Coca-Cola India enters the hydrating drink category with Limca Sportz

First came the medals, then the adulation, and following the two was a drink. No, not the boozy one people score after a hard day of play but the one which keeps athletes energised and hydrated throughout the day.

Limca Sportz is the newest player to hit the Indian hydrating drinks category. A Glucose + Electrolyte-based beverage, it is a no-fizz beverage and the first-ever brand extension from Limca, Coca-Cola India’s homegrown brand.

The drink is intended for people leading an active lifestyle says Arnab Roy, vice president, marketing, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia.

Roy terms their first year as an “experiment” and that they have ambitious plans for the next and coming years. This new drink will be available on shelves across Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Bengal, Mumbai, Pune, and cities of Andhra Pradesh/Telangana starting the month of September.

Speaking about distribution, he reveals Limca Sportz will be available across all available channels and the brand will “leverage the strong distribution channels with its bottling partners.”

To get active people to sustain their fit lifestyles and to motivate others to get off their couches, the brand has brought on Neeraj Chopra, an Olympic gold medalist as a brand ambassador and released a campaign video as well.

Ogilvy made the video and when asked about the creative path it intends to take forward, chief creative officer Ritu Sharda said they would “love to do more stuff with Neeraj. We will do snackable content now and if the opportunity presents itself, we will do a longer piece.”

One of Limca Sportz’s main rivals is PepsiCo’s Gatorade which is popular for being the official drink at many sports leagues in the United States.

When asked if one can expect something similar from Limca, Roy agreed and revealed it is their “ambition”. Limca Sportz is the official drink of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia and if all things resolve, it will also be the official drink of the U17 FIFA Women’s Word Cup in India this year (2022).