The consumption of energy drinks per capita in the world is increasing annually, this is confirmed by the data of the analytical center GlobalData. In Ukraine, this market is still young, but is developing rapidly. In 2020, more than 6 million dal of non-alcoholic energy drinks were sold in our country, which is double the sales volumes of 2016.
Nielsen survey for the first half of 2021 shows the leadership of New Products Group among the producers of non-alcoholic energy beverages in Ukraine. The consolidated share of the сompany’s “energy” brands has almost reached the mark of 50% of the market in liters: PIT BULL™ holds 28.2%, NON STOP™ – 18.2%, another 3.5% belong to GREEN ENERGY™.
Gennadiy Dovgan, Chief Marketing Officer at New Products Group, told the specialized media World of Packaging (the magazines “World of Products” and “World of Packaging”) what, in his opinion, is the key to the company’s success. First of all, it is consistent compliance with a forward-looking strategy aimed at supporting and developing global trends:
Döhler experts note that the production of energy drinks with the addition of active components of plant origin, useful vitamin complexes, natural food colorings and fruit juices is actively growing in the world. In 2020 New Products Group released the first on the Ukrainian market completely natural energy drink without preservatives and artificial additives, with a reduced sugar content – NON STOP Evolution.
Europe and the United States continue to explore the health benefits of superfoods, particularly non-narcotic cannabis. During the past 10 years, nearly 500 food products containing cannabis have been produced worldwide, and about 150 of them are beverages. In 2018, New Products Group joined the trend: GREEN ENERGY™ became the first energy drink in Ukraine with natural cannabis extract, and just within a year it has taken 6% of the market.
Year by year globalization makes the consumer more and more demanding, which stimulates the rapid development of new segments and categories of “energy” products. Such creative novelties as energy gels and shots, energy bars, and dry energy mixes appear. Thus, in summer 2021, as a result of collaboration between NON STOP ™ and ice cream producer “Rud” the first Ukrainian energy fruit ice NON STOP™ with caffeine, taurine and vitamin complex, which has similar properties to the drink with the same name, was released.
The PIT BULL brand as well is going to offer customers innovative novelties: functional fitness energy drinks with increased content of vitamin C and BCAA amino acids, which increase the body’s stamina during sports activities.
A precondition for the сompany’s success on the market is its focus on the real behavior of the consumer. In 2017, New Products Group started producing energy drinks in a new format – a convenient 0.25-liter aluminum can that is easy to take with you and finish it off. NON STOP™, GREEN ENERGY™ and PIT BULL™ beverages are currently available in such packaging.
Another step towards the wishes of the audience was the expansion of the standard “energy” taste of tutti-frutti with other extraordinary flavors, such as pineapple, guava and rosemary (NON STOP Boost), lychee, guava and mint (NON STOP Ultra), etc.
The marketing strategy of New Products Group provides step-by-step moving away from traditional advertising, which is becoming less and less effective in today’s world. Not just the current level of sales is important, but also building customers’ loyalty in the long-term perspective. In this way, the company’s brands continue to build their own media platforms and form a community of admirers.
In 2012, the first Ukrainian rap battle Pit Bull Battle was launched, and in 2019 – a YouTube-tournament of mixed martial arts Pit Bull Fight. The unique native formats allow us to naturally engage young people and make them active co-creators of projects and brands’ ambassadors. For this approach in 2020, Pit Bull received four prizes at once at the Effie Awards Ukraine, in particular the Gold Award.
In Ukraine, the product, which contains stimulating and tonic substances, is still associated with a lot of myths, which arise as a result of lack of awareness. That is why for New Products Group as the largest Ukrainian manufacturer of caffeine-containing energy drinks, the most important principle is the highest level of openness.
Taking into account the experience of the segment development abroad, in 2014 the largest manufacturers and distributors of energy drinks in Ukraine, in particular the New Products Group, united in the social initiative “Сonsume Sensibly”, which takes care of comprehensive consumers’ awareness about the ingredients of energy drinks and provides professional recommendations for the rational consumption of caffeinated beverages.
«Today, the manufacturer constantly looking for new technological and strategic approaches that can meet the needs of the audience and form new markets. Now it covers a much wider context than just producing quality products. From forecasting and anticipating changes in preferences to creating own wide socio-, eco-, media initiatives, the modern market leader needs to make sure that his product has been existed for the consumer long before the moment of purchase and accompanies certain areas of his life long afterwards», – Gennadiy Dovgan, Chief Marketing Officer at New Products Group, summed up.
Read the full version of the analytical article in the latest issue of “World of Products” magazine and on the World of Packaging website: https://packaging.com.ua/content/nnovac-yn-ta-kroskategor-yn-r-shennya-gk-nov-produkti-2181