NEW YORK, Aug 15, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- U.S. marketers are touting the
soothing qualities of a new breed of "relaxation beverages" as an alternative to
still-popular energy drinks, analysts say.
Such non-alcoholic beverages as Drank, with its motto "Slow your roll," are
capitalizing on a generation that has become overly hopped-up and stressed out
on energy drinks for the past 10 years and are now looking to slow down, The
Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
"I wasn't the only person speaking 50 miles per hour," Drank inventor Peter
Bianchi told the newspaper. "It was my personal quest to relax the world."
Other relaxation beverages such as Vacation in a Bottle, which calls itself "the
happy relaxation drink," Superliminal Purple Stuff Pro-Relaxation Formula and
iChill are being marketed to consumers as a way to "unwind from the grind," the
Journal said.
Research firm Mintel has indicated that energy drinks, while still the
fastest-growing sector by far in the beverage industry at about $896 million in
sales last year, are starting to level off after years of triple-digit
percentage growth.
"There is room for so much diversification within the beverage market," NPD
Group analyst Harry Balzer told the newspaper. "The one thing we do like as
humans is new things."
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2009 by United Press International