0:00 Big Soda At Work 2:19 Consumers Wising Up 5:42 Triumph of Science 8:09 Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo 10:00 The Industry's Reckoning 12:45 The Chosen One 15:51 Long Way Home 18:47 New Players, Same Threats 19:18 A Future of Known Unknowns Viewers may find some clips in this episode to be pixelated and low quality (480p at best or 240p at worst). It was an intentional decision to use pre-2010's footage for certain segments. I felt it would be a more authentic viewing experience to use footage directly from the era that this episode covers - notably the mid 2000's when Internet was dial-up, information was communicated exclusively through magazines or cable news, and Americans were coming to terms for the first time with obesity / nutrition / health / diet. *Topics that didn't make the final cut of this episode to read after watching:* - M&A is truly the tool of corporate America. Pepsi did acquire SodaStream in 2018 for ~$3B in an effort to bring sparkling waters directly into consumers' homes as a few commenters have kindly shared their experience below. To me, SodaStream's at-home sparkling water maker (having a machine that can carbonate your water and consumers mix in the syrups / flavors they want) is eerily similar of Keurig's Kold at-home soda maker. Kold was eventually discontinued due to product issues and too high of a price point at ~$350. SodaStream on the other hand has a significantly more favorable entry point (starting at ~$100). - It's interesting that both SodaStream and Kold have elements of the old HP printer model, where consumers pay for one fixed $$$ cost upfront (machine) but have to regularly spend $-$$ over the lifespan of the product to continue using the product (gas canisters with SodaStream, pods for Kold / normal Keurig, ink cartridges for printers). - To me, the appeal of sparkling water consumption is the opening of the physical aluminum can that's identical to soda. That crack and sip sound is engrained deep and primed in consumer psychology as a satisfying sound. I can't speak for SodaStream or Keurig, but the notion of filling up a mug or Hydroflask with sparkling water without that cracking opening the can feels like it would take away from some of the appeal. - Topo Chico was acquired by Coca-Cola for ~$220M, which has a cult following in Texas. But the strategy Coca-Cola is taking Topo Chico sparkling mineral water these days is less in La Croix / bubly / AHA's direction and more in the alcoholic Truly / WhiteClaw / High Noon hard seltzer market. - In the context of United Airlines only serving bubly comment, I'm fairly confident what's happening with La Croix is that it's losing its seat at the table when it comes to B2B institutional deals, where PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have a much more established sales network and stronger existing relationships with corporate clients. If I put myself in the shoes of a major airline, hotel, restaurant, gas station or any business that sells beverages for $$$, it is far easier for me to procure all my beverages (soft drinks, juice, sparkling water, bottled plain water, diet soda) through 1 single contract with PepsiCo or Coca-Cola. In return, I'll probably get a discount because of my exclusivity with PepsiCo or Coca-Cola so my beverage profit margins are even better + consumers will get what they want. - If I really want La Croix in my business, I have to sign my own contract with National Beverage which adds operational overhead and supply chain complexity when I don't need it - while they can give me a leading sparkling water brand and some juices, I would still need another entirely different supplier to give me my plain bottled water, soft drinks, diet sodas and more. I'm sure the same is playing out in grocery stores where La Croix's shelf-space is being eaten away by Bubly and AHA as Big Soda can easily cut deals with the supermarkets to get the best shelves / aisles / exposures. - Not sure why international expansion is not a strategic investment for National Beverage Corporation. Big Soda has made APAC and EMEA as its most strategic high-growth markets and the demand for sugary soda in those regions has not declined (in some cases, has even gone up) vs. America. As the episode says, sparkling water seems to still be mostly an American phenomenon.
Another hit against La Corix in especially Europe is that the sparkling water market already is saturated. The market is filled with alternatives, even Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have their local brands and partners.
In the states, you can buy Bubly which is pretty much the same thing as Lacroix, it’s cheaper, and it’s owned by Pepsi. Would imagine coke has one too, but I dont stay up to date on a nasty soda company lol Not that Pepsi isn’t nasty, but my ex drank those and I was wondering which corporate conglomerate owned it
@@wesleylowe4256 maybe im just a snob, but Bubly tastes nothing like lacroix to me. Also lacroix has much better flavors like apricot, mango, peach pear, guava, etc.
@@wrong1029 ye I’d say bubly is def meant to be a cheaper alternative, I’m usually just seeing flavored like grape, cherry, maybe lime/citrus. That being said, they are both just carbonated water and natural Fruit flavorings
It's truly disgusting how easy and cheap it is for big companies to buy anybody's opinion. Torturing reality into submission. Just like cigarette, companies
The thing about it that baffles me the most is how they didn't even need to do it in order to stay dominant, like if they just didn't try to hide the fact that chugging sugary drinks was bad for you in excess, they would never have become such a generally hated industry. Like humanity has known that alcohol is horrible for thousands of years and it isn't like we fucking stopped getting smashed every weekend.
@@deathdude42 who thinks Coke or most other sodas are healthy? Maybe way back when it first came out but nowadays we have too much information everybody knows soda is not good for you and people still choose to drink it
that's not what they said. they said that sugary drinks don't contribute any more to a glucose spike than any other sugar-containing food (which, as you know, includes carbs!) that's not a lie.
IT doesn't though lack of control does... Like I almost was diabatic but then moderated my intake to around 40mg a day and was fine... So saying sugary drinks is the sole cause and most be banned becuase of it will get people like me killed who do need them to get the majority of our calories which you do need to survive like sugar unlike what some people think. Edit Spelling
I've been drinking La Croix my whole life, so it was really weird to me how it all of a sudden got popular. I still don't know that I've ever seen a proper ad for it. It used to be generic (cheap) Perrier, which is why we bought it.
That seems to be a sentiment I've heard more recently as well. I personally prefer lacroix flavors to perrier, even just the unflavored sparkling water is better (pellegrino takes the cake though). But the fridge at my job is stocked with perrier vs another building in the company has lacroix and teh guys down the street with the lacroix in the fridge say we got all the nice shit in the fridge and I was shocked because I much prefer lacroix flavor for flavor and I have only ever habitually drank pellegrino or lacroix when it comes to sparkling water and perrier has always been my least favorite. I'll even take newcomers like spindrift over perrier. For reference this is coming from someone who prefers the taste of generic supermarket brand still water over fiji and (most of) the likes so it's not even a status thing for me. 90% of what I drink on a daily basis is water so I most definitely notice the flavor differences.
Been drinking flavored seltzer since I was a kid. Agreed, it's so odd that suddenly it got so popular when it's been around since forever. I used to drink Andirondak branded seltzer but it's all the same. Used to be a very regional business with Polar I think the only one that was national.
La Croix may hold the reins of power but like all Ventrue he has,.. strong personality traits that can be exploited against his long term interests. Heed the words of the regent Maximillian Strauss fledgling. Hope that helps :)
Another thing that la croix needs to get on is restaurant sales. I've NEVER seen the option to buy la croix at a restaurant in non-canned form. You can't get it at soda fountains or in your glass at sit down restaurants. For a lot of people I know, these restaurant visits and the ONLY time they have soft drinks. If they can't get a la croix there, they'll never drink it at all.
It never even remotely crossed my mind that soda might be a temporary thing that society eventually outgrows. It's always felt like a staple of society, an immovable, irreplaceable axiom of modern life. The last few decades have shown that it's entirely possible that sugary soda might eventually decline to a specialty item over the next century. To me, that's an odd thing to consider, since "fizzy water with light flavoring" is incredibly unappealing. But that's just me.
Cut the middleman out and stick with water, tea and coffee if you like. Flavored sparkling water is for parties and sugar soda is not even allowed in my house. That shit is just bad for you.
I think la croix is nigh tasteless and prefer san pelligrino anyway. But I quit soda back in 2008 and can count on one hand the number of times I've had it since.
I was surprised you didn't mention the "sparkling" insurgence into other beverage industries such as beer and alcohol. Brands like White Claw leading the charge that then prompted the rise in other sparkling or seltzers in brands like Bud Light, Dos Equis, as well as non-alcoholic brands like TopoChico
Big credit to the level of research man, where do you find these clips/interviews? It's amazing and really helps tell the story more than just graphs and numbers.
Ever fresh is a giant brand. They have orange juice at every gas station in the whole country. Most liquor stores too. It was probably what made the most of their money before Lacroix took off
Thank for the note Zachary! Grew up frugal and low-income so was not exposed to gas stations and liquor stores, much less their beverage sections until much later on in life. Caprisun, Tree Top, Tropicana, Minute Maid, Kern were the juices that given out during school. Only once did we get those small round bottles of Martinellis and those were a big deal.
Sparkling water has a long history in Europe, but also flavored sparkling water has been booming at least in Scandinavia for literally decades. It was only a matter of time (~15 years it seems) before America or someone else caught on. Interesting thing about the Scandinavian market is that the brands mostly stay within their country of origin. Like you **can** get the Swedish Ramlösa in Norway (and sometimes even Stenkulla), but the market there is definitely cornered by the Norwegian Farris and their lime/lemongrass and mango/orange flavors
here in the Netherlands it came in steps. like sure both regular as sparkling water have been there for years. in the late 90's early 00's you had things like Aquarius water. (more water downed sodas) during the late 00's and 10's you hade things like Spa with fruit. but like the last few years you also have seen the rise of sparkling/flat water with only fruit aroma. that latest version is booming. and that is pure water with a smell. showing that for flavour you only need to fool the nose for most.
La croix isn’t the only brand of sparkling water available in the US. There are so many options available here, with so many different flavors to choose from. Also seltzer has been around in the US for nearly as long as Europe, it’s just gaining more popularity now
haha I was just about to comment this living in southern sweden myself, it's still marketed as to grandmas and not as edgy as La Croix, The ramlösa with mango etc is AMAZING and easily the best by far.
Mineral water has a long history in europe, but sparkling water is not mineral water. Sparkling water is carbonated only, it is highly acidic and often contains no minerals, so it ends up stealing calcium from wherever it can, like your teeth and bones. Mineral water, while it is also bubbly, is a very different thing. Mineral water has all sorts of dissolved gasses like nitrogen and carbon, and then it gets run through underground stone rivers, where it picks up basic minerals and makes the ph more neutral. Mineral water is really good for you, sparkling water is really bad for you
I've never had a parent. And I'm 59... did fine ignoring idiots telling me how to exist properly. You are afraid to die with bad bloodwork.. good luck with living a life
right?! That whole bit was great deflection. That repeat astonished question "should it be regulated??!" with that head tilt... masterful. I just found this channel and have been binging his catalogue. great stuff
@@timothyoswaldtei3047 100% its just as insidiuous too. Just like cigarettes, even the most health conscious natural diet people i know were hooked on soda back in the day. People really were lied to about how horrible it was.
Thank you for the correction! To clarify - I should have said international expansion is not a strategic investment for National Beverage Corporation. The company operates internationally today but with extremely limited partners and distribution channels. The countries / geographical territories at which La Croix is carried in are also unknown / unreported which is a big deviation from other beverage companies who designate APAC and EMEA sales as critical high-growth markets. From all accounts based on National Beverage Corporation's SEC filings (press releases, financials, exec reports), America still remains first and foremost the main market. This reason is likely also why Wall St has soured on the company's potential - analysts likely expected the company to do far more to snowball the 30+% annual growth during the 2015-2018 into future years. See the pinned comment for more closing thoughts on this topic.
During my pregnancy I switched from diet sodas to Bubly or LaCroix, and its definitely made a difference in my consumption towards sodas; the occasion craving hits but I don't actively seek it out anymore. I grew up in a house where diet soda was a constant. I definitely agree that sodas shouldn't be sold in schools, I taught middle school previously and holy shit, my students would crash hard after lunch. It was like pulling teeth to teach after 12pm.
Used to drink 10 litres of Cola everday for 50 years. As in typing this I currents have a kidney stone the size of a dodgeball and in my soon to be death bed. I am 86 and regret my cola consumption as I want to spend time with my grandchildren. To whoever reads this in the future or present, Dont drink too much of soda, goodbye everyone... forever.
I can’t believe people are rampantly ignorant enough to willing put aspartame into their bodies when it’s known to release excitotoxins kills off your immune cells with every swallow. To willingly do that to your body’s nervous system is sickening in the mind. Bc most do it regardless. Sparkling water is an truly intelligent choice.
I prefer using soda stream. It's liberating that I don't need to lug around these heavy cases of liquid. If I fizz chilled herbal tea, it tastes better than the store bought soda.
i agree, I think soda stream is much better as most people dont care about drinking tap water, they just want something more than just plain water everytime they have a drink. It gives you the option of going fully unhealthy or going completely healthy.
Been drinking this stuff off and on since the 80s. Back then there were just a few citrus flavors, and the product came in glass bottles. The brand sure exploded in the years after NBC got a hold of it. Hats off to their marketing team.
@@DailyShit. Glass is the safest material for food storage. Ceramics can have dangerous paints and glazes and the problems with metal and plastic are obvious.
I highly disagree. That interviewer was just playing for virtue points. He was as bad as Cathy Newman. "Do you think people are aware of how much sugar is in here?" "It's literally written on the label." "Nevermind that. Look at how big this cup from a movie theater is." "That's... THEIR cup." "Yes but it's very big." "You don't have to buy it. We have sugar-free options and-" "I don't want options, I want to be mad!"
While it is true that too few people exercise as much as they should to keep healthy, Big Soda approached this in a way that clearly was not going to work. "Soft drinks do no more to blood sugar than any other food or beverage" is such an absolutely baffling statement. Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but that in 2010 I'm sure that was still as bad. With that much invested in sugar-filled drinks, wonder if there could've been a better way to approach this. As Coke or Pepsi, you can't jump out ahead of this before it becomes an issue - you reduce the sugar, people like it less, and buy less ; you reduce container sizes to reduce per unit calories, people complain the container isn't big enough and drink the same, no real changes to health; you release more diet options, but you still have the sugary products as your real money maker. I personally don't drink soda, but did drink nothing but sugary drinks as a kid. I may be biased in seeing a decline in soda here, but it has become infrequent that I meet someone my age who drinks soda. The beverage market for my age group seems to have moved to energy drinks, teas, and flavored sparkling water. Coca cola still gets some money from me for Topo Chico, but even still that's such a simple product that it could possibly be replaced as a staple for me. Coke and Pepsi, simply put, are no longer mainstays for me and people I know.
Like you briefly mentioned. La Croix is only big in the US really. You can find it in Canada at a good amount of groceries stores now, but not all, and their stock of it isn't huge usually. PepsiCo with the Bubbly brand really took over here, everyone likes it and there is tons of it in every store now. Lots of marketing and they entered the Bubbly brand into Canada while La Croix was still only in a select few high-priced grocery stores. Which is another huge factor, The price for an 8-pack of La Croix is the same as a 12-pack of bubbly in Canada.
I will never get people’s obsession with drinking anything and everything except water. People’s fear of drinking water is worrying. I’m so glad that I was not conditioned as a kid to have a fizzy drink with every one of my meal. I know it’s going to be hard but people should really learn to be content with drinking water, your wallet and health will thank you for it.
I tried drinking only water for a month (for reference, I normally drink caffeine-free and sugar-free soda). Everyone said it was going to be a huge change, I'd feel so good, etc. I didn't notice any difference except that I had to force myself to stay hydrated. It also didn't help that the local tap water tastes like bleach, so I ended up buying my water from the same aisle as the soda. I think the problem with soda is almost all from the sugar, and secondarily the caffeine. I avoid them both for a reason.
There’s a huge risk with drinking tap water, it’s got chlorine, metals, minerals, and likely some highly resistant bacteria/viruses. Plus the risk of being poisoned because of a chemical leak somewhere. And if you’re going to the store to buy a pack of waters, then why not grab a pack of *more exciting* waters, with bubbles and flavors in them?
@@andreirachko I'm not sure the statistics bear out that conclusion. Most municipal water is pretty safe, if not necessarily tasty. Generally, if it's safe to take a bath in, it's safe to drink. The risk isn't zero, but "huge risk" is definitely stretching it unless you're in Flint.
@@andreirachko You could get a kettle to boil water. We usually have a kettle of water boiled at all times and once it gets lukewarm, we just put in a few large glass pitchers that way we always have boiled water. The trick is to always boil a kettle of water right before you go to bed so that you have water in the morning and then you can boil another for your coffee. I live in NYC where the tap water quality is good but I grew up in an Asian household and we refuse to drink water straight out of the tap.
@@andreirachko so, no one has a fridge with a filter in it? I drink water almost exclusively. On occasion I have some iced tea, or coffee. It has never occurred to me that water wasn’t satisfying enough. My son is 5 and drinks water as his main beverage. He will have apple juice, or his new favorite Root Beer, only On occasion or if we are on vacation. But even then, he treats it like a snack. With meals, when he is thirsty, he specifically asks for water. Nothing satisfies thirst like a glass of water!
As someone who was diagnosed with Diabetes in 2019, I needed an alternative to Coke. I chose to drink sparkling water though I have not taken to the brand mentioned due to its higher cost compared to store branded flavored seltzer water. As I weaned myself off of sugar, I found the taste of seltzer water to be refreshing and not as startling as it was at first. Now almost four years later, I drink seltzer water exclusively changing up on the flavor and when a flavor I like goes on sale that is not a house brand, I treat myself to that. Over the course of nearly 4 years I've dropped and kept off 30 pounds and can assure you that Coke and other such beverages is essentially a death sentence on a long delayed fuse. These are damaging drinks and that doesn't even consider the harm of high fructose corn syrup on your liver (fatty liver).
Used to make fun of La Croix until I realized how awful soda is for you (still love soda, just stopped drinking it) and what a good substitute it is. I've recently switched to the Kirkland sparkling water though.
Sparkling water and mineral water is amazing. Its actually hydrates you and feels good to drink. I drink soda now a days and it makes me feel like crap.
@@Tofuey yep. Spring water is the solution. Anyone who says ‘water is just water’ is just spouting misinformation. Spring water contains natural electrolytes and minerals that actively rehydrate you, which isn’t true of filtered tap water. (Don’t get me started on unfiltered tap water)
I’m Japanese, so it goes without saying I have never seen a LaCroix in person. But I have seen the Coca-Cola and Pepsi soda brands, so I feel like I can weigh in. I don’t know if most Japanese people feel the same, I consider sodas to be a very heavy, “sometimes” drink that you only get with fast food or at a concession stand. Relatively nutritious and low-calorie food is available from everyday restaurant chains as well as convenience stores. However, I just kind of assumed that LaCroix was an iced tea brand! Sparkling water is not well known in Japan unless you like making cocktails. Our healthy “replacement” for soda is iced tea. Whether it be black tea, green tea, or oolong tea, we have bottles and cans of tea in every vending machine. Oh, and our tea is usually unsweetened, and we quite like it that way. I guess the point is that I find flavored sparkling water to be an odd choice of beverage to replace soda. I would feel a discomforting void in my mouth if I felt the aggressively bubbly energy of soda without none of the equally aggressive syrupy sweetness.
ugh, finding unsweetened iced tea is harder to find here then sodas! and usually more expensive too. i usually pay about 25 cents more for ito en anything then a can of arizona iced tea...
Those tiny 70 yen cans of Coke are just about as much as I ever want to drink at any one time. Otherwise, give me barley tea or Pocari Sweat! (Man, I miss Japanese vending machines everywhere....)
Good video, but I have a question. How much of the decline in sales of big soda can be attributed to energy drinks (red bull, monster etc) being popular with younger costumers?
I gave up soda long ago. My replacement is the occasional water downed ice tea at restaurants. My real go to for that hit of fizz is kombucha. That stuff has few calories and way more interesting flavours.
I also grew up in MN as well and I agree. When I moved to Texas in 2014 I was able to witness the rise in popularity. All my friends hated La Croix when I offered it back in 2014-2015, but now it's always in their fridge. 😅
I'm from MN and work at a grocery store, and I can count the number of times I've seen someone actually buying or drinking LaCroix on my fingers. Most people I've ever heard mention it despise it.
The gentleman is correct about the amount of sugar in the cups if they are full of Coke. However We all know they are over 50% ice which has no sugar. I can't believe someone that's a CEO sat there and let that happen.
It's crazy the first thing that popped in my head was "So are you saying people shouldn't be able to get a 32oz soda? Like, the soda has the same amount of sugar per ml whether it's in a 12oz bottle or a comically large 128oz pitcher. If anything your problems with the cup." Obviously you can't say the words "so drink less" or "so drink something else" because you're the ceo of coke and every magazine would claim "the ceo of coke says not to drink coke" or something but I'd ask the guy if he wants to drink coffee at the cinema, like what do you suggest? But the guy just sits there like "Yeah that's a lot but we want people to be aware of that."
I pretty much kicked soft drinks to the curb at least a decade ago, and started drinking only club soda, seltzer water, or distilled water. I found it was the bubbles that I liked, not all the flavorings and chemicals. Plus, they give me my daily water quota without having to resort so soda AND water. I'll have a Diet Coke every now and then, or add a squeeze of lemon or lime to my seltzer, but soda is no longer the first thing that I reach for to quench my thirst. As well, I've noticed that the quality of Coke/Pepsi has taken a major nosedive recently. Used to have a LOT of flavor/syrup, and be dark brown in color, but no more. It;s the color of tea. Yuck.
I feel like one of La Croix's big challenges will be getting into restaurants. I absolutely love a La Croix with my meal, but I've found exactly 0 places that serve it.
Recently found this channel and binged all your videos. This is really excellent content and I appreciate all the work that goes into the history & analysis of companies & industries. Just a thought for the future: I think it would also be valuable if there was content where you gave insight into your process in making these videos and/or walked us through how you go about doing the analysis. After all, your channel is called Modern MBA. That’s something I would even pay for!
Poland here. We don't seem to have La Croix sold here, but every major polish water/drinks company (Maspex owning Tymbark, Danone owning Żywiec Zdrój etc.) are lauching products like that. So yeah, seltzers do seems to be getting on popularity worldwide.
Crazy to think that I could drink a whole soda in an hour in a half to 2 hours watching a movie in a theater, just few years a go. Thinking about that makes me 🤢
It’s great that people drink slightly flavoured sparkling water instead of soda/pop but even as a guy who was never habitually drinking pop I’ve tried these drinks like La Croix, Bubbly, etc and they’re just so underwhelming. In no way do they replace the odd craving for a coke or sprite.
This must be a very US thing because I live in Southwestern Ontario, Canada and have never heard of Le Croix. Seltzer or sparkling water has become marginally more popular in the last 5 -ish years but I wouldn't say it's going to edge out sodas anytime soon. People are drinking noticeably less soda and artificially sweetened drinks. I've also noticed smaller portions being a trend.
I've seen La Croix ("la-craw") around in southeastern Ont but it lags behind other sparkling water brands, and not many people here drink sparkling water who aren't trying to quit pop
I live in British Columbia, and la croix is in every grocery store. Although, I recently traveled to the states, and they had a lot more flavours to choose from.
I think La Croix is holding its ground, but I'd argue a classical MBA-style question: Is La Croix truly a fad, or a fashionista? And how can we determine this? You hint at this through La Croix's market fit, but lack of intl. presence. I'd argue there's actually a better indicator of this: Will Nat. Bev successfully enter the fountain beverage market? This is a huge source of pepsico/coca-cola sales, and I'd argue more valuable from a longitudinal standpoint than retail because you contract (i.e. require) businesses to exclusively carry your drinks at restaurants, theaters, and theme parks. You'll often see just coca-cola, or just pepsico, and then additionally Snapple/Dr. Pepper occasionally as a third party. If La Croix entered fountain and held its ground as an addtl option, I'd argue they succeeded past the "fad" phase. You can also consider "bubbly" in the same way and whether Pepsi moves it beyond cans/retail and into fountain. I also think there are other brands you didn't mention like Hint water which are also very fad-like right now and it's unclear if flavored "water" or "carbonated/drinks" is the future. I find it interesting almost a third of the video was focused on the "sugary" soda hype of the mid 2000s and early 2010s but without mentioning other trends like keto diet. I think both had compounding effects given many brands still produce drinks which are NOT low calorie but still very popular (i.e. high in protein or sugar sourced from natural fruit smoothies/blends with special additives). FB/IG is full of ads for these DTC brands Last interesting note: There is hardly any attention on the "natural flavors" bit. It's actually not natural and often includes chemical additives in order to mix into water (glycols and such). There isn't' a lot of transparency on this and I think it will eventually blow up in brands' faces.
Thanks jsherm! Your comments are always a pleasure to read and fascinating to reflect on. I added my full closing thoughts which touch on some of these topics in the top pinned comment if you'd like to take a look - no surprise we both separately agreed on the retail / supplier / contractor constraints. National Beverage doesn't have the portfolio to win the corporate accounts when its drink selection is really just 1 leading sparkling water brand, some juices, and an energy drink. If I'm a resort, restaurant, or theme park I'll likely not waste my time signing a contract with National Beverage when I'd have to find another supplier to give me the other essentials for my beverages (plain bottled water, soda, diet soda, and so forth). If PepsiCo or Coca-Cola can give me all of those and a zero-calorie sparkling water brand, I doubt many businesses would care about whether it's called bubly, Hint, La Croix as long as it sells. Strong agree on the natural flavors. That's a whole can of science that hasn't been touched. I would love to have dived more into the keto or Atkins diet which to your point, drove a lot of this change as well - but was keeping a close eye on the episode length and focus. My concern with introducing food, even if it was a 5-second visual only clip of of someone eating McDonald's in early 2000's in the episode, would open an unavoidable rabbit hole tangent of fast food, carbohydrates, Super Size Me, and processed foods. Ultimately, the clips from Big Soda lobbyists were simply too jaw-dropping to not include.
The problem with LaCroix entering the fountain drink market is that most soda fountains already come with a build in generic "soda" button that just withholds the syrup. Sure, LaCroix adds those mild flavors, but they're frankly not strong or distinct enough to build a brand identity around, like Coke and Pepsi have.
I have seen those soda stream flavors for Bubly, I haven't had a sodastream in a few years but I think that style of drink is gonna stick around... plus Bubly/LaCroix is perfect for soda streams rlly
@@ModernMBA National Beverage does produce Faygo and Shasta which is are generic soda brands very common at least in the midwest. For example, the hardware store chain Menards has long stocked these brands and they seem to have a following. I don't think it would be impossible for National Beverage to sign these kinds of contracts but it would risky for restaurants to give up recognizable brands in exchange for Faygo or Shasta.
As someone who like soda, less consumption of soda is definitely a nice trend. It's not a huge problem for me(not not a problem, I am slightly overweight, but not a huge one) as it's pretty much my only form of sugar intake--I don't really eat snacks nor deserts. The next highest source of sugar is probably from the bread/dough of subs and pizzas I eat. Soda company is sort of right in saying that it is an overall life style issue, you will probably be fine if you only have one "vice", but most people have many. It is totally bullshit to say soda is not a significant contributor though, all of the vices contribute, soda more than most. I find it... problematic for you to only post % growth charts and not volume growth charts. For all I know, the sub 1% growth that Coke have could be more volume than the 25% of La Croix etc due to the huge base volume they ship. As it were, coke and pepsi have long reached a certain degree of market saturation such lack of growth isn't even a problem, their only fear is significant drop in consumption or market share.
@@3n3j0t4 Ok, overweight isn't always an indication of bad health, if he were obese however that would be different. And hell, even if he were obese there's not much you could say to change him. The road to help starts with oneself, not outside forces.
I love how in all these charts sales just tank in 2020 and we all know why sales so badly went down, it really tells us how badly impacted everyone around the globe was by the pandemic.
To be fair, what Big Soda says is technically true. Soft drinks don't contribute to obesity uniquely, and it's a matter of how much calories you consume vs how much you burn. A person leading an active lifestyle can drink cola daily and not get fat. The problem is that soft drinks are basically sugar that is easier to consume than in any other form. So they make it very easy to ingest more calories than you spend.
Another great video. So excited to see this channel grow. Keen to see future topics! Constructive feedback if you would like it: Felt this one at the start and the airbnb one ran a bit too long regarding the interviews, instead of you summarising points and showing highlights like your McDonalds video
Thank you Dean. I genuinely appreciate your note and support - would love constructive feedback. Do you think the interview clips themselves ran way too long and/or could have been removed out entirely in both eps?
@@ModernMBA Great question, I think seeing the real interviews shows reality, so I wouldn't remove them, but maybe editing them down into a collage, or just the main soundbites how you do the news cast sections? Just my opinion, obviously you're doing things right to get so much support in the comments. Literally my favourite new channel.
@@thealienrobotanthropologist Don't disagree, but I think as he grows people are going to be attached to him, and they may get disengaged by multiple minutes away from his voice and narration, specifically when the people being interviewed aren't likable or engaging like in this video. Video analytics will be able to tell him if people drop off through, so I'd be against any major changes until there's enough data.
To be fair to Coke's former European president, what would you expect him to say in that situation. Obviously Coca Cola plans to stay in business and changing the formula to reduce the amount of sugar will make their customers angry (new coke was a massive failure). Coke has in fact made many alternatives with lower sugar (Coke life, Coke Zero, Coke no Sugar) and consumers are well aware that Soda isn't healthy.
Its why you need regulations. If the governments regulated less sugar; all companies and corps have to follow suit. Ensuring no one has an advantage or can take market share. Now these regulations are never perfect. Another issue is that executives usually work at a corporation for a few years then go to another one and focus on short term profits. Most of them never focus on long term sustainability and growth as that is the culture of corporate and the mega wealthy. They would never think to suggest such ideas even if it benefited the company years to come.
@@MasterGhostf it is regulated!.. this is why the ingredients and amounts of all these negative chemicals and compounds are clearly listed.. I don't see what the issue is here!.. you want the government to control even people's sugar intake!? Full grown adults? Are we not clearly aware? Is it not clearly listed what's in there? Is it not enough for you to control yourself?
@@dylanb4065 actually they have ways of making it harder to clearly know all the ingredients and now the big processed food corps are lobbying to make it even harder to know what's actually in your food. You are totally naive if you think they won't use every dirty trick in the book.
I’ve actually started drinking a lot more zero sugar mineral waters and I’m drinking coke and pepsi less than ever… they’re just so good and don’t overwhelm the pallet
The interview with the coke exec seemed fine? Coca cola is in the business of selling beverages. They objectively state how many grams of sugar are in a drink to inform a consumer, the consumer needs to do their own research and decide if they want to continue making unhealthy choices or not. For those that want to enjoy a heavy sugar drink time to time, they can enjoy it it freely, while those that do not exert self-control have to deal with consequences.
I don't even drink soda from big soda brands when I do drink soda (not counting corporate buyouts of said companies.. because I don't know everything about every small brand I've had). There's soo much small soda companies that are fun to try when I want to have soda (which is rare but... hand me some cream, root beer..etc.. instead of coke or pepsi.. That said- I'm obviously watching this because I like your videos :)
As someone with a lifelong habbit of driinking soft drinks I stopped going for the sugary stuff the moment I started becoming more sedentary and noticed the weight counting up. FFW a few years and I find it hard to drink any of it since it feels sickeningly sweet any time I take a taste. As much as we like to blame companies this is definitely a case of personal choice and discipline. Nobody is forcing you to drink Coke or Pepsi and nobody is forcing you to drink LeCroix for that matter. Water works just as fine, make a decision like an adult and pay the price.
True it's a personal choice, but where does addiction come in and people telling you/marketing you to do something? For instance, if someone tells you to do a crime, they can be partial reaponsible for what happens. In regards to addiction, some people lack the ability to make personal choices at a certain point.
Diet sodas are also correlated to obesity and death. Drink unflavored water with food. Food must be used a healthy drug, otherwise pleasure foods may act as an unhealthy drug.
Soda, sweet tea, juice, etc. have always been too saccharine for my tastes, but all these various "fizzy waters" somehow manage to taste blander than regular old H2O. Maybe I'm just picky, but I've always been content merely drinking water when I'm thirsty.
Fizzy water has an inherrant bitter flavor, caused by the carbon itself. Even soda has this, but it's masked by all the sugar. That's why fizzy water has a strange flavor compared to regular H2O. It's an acquired taste though. People who like fizzy water grew to enjoy the taste.
That interview at the start really annoyed me. I wanted the Coke guy to flip the conversation around and ask what exactly Mr TV Man would like them to do about the sugar in Coke? "You want to make people aware of the sugar content? It's clearly displayed on all of our labels. You want smaller portions at movie theaters? We don't control them. You want less sugar in the product? We have a full lineup of sugar-free Diet and Zero options that anyone can choose, as well as non-soda options like Dasani and Minute Maid. If customers still prefer the taste of the classic product, that is their choice." Now that said, the so-called researchers paid to deny that full-sugar soda leads to obesity and diabetes? That was completely scummy.
how are you mad. The CEO was pretty much asked the question, why do people like the taste of coke. Is it the recipe or is it the amount of sugar in it. Ultimately they conceded it was the sugar lol. It was also around the time fat was no longer the enemy, but sugar. Governments are much more likely to regulate sugar because in most countries it costs them money to care for people with diabetes vs america where health is pretty hands off. IMO it wont be long until high sugar drinks are just soft-banned in most developed countries, similar to how cigarettes are soft-banned in most developed countries. This is going to be a good thing as ultimately people wont die of easily preventable diseases like diabetes, nor have to "live" with insulin pumps etc
A company can't claim it isn't responsible for the harm their products create because people buy them, particularly not if they spend so much on advertising to make people wanting it and not think of the consequences with all the campaigns to not link sugar with diabetes etc. The sugar free options aren't without problems either
@@tomlxyz I disagree. Unless you're prepared to make sugar itself illegal, then you as a society are accepting that free adults have the right to choose for themselves. Advertising doesn't make you a helpless zombie who waddles into the nearest store to pay any price for whatever you just saw in the glowing box. You're not that stupid and neither is everyone else. You are not a child, you are not a prisoner, you are a free adult. You can buy Coca Cola and put it inside yourself, just like you can with water, vodka, or drain cleaner. The choice is yours, the consequences are yours, the responsibility is yours. But, as I said before, I think they DID cross a line by trying to discredit real science. That's different. But the interviewer was acting shocked and offended at the VERY EXISTENCE of drinks with sugar in them.
I work for pepsi, and I love how how pepsi tells us that their naked drink is healthy. The green machine has 53 grams of sugar in that tiny bottle. A gram is a cube of sugar, and there is 53 cubes in the green machine lol
@@AlcorSolaire good lol. Let them come. "We heard that you told people how much sugar are in our drinks, stop!!!" Me, gives them the finger and walks away
I have strongly disliked any sparkling water I've ever tried. But I also am just generally not fond of carbonated beverages in general but interesting to see how much it blew up.
I didn't realize the UK didn't see LaCroix in stores. I feel like it's one of the more well known sparkling water brands in the US. It's not necessarily marketing that makes it well known as much as its price in the US. Especially when we compare it to other brands of sparkling water.
Sparkling water has always been popular in Europe. But we prefer it straight and rely on a good spring or mineral water. The flavored sparkling water was a fad that never really took on. Maybe it's more available in the UK.
I personally am deadset on choosing lacroix when buying seltzer water. They're one of the few brands where the revenue doesn't go to the big companies that are known for immoral practices
I personally Love Zevia. Naturally flavored and naturally sweetened with stevia. A bit of an acquired taste, given how different stevia tastes from sugar, but I’m in love with the Cream Soda, Cherry Soda and Root beer flavors. It’s a shame that it’s so darn expensive and only comes in cans :/ I remember once tasting a Virgil’s soda that was sweetened with monkfruit extract and I was like “this is the future!” But have never found that brand ever again in my country :’(((
@@MOREAWESOMERTHANU it does come in glass bottles, but same amount as cans. I want it in big 2l bottles for cost savings. Right now $1.25/can (in my country) is too expensive.
I would have more respect for these companies if they just blatantly admitted that "Yes our product can contribute to obesity and diabetes; that's why you should only consume it in moderation."
Totally! On the other hand, we got accustomed to their butchering of Detroit, Illinois and New Orleans. Makes me wonder why they don't pronounce Des Moines "Dess Moyneez"
Maybe this goes beyond the scope of this video, but I would've liked to hear about what the carbonated water space looked like before LaCroix's explosion. Personally, I remember as a kid my dad would buy these tall bottles of San Pellegrino to drink at dinner so that we felt fancier than we actually were lol
In Sweden We’ve had a very large selection of flavored sparkling water for as long as I can remember. It will probably be hard for Lacroix to expands to Europe since we already have many established brands.
As someone who understands French I truly believe that every time an American pronounces LaCroix a French citizen gets spit in the face somewhere. (Luckely I'm not French myself)
Literally Coke's entire argument is, "It's not our fault you're unhealthy, it's yours for drinking too much! And not working out!" I have to commend them for the balls to say this out loud and on camera.
@@krollpeter Its true, and I totally believed it. I was like that meme of the lady with the confused look and triangles overlaid... I was trying to figure out how I could possibly eat enough food not to be severely hungry and yet still lose weight. It took months to have an idea to cut orange juice out of breakfast and I only did it as a last resort after cutting a ton of other stuff and reducing portions elsewhere.
Here in Canada, Bubly (by PepsiCo) is advertised by Canadian singer Michael Bublé. His last name sounds like the drink name and he plays on it, calling it "Bublé" while people around him try to correct him
Rip It is an energy drink brand and surprisingly has a cult following among US veterans of the wars/operations in the middle east since it was available for free at the chow halls
I used to drink 1/2 sodas a day when I was a teen and kid. I stopped drinking soda for a month, which turned into a year and now it’s just wayyyyy too sugary when I drink it. Makes my breath smell bad and I can just feel my teeth dissolving. That being said, if someone wants to drink soda they should be allowed to do whatever they want.
I did the same thing, one day I decided to stop out of nowhere. Then I decided to continue and see how long I could last. So far it's been 10 years and on the rare ocassion I have to (been in those places that don't sell sparkling water or plain water (it happens a lot in Mexico in those food trucks)) I take a sip from my partner's and almost puke. Nothing beats old fashion H2O.
Wait till you hear how they lobbed against to be removed of the US sanctions on sudan due to their fear of losing profits Human right and war crimes means nothing to them in comparison to blood money Won't be supervised if they are doing the samething in Ukraine-Russia war
Omg!!! I love lacroix and my friends and family know I always have one in hand. Hahaha even right now in my apartment I probably have 50 cans and about 10-12 in the fridge right now. It has majorly helped me leave soda in the past.
Legislation and taxation against soda consumption is kept at a local level? Good. Keep it that way. I don't want america to turn into a nanny state like my country has
