A New Category We Could All Use
Do you have a sponsor in the "relaxation beverage category?" The Annual Atlantic City Marathon does. Today they announced that RelaxZen - "the fastest growing product in the burgeoning relaxation beverage category" - will be an official sponsor of the 51st Annual Atlantic City Marathon, the fourth oldest in the country.
“As an 11 time marathoner and two time Ironman finisher,” said RelaxZen's Chief Relaxation Officer, Nick West, “I believe it is important for us to show our support of athletes. I know RelaxZen will help a lot of competitors achieve their personal record.”
These days it seems that the beverage category could be sliced and diced in quite a few ways.... bottled water, energy drink, rehydration, non-alcoholic, soft drink, beer, liquor, wine to name a few.. and now relaxation.
With consolidation of the sports drinks category and an increasingly fragmented selection of energy drink products on the market, relaxation beverage seems like a good bet to be the next big beverage category. On the front lines of the new beverage battle are ViB (Vacation in a Bottle), Drank, Purple Stuff, Gatorade Tiger and several other relaxation beverages
"The gloves are officially off," says ViB co-founder Travis Hollman.
According to Hollman, a great deal of media attention has surged around "energy drinks," but he says the real fight lies in the fast-growing relaxation drink market.
The relatively new category, of course, has the potential to create a fight not only amongst competing brands, but also put a strain on sponsor-property relationships. Are relaxation drinks competitive to other beverage categories? In a race to secure category exclusive partnerships, properties and sponsors often overlook critically important provisions for potential new entrants and categories. And you can bet there will be more variations, adjacent categories and off shoots of the relaxation beverage category.
In fact, it seems there already are.
“The DAY formula is perfect before or after a race to calm the muscles and focus the mind," said RelaxZen's Chief Zen Officer, Brent Sonnek-Schmelz. "The NIGHT formula helps induce a restful sleep, which is necessary for peak performance."
