Soft drinks see little action.(Brief Article)

Non-colas carry the game

Carbonated soft drinks lag behind much of the beverage industry in terms of innovation. Sales continue to increase, but new soft drink introductions are becoming fewer and farther between. Marketing Intelligence Service tracked 184 new soft drinks so far this year, down 2.1 percent from the same period last year (see figure on page 7).

The growth in soft drinks is occurring in the non-cola segment, and the introductions in the category reflect that trend. According to IRI, the noncola segment grew 10 percent in dollar sales and 7.5 percent in case sales from 1998 to 1999, while colas grew only 4 percent in dollar sales and 1.2 percent in case sales.

Where is everybody?

Pepsi-Cola Co. is the only major soft drink company to develop brand new carbonated soft drink this year. Coca-Cola has decided non-carbs and bottled water are just as important to its bottom line as carbonated soft …