very specific sport-occasion consumption, Aquarius is for everyday consumption and provides enhanced hydration and replenishment,” he said. “The emerging enhanced-hydration-drink segment has particularly strong potential in Thailand, where people are exposed to high temperatures and the sun daily. As a result, they typically find themselves in need [of] hydration. We believe the enhanced-hydration-drink segment has strong growth potential in Thailand, where it could be worth as much as Bt10 Bt10 billion within five years.”
Aquarius has been a success in other markets and is one of Coca-Cola’s top 20 brands, with annual sales topping US$1 billion (Bt36 billion).
Coca-Cola wants to replicate its success in Japan, where the enhanced-hydration category is worth around 47 per cent of the total packaged-water market and Aquarius dominates the category as the most popular enhanced-beverage brand.
Aquarius brand is available in 26 countries around the world including Japan, China, Indonesia and South Korea. The brand is poised to launch in more markets in line with a growing trend for enhanced hydration among consumers worldwide, Coca-Cola says.
Prapaipak Weigl, marketing manager for non-sparkling beverages at Coca-Cola Thailand, said: “Aquarius is the biggest product launch of the year for the Coca-Cola system in Thailand. We are investing Bt300 million behind this launch.
