Lucozade, the number one sports drink in the UK and Hong Kong, will debut in Singapore in November 2015. The isotonic drink is already soft launched in Malaysia but only at selected outlets including at Cold Storage. In Singapore, there is already an official Facebook site but no marketing has been done to promote the new Lucozade in Malaysia.
Even with marketing dollars to spend, Lucozade will face an uphill battle as Singapore and Malaysia are firmly in the hands of 100Plus. Even Pepsi Malaysia’s Revive faces a tough time unseating 100Plus despite all the marketing campaigns.
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| 100Plus Limited Edition |
The new Lucozade Sport is marketed in Malaysia as an ‘Minuman Elektrolit Isotonik‘ or electrolyte isotonic drink. The ‘No 1 Isotonic Drink in the UK’ credential is featured prominently on the packaging to highlight Lucozade’s popularity abroad.
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| ‘No 1 in the UK’ – Photo by the author |
Lucozade Sport is positioned as a drink to replace electrolyte lost resulting from sweating after active physical activity. It comes in the orange flavour and in a 500ml PET bottle.
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| Photo by the author |
The price is affordable at only RM 2.59 compared to the made-in-Malaysia Gatorade (500ml) at RM 3.00. Lucozade Sport is produced in Malaysia by Cocoaland Industry Sdn Bhd, the same company that manufactures Ribena for Suntory. Lucozade is made for Suntory Beverage & Food Malaysia Sdn Bhd. This product is produced for Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Hong Kong, which shows Malaysia is being turned into a manufacturing hub for Lucozade for the regional market. The halal certificate also helps Lucozade to tap into other Islamic countries.
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| Lucozade Sport on store shelf – Photo by the author |
A search on the Malaysian halal body shows there are more to the orange flavour. According to the list, the other flavours are lemon and pineapple.
The key difference between the Malaysia and the UK Lucozade is the cap. The valve cap in the UK version provides the right amount of liquid and works better during sport. So far, no isotonic drink in Malaysia is offering the valve cap. It would make a difference if the made-in-Malaysia Lucozade comes with the valve cap.
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| From the author’s collection. The one on the right is from the UK. |
The Malaysia version has the same sugar content as the UK version with 3.5g per 100ml serving. The sweetener used in the Malaysia’s Lucozade is sucralose, a no-calorie sweetener, whereas the UK version uses aspartame and acesulfame K as sweeteners. Both contains glucose syrup.
Personally, the author finds the Tropicana Twister orange drink tastes better than Lucozade Sport. but both are in different categories. The Lucozade Sport tastes more sourish.
