Asia presents a more diverse group of beverage brands than other continents, particularly with greater competition between mineral water brands. This is partly due to the fact that tap water is unsuitable for drinking in many countries in this part of the world. Another reason why there are so many water brands in Asia is the prevalence of surrogate marketing; when alcohol brands are prohibited from advertising their main product they might advertise water instead.
Here’s our roundup of the best beverage brands in Asia:
7. Unilever
This British tea company entered into ice tea production during World War II when sugar supplies were low; sales took off after 1945 thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign featuring actress Rita Hayworth who herself became known as “the Kissing Bandit” due to her many lip lock movie scenes back then.
Today’s Lipton iced teas include Lemon Iced Tea, Lime Iced Tea, Peach Iced Tea, and Raspberry Iced Teas plus others depending upon local tastes and preferences; these cold beverages retail for under 10 cents per carton compared with brewed hot teas which cost up to $5 per carton in Japan.
There may be competition between manufacturers like Nestle Pure Life but Unilever remains dominant everywhere throughout Asia influencing both consumer behavior through its sponsorship of various events/festivals/celebrations along with product placement advertising via TV commercials, cinema spots, etc.; adverts often showing famous personalities asking questions about products using phrases such as ‘how do you take your..?’ followed by suggestions that might eventually lead viewers towards consuming iced tea instead.
6. Asahi Breweries Ltd (Asahi Super Dry)
Asahi Super Dry is Japan’s No 1 premium beer and is now extending its reach to other parts of East Asia including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore where it has been extremely successful since launching there just over a year ago. It will be interesting to see whether or not this success can be replicated across South Korea when they launch later this year; so far the market share outside Japan remains small at less than 2%.
5. Kirin Brewery Company Limited
The Kirin Brewery Company is the second-largest beer brand in Asia and the third-largest brewery in the world. It’s a Japanese firm with operations spread across ten countries, including China, Australia, and Vietnam. The company employs over 30,000 people worldwide but it also has its own Kirin University for training future employees. All of Kirin’s beers are brewed using natural springs; they even use spring water from Japan when brewing abroad to maintain consistency and quality control.
4. PepsiCo
The PepsiCo company was created in 1965 by the merger of two formerly separate companies, The Frito-Lay Company and the Pepsi-Cola Company. In 1970, after buying out their partner (Lipton), they established The Quaker Oats Company which produces cereals such as granola bars and oatmeal.
In Asia alone, there are operations in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand where individual brands such as Gatorade or Tropicana are sold alongside its flagship product Pepsi Cola. Its subsidiary Sabco owns three bottling facilities in China and one in Hong Kong.
It also has manufacturing plants throughout Indonesia including a new fruit juice plant on Pulau Tagalu off the coast of West Java that will open later this year and produce 1 million liters of tropical juices per month for export to Europe and other parts of Asia. In total there are 18 countries selling Pepsi products across the continent from India to Indonesia plus Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam amongst others.
3. The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola company has a strong presence in most countries of Asia. Its flagship brand is the top cola and also accounts for more than one-third of all carbonated soft drink sales in Southeast Asia. The company was established in 1886 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Today the company has over $60 billion in sales and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. It produces 1.9 billion gallons of carbonated beverages per day throughout its bottling plants around the world, including China which it entered over 35 years ago with a joint venture with Ting Hsin Group to produce Coca-Cola products there.
In Asia alone, Coca-Cola has operations in twenty countries including Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Thailand as well as many others where individual beverage brands are sold such as Fanta, Thumbs Up, or Sprite. There are also sister companies operating under The Coca-Cola Company umbrella such as Thames Water which bottles water on behalf of the group or Panaxia Beverages Limited who bottles juices for them.
2. Danone
Danone is another water company that generates most of its revenue from bottled water rather than dairy products (although they are still one of the largest food companies globally). Its brands include Evian, Volvic, and Badoit, all big names in their respective countries.
Evian is particularly popular throughout Asia with its modern, minimalist design appealing to young professionals. It has become something of an icon for the region due to these features as well as being a symbol of wealth and sophistication. The brand’s name sounds distinctly French — suggesting that drinking Evian will make people more sophisticated if not necessarily richer.
This sort of aspirational branding can be very powerful among consumers who have little experience with European products or culture; many are impressed simply by how expensive it looks compared to other brands on offer – even though this might mean paying more than they would usually spend on food/drink overall.
1. Nestle
In Asia, Nestle is the number one producer of bottled water brands. Their brands include Nestle Pure Life, Vittel, and Acqua Panna, which are all market leaders in their respective countries. This is partly because of the popularity of bottled water in Asia — particularly compared to other parts of the world where people favor tap water over-packaged products.
That’s it for our roundup of the top beverage brands in Asia. As you can see, it’s certainly a different arena for FCMGs, beverages in particular, then in the European or American continents.