"There is an overriding focus on health and wellness in the beverage category," says Gary Hemphill, senior v.p., Beverage Marketing Corp., New York. With milk having both these attributes-naturally-dairy ingredients will likely be included in many of the new beverages rolled out in 2005.
With that said, packaging and promotion are also more important than ever before in the marketing of such products, as the budgets of the competition (carbonated soft drink marketers) are some of the largest in the consumer products segment. And, these companies, too, have embraced the health and wellness trend. This is exemplified in new 7 UP™ Plus®, which is the first carbonated soft drink to be fortified with vitamins and minerals.
When it comes to packaging, one of the most innovative single-serve packages to enter the U.S. marketplace is the self-heating, rigid paper can that now contains a range of Wolfgang Puck® lattes. Made with premium coffee and whole milk, the beverage warms to 145