Sports and Energy Drinks - UK-
Attitudes towards Sports Drinks
Key points
●
Barriers to entry
for non-users beyond interest in sport are the perceived taste and cynicism
about product claims.
●
Consumers have a
better understanding of the functional benefits of sports drinks and agree that
they help with hydration, extra endurance and replenishing energy levels after
exercise.
●
Despite this,
consumers remain cynical about whether they represent value for money. Juice
Doctor and My Goodness are examples of drinks manufacturers that are given
greater ‘street cred’ because they are run and owned by athletes.
●
Sports drinks are
not seen by users as limited to just the sports usage occasion and are in a
position to more aggressively challenge bottled water.
“Which, if any, of these statements
about sports drinks do you agree with?”
FIGURE 48: Attitudes towards
sports drinks – all adults and drinkers, April 2009
|
|
All adults
|
Drinkers of sports drinks
|
|
Base:
adults aged 16+
|
1,000
|
413
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
They
are good for rebuilding energy levels after sport and other physical
activities
|
16
|
31
|
|
I
use them when I’m not playing sport
|
13
|
30
|
|
They
are too expensive for what they are
|
28
|
30
|
|
They
are better than water when exercising/playing sport
|
13
|
27
|
|
They
are good for extra endurance during sport and other physical activities
|
13
|
25
|
|
They
help me get through a busy day
|
10
|
21
|
|
I
don't believe the claims made for them
|
25
|
17
|
|
I
am confused by the language these products use (eg isotonic, hypotonic, etc)
|
17
|
17
|
|
They
only give me a short boost rather than lasting throughout my exercise
|
6
|
12
|
|
They
improve mental alertness
|
5
|
11
|
|
They
are not good for you
|
13
|
8
|
|
I
don’t like the taste
|
11
|
3
|
SOURCE:
Toluna/Mintel
Barriers and non-barriers to entry
●
The
Figure below looks at the attitudinal difference between the population as a
whole and what users think of sports drinks – and in this way isolates the
barriers to entry specifically for non-users.
The
main barriers to entry for non-users (ignoring specific occasions for usage
which they will inevitably score lower on) are:
●
cynicism
about product claims
●
taste
●
they
are less likely to think they are better for hydration than water.
Those
factors which are not a barrier to
entry for new users are:
●
value
for money
●
health
worries
●
confusion
about language.
Clearer functional benefits compared
to energy drinkers…
●
There
is much less concern about sports drinks being unhealthy than is the case with
energy drinks, with fewer than one in ten drinkers (and only marginally more
adults in general) thinking they are not good for you, compared to a fifth of
energy drink consumers believing the same of energy drinks. Whilst consumers
seem confused about the benefits of energy drinks, sports drinks are perceived
by users as having clear physical functional benefits:
●
hydration
●
extra
endurance
●
replenishing
energy after exercising.
●
Mintel’s
research suggests that sports drinks are in a particularly strong position to
challenge the struggling bottled water market, with over a quarter of users
considering them to be better than water when exercising or playing sport.
However, amongst the general population, only 13% believe this, suggesting that
this is a well-kept ‘secret’ amongst users. As many of the population do not
play sport, these products can promote the advantages of hydration in everyday
life, eg to cope with the heat of London Underground or when walking to work.
…but also cynicism about whether
they represent value
●
Despite
having faith in the functional benefits of sports drinks, three in ten users
(marginally more than the population as a whole) think they are too expensive
for what they are. This suggests that it is the users as much as the public who
think that the claims are overstated.
●
Value
is linked to belief in functional benefits and, despite consumers having a
clearer understanding of the physical advantages of imbibing sport drinks,
there are still one in six users who do not believe the claims made about them.
Authenticity is a key competitive
advantage
●
The
use of sporting role models that genuinely see the benefits of a sports brand
and use it within their training schedule can help to improve credibility. For
example, companies such as the fruit drinks company, the Juice Doctor, with
Steve Redgrave as a director, and My Goodness, which is part owned by athletes,
have a definite advantage when it comes to appealing to consumers seeking
authenticity.
Versatility beyond sport
●
Despite
their name, amongst those who drink them, sports drinks are not seen as only
for sports use, with three in ten drinkers admitting they use them when they
are not playing sport, and a fifth of users viewing them as something to help
them through a busy day. Amongst the general population, however, they are seen
firmly as being an aid to sport and this is naturally a barrier to increasing
the consumer base.
●
There
is potential to grow the user base by targeting a wider range of consumers,
such as white- or blue-collar workers, housewives and motorists, but the
perception of the products as being solely for sportsmen needs to be changed to
broaden their appeal.
Tastier than energy drinks
●
Although
disliking the taste of energy drinks is fairly low amongst product users (11%),
for sports drinks it is virtually non-existent (3%), which makes them more
accessible than energy drinks as a more flavoursome alternative to water as
well as carbonates and fruit drinks.
Confusion about jargon
●
There
is still a sizeable portion (one in six) of consumers who do not understand the
‘jargon’ that is specific to the sports drink sector, such as isotonic and
hypotonic.
●
Interestingly,
confusion is no higher amongst the general population (also one in six) than
amongst users. This suggests that labelling can work harder to explain these
terms simply, which can improve consumers’ perceptions of functionality.
●
Rather
than use jargon/scientific terms, sports drink brands can focus more on
communicating the benefits that consumers can expect, such as hydration, extra
stamina and replenishment after exercise. For example, Gatorade’sUK website has a fluid loss calculator where, in a few
clicks, people can measure the amount of fluid they will lose based on
different activities and depending on the duration and temperature. This allows
consumers to see for themselves the everyday hydration benefits of
sports/energy drinks.
Read Consumer Attitudes towards Energy Drinks. Contact Mahasagar Publications for Dissertation Writing Help.
