Powerade Active Water: The sports drink for everyone
24-07-2019
More than half of all Australians either run, cycle or swim, and our most popular exercise for cardio, strength and flexibility is yoga.
But ask any regular runner or yoga fan if they’re “athletes” and they’ll probably say no. It’s with this large group of people in mind that we developed Powerade Active Water.
“We’re all about listening to what people want and providing more options,” said Andrew Tilley, Coca‑Cola South Pacific brand manager for sports.
“We know a lot of people regularly enjoy an early morning run, sweat it out at yoga or walk or ride their bikes to work. This new drink is for them. Basically, Powerade Active Water is for any time you break a sweat,” Andrew said.
A new kind of sports drink
Powerade Active Water is a new, sugar-free, scientifically formulated drink with natural flavours that utilises Powerade’s ION4 electrolyte system. It comes in three flavours: Peach & Apple, Mango, and Lemon.
“We wanted to hear from people who aren’t regularly into sports drinks. What we heard was that the key barrier to buying sports drinks was sugar, and that taste is king,” Andrew said.
“People want great-tasting drinks without sugar. So our Active Water range is made with natural flavours and sugar alternatives for a great taste.”
“People want great-tasting drinks without sugar. So our Active Water range is made with natural flavours and sugar alternatives for a great taste.”
How we brought Powerade Active Water to life
The Powerade Active Water range started with Powerade’s trademarked ION4 electrolyte system and input from our sports nutritionists. Three new drinks were created, tested and refined over a 12-month period.
According to Andrew, the key to ensuring the team had the recipe right was seeking feedback directly from people, particularly around taste.
“We’re really excited about the new range because we’ve been working really hard to get it right. We have regularly tested the flavours with people to get their feedback throughout the whole process and we have built that feedback into the final product,” he said.
Looking ahead to what this means for the Powerade brand, Andrew said the experience has opened up a whole range of new opportunities.
“I grew up with Powerade. I have a very active lifestyle that sees me train nearly every day and I love our ION4 core range. But that’s not for everyone,” Andrew said.
“What's really cool about Active Water is it opens sports drinks up to new people. If you break a sweat in the gym or while running, then this is the drink for you.”
“What's really cool about Active Water is it opens sports drinks up to new people. If you break a sweat in the gym or while running, then this is the drink for you."
“We think people will love it and, who knows, we may even expand the Active Water range with more great tasting flavours in the coming years,” he said.
Powerade Active Water is available nationwide in 600ml bottles from 22 July 2019.
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