SoBe Launches Marketing Campaign With 3D Street Artist

via http://www.bevnet.com

SoBe invites fans to explore its latest campaign, “SoBe 3D Worlds of Flavor,” with internationally renowned 3D street artist, Tracy Lee Stum . Starting today in Phoenix, Ariz. in the Legends Entertainment District at Chase Field, Stum will create a series of interactive 3D street art installations inspired by the places that SoBe drink ingredients call home. From the South Pacific to the Mediterranean Sea, the brand’s unique ingredients and flavor combinations like Yumberry Pomegranate, Blood Orange Mango, Strawberry Kiwi and Pacific Coconut invite consumers to embrace their spirit of discovery.

Using various mediums including vinyl, paint, and street chalk, Tracy’s reality-bending, experiential images will transport SoBe fans to remote destinations in the middle of urban jungles where they can step into the picturesque landscape and have their picture snapped in the 3D world. The adventure doesn’t end there; consumers will be able to upload their photo and share with friends as well as sample bold SoBe flavors on-site.

According to Patty Montagno , Senior Brand Manager, SoBe, partnering with Stum gave the brand the opportunity to take fans on an exciting journey right here at home. “The 3D experiences bring to life the carefully crafted SoBe flavors in their natural habitat.  SoBe treats every day as a chance to discover something new and live in the moment.  With a blend of unique ingredients like cava cava and dandelion root, and with bold flavors like acai and cherimoya, SoBe is always committed to bringing a taste of the exotic.”

The “SoBe 3D Worlds of Flavor” tour will remain in Phoenix through April 30, and will continue in various cities throughout the summer. Making stops in Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston, the “SoBe 3D Worlds of Flavor” tour will include on-site sampling, offering fans a chance to enjoy a variety of bold and unique SoBe products.

3 Companies with promising growth potential from Stevia

Until recently, the natural sweetener stevia was found only on the shelves of health stores but has recently moved into the limelight. Beverage giants Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP), in their quest for a healthier, non-artificial sweetener for their beverage lines, have started to use stevia. This plant is part of the sunflower family, and originally native to Paraguay. It has been used as a sweetener there for centuries. The sweetener, which has been approved by the FDA, is a refined preparation of steviol glycosides extracted from the plant's leaves. One of these extracts, Rebaudioside A (Reb A), is 100-300 (number varies by source) times sweeter than sugar. The global sweetener market is estimated at around $56 billion, of which 80% is caloric sweeteners such as sugar and high fructose corn syrup, while the other 20% is comprised of non-caloric sweeteners, dominated by artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and Splenda (sucralose). The World Health Organization believes that natural sweeteners could capture up to 20% of this market.

Coca-Cola and Cargill have filed 24 U.S. patents relating to stevia, and the FDA has approved Truvia, a Reb A sweetener developed jointly by the two companies. Coca-Cola has added Truvia to over 30 products globally, including Diet Coke in Japan where stevia has roughly 40% of the sweetener market. Cargill has marketed Truvia to consumers in individual packets, and is now the number two sweetener behind Splenda. Not to be left behind, PepsiCo has developed a competing stevia-based product, PureVia, jointly with Chicago based Merisant's subsidiary, The Whole Earth Sweetener Company. PureVia can now be found in such beverages as zero calorie beverage Sobe Lifewater, and Trop50, Tropicana's fruit juice beverage with 50% less sugar and calories than regular orange juice. PureVia is also available in grocery stores, competing with Truvia for the sugar substitute market.

Clearly there is an enormous market potential for stevia-based sweeteners, and any food that uses a sweetener should be considered to have growth potential for the product. However, neither Coca-Cola nor Pepsi or their partners actually grow stevia themselves. For the stevia market to develop in an organized fashion, reliable suppliers are required who can produce quality plants with high Reb A content consistently. At this time, most of the available stevia has been grown in places like South America, China and Vietnam. The diversification of growth conditions and differing cultivars of stevia plants grown has led to problems with costs, consistency in taste, and reliable supply, particularly in a broad market such as the U.S.

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SoBe Skinsuit 2012

Name of Company/Competitor: SoBe Lifewater

Name of Campaign/Spot: SoBe Skinsuit   
Date Launched: 1/24/2

Description: Watch Yvonne Strahovski rock the 2012 SoBe Skinsuit, inspired by new SoBe Lifewater with Coconut Water. Hydration never tasted (or looked) so good.
Media Details: TV