Soft Drink Made from Fruit Juices

J2O is a still soft drink made from fruit juices. The name ‘J2O’, chosen because the content of the drink is 50% fruit juice, is a clever marketing ploy as it is a play on the chemical formula for water (H2O). J2O is manufactured by Britvic and sold throughout the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1998 to the on-trade sector (restaurants, bars and clubs) as an alternative to an alcoholic beverage targeting people choosing not to drink alcohol in bars and clubs. When initially released on the market, there were three different flavours available. The bulk of J2O's sales are in the on-trade. However in 2002, due to the brands' popularity within the on-trade sector, ‘J2O’ was made available to the take-home market for the first time, with four-bottle packs being introduced into supermarkets and shops. Seven bottles of J2O are sold every second,and it is the best selling packaged drink in U.K pubs and bars. To this day the brand has grown to a portfolio of products. We will now examine the customer and competitive nature of the market.

The soft drink industry ranges from sparkling drinks, concentrates, juices, bottled water and smoothies. Soft drinks do not usually contain alcohol, though can have up to 0.5% alcohol content. They are generally made on a still or carbonated water base with added flavors and sweeteners, and sometimes fruit juices or caffeine. Soft drinks are also known as Coke, Soda and Pop.

Packaging is key, with more than 1,500 patents filed in the US in the early stages of the soft drink industry for bottle closures such as lids, caps and corks. The industry is reliant on the production of quality bottles and drinking packs to keep products fresh.

Britvic’s portfolio includes still and carbonated brands including Robinson’s, Pepsi, Tango and J2O to name but a few. The J2O brand has a product range in the double digits. This shows