What will I drink tomorrow?

© Fanta

© Fanta

© Fanta

© innocent

View large image in photo gallery

“Modern consumers are ‘glocal patriots’ – cosmopolitan and “grounded” at the same time,” says Matthias Horx, General Manager of Deutsches Zukunftsinstitut GmbH, in a current study on developments in tomorrow’s beverage markets.

It is above all three trends that will decisively influence developments in the beverage markets of the future. Firstly, regions will be the winners. Regional foodstuffs are trendy; consumers associate them with such terms as “healthy” and “environment-friendly”. Local brands are increasing in numbers. In times of food scandals and a certain scepticism towards globalisation regionality has become a remarkable USP for brands. The term “glocalisation“, however, denotes a type of cultural remix: a combination of familiar with unfamiliar items, an element of surprise is called for. Examples here include wheat beer with prickly pear or the Indian yoghurt drink Lassi – combined with raspberry. Even breweries are now offering more and more exotic flavours or – like the US beer “Stampede Light+” – are advertising with an extra dose of health by enhancing their products with vitamins.

Acupuncture from the bottle

More and more people wish to consume in a healthy and sustainable manner: the so-called LoHaS not only worry about their performance but also how they can treat themselves and the world to something good. No wonder so-called “relaxing drinks” – i.e. anti-energy drinks – will be among the winners in the future. “Slow Cow” is a Canadian drink and works – by the producer’s accounts – like an “acupuncture session in the bottle”. Natural ingredients such as camomile and valerian are meant to de-stress while theanine ensures mental alertness at the same time. Another example is “Zrii” from India. Zrii boasts its 5000-year ayurvedic tradition and is made of the rejuvenating super-fruit Amalaki. Other winners of this trend will be organic drinks and drinks that make the world a little better according to the Deutsches Zukunftsinstitut. When purchasing the latter a share of the revenue goes to a charitable cause. One example of this being the energy drink “Live”. Other striking arguments for LoHaS are re-usable designs or charming details – like the French organic wine of which each bottle comes with a love story...

Smoothies also perfectly reflect the needs of these new target groups – regardless of their age. Nearly everyone on a tight schedule and with little time moving about in an urban environment takes to smoothies these days – being the perfect blend of health and convenience. Transparency, Fair Trade and the add-on strategy – i.e. a claimed added benefit – hold further potential for the future success of a brand.

Ethical Business

According to a study of the Zukunftsinstitut ethical values will characterise consumption and business over the next few years. Enterprises will be expected to strike the right balance between “People”, “Profit” and “Planet” – in other words: their profits must be reconcilable with man’s well-being and habitat. Here the credibility of companies and brands plays a key role. Transparency, measurability and replicability count. Here “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) will become the major challenge for enterprises. Other future trends are “Less is more”, i.e. mini packs, reduction, sample bottles, etc. – and controlled drinking.

Modern Mums

Commissioned by Fanta the Zukunftsinstitut analysed the worlds of modern mums – caught between kids, career and consumption – which have changed fundamentally over the past years. There is no such thing as “the mother” any longer. Doubtlessly, women’s influence is rising and therefore also their demands of self-fulfilment. No other generation of women has been so highly qualified, committed and ambitious. Researcher call this trend “female shift“: the influence of women in business and society is growing fast. Young women are clearly better qualified than men of the same age and therefore consistently conquer the labour market. On a global scale the share of working women has more than doubled over the past 40 years. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) they now account for 40% of the global labour force. The study distinguishes among nine types of mothers – all of them target groups that will also become a strong focus in the future – not only for lemonade manufacturers.