Drink Up another example how marketing behemoths (especially FMCG players), grow by monitoring closely who is growing, then candidly and honestly gauging whether it’s wiser to Build a copycat (Coke launching PowerAde to combat Pepsi’s Gatorade) or to Buy (Dr Pepper-Keurig buys CORE)
https://csnews.com/keurig-dr-pepper-acquire-enhanced-beverage-company
For DrPepper, adding CORE beverages boosts strength in ‘USDA-certified’ organic water, and ‘nutrient-enhanced’ water– err sorry, ‘Hydration vehicles’. Scoff if you will, but fruity water, organic water & certified water is hot; and accounts for a growing share of occasions for beverage drinkers. This buyout adds incremental consumers, consumption occasions & channel credibility (particularly with health shops, organic grocers, restaurants & cafeterias offering ‘organic’ fare, fitness/bodybuilding shops or gyms).
DrPepper already has a huge stable of ‘any occasion’ sports/ activity/ energy/ rehydrating beverage brands that would give a marketer a week’s worth of drawing classes on Positioning Maps (Snapple, Keurig, Motts, Venom, Bai,…and now CORE)
CORE’s channel credibility & Influencer cred may boost Influencer support for ‘the rest of DrPepper’s stable’; this is critical. Arch rival Coke has PowerAde, Dasani and (now) BodyArmor; Pepsi has Mountain Dew, Lifewtr and Gatorade (imo presence in ‘high-cred’ Influencer-rich outlets keeps the Pepsi group ahead of Coke’s line, in terms of having a reputation for being more viably ‘athlete-credible’ or ‘health-credible’ but the purchase of BodyArmor def help out Coke!).
The CORE acquisition certainly raises the efficiency of each DrPepper sales call, however imo something more exciting is that DrPepper gains credible beverage brands that might be expanded into solid foods- eg protein supplements, protein snack bars, meal replacements (these are huge, active markets -imo with exciting futures given Gen Y/ Gen Z tendency to eat & snack on the run &/or possibly as vehicles to pursue opportunities in medical/ serious nutrition counselling markets, or even with Seniors).
Steven
