Schweppes aims punch at adults

Coca-Cola GB’s Schweppes brand is to launch a “Pimms-like” lemonade drink called Summer Punch Lemonade to be available this summer between May and September.

It is the first step in a move to alter the way in which the adult-orientated Schweppes brand is perceived. The soft drinks giant says it is to “invest substantially” in Schweppes in 2006 to broaden current consumer perceptions of the brand as the “ultimate mixer specialist”.

Schweppes Summer Punch Lemonade will be available as a limited edition in two litre bottles and is a mixed-citrus flavoured lemonade.

An independent industry source says: “Schweppes Summer Punch is a product that should sell well over the summer. It is aimed at adults and has exotic fruit and mint overtones. It tastes a bit like Pimms, and for that reason it should see a lot of trade as a non-alcoholic alternative for summer parties and barbecues.”

Coke GB marketing director Cathryn Sleight describes the brand extension of the Schweppes portfolio a “logical and natural progression” and says Schweppes can become a key player in delivering “great tasting, sophisticated soft drinks”. Coke claims Schweppes is the fourth largest soft drink brand in terms of household penetration.

Coke sees the product as perfect for its more mature target audience, as more than 70% of branded lemonade is drunk by adults, while 64% of Schweppes’ brand volume is consumed by adults over the age of 30, according to TNS.