Dive Brief:

• Zoa, an energy drink co-founded by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, launched a new marketing platform coinciding with a larger refresh, per a press release. Notably, the brand swapped its black cans for brighter colors and a more gender-neutral presentation.
• “Fuel Something Bigger” is meant to reach everyday people versus the brand’s traditional positioning around athletes. The move includes multiple spots that will air on streaming and digital channels along with new retail activations, sampling events and live reads on popular podcasts.
• The brand also partnered with triathlete Raymond Braun for a bus tour that will span five major U.S. cities. The new positioning sees Zoa attempting to capture a larger share of the increasingly competitive energy drink market.

Dive Insight:

Zoa, which came to market in 2021, is getting a new look as it attempts to gain share in the increasingly crowded energy drink landscape, which is now valued at $19 billion, according to Molson Coors, its distribution partner. The move is the latest by the brand since last winter when it debuted a commercial for the first time starring co-founder Johnson, with the new effort representing a departure from its usual tactics to reach the everyday consumer.

The new creative push showcases the bright new packaging, which it announced in January and marks a dramatic shift from its former black packaging. The can size has also shrunk from 16 ounces to 12 ounces. New commercials for the brand showcase regular people, like a rock climber, an architect and a chef, sipping the drink, which could help the energy drink appeal to a larger audience.

“We want people to see themselves in Zoa and all the energy-drink occasions, whether it’s your morning commute, your afternoon pick-me-up or something else,” said Matt Stallman, senior portfolio manager for non-alcohol brands at Molson Coors.

Along with new spots and other activations, the brand partnered with athlete Braun, who will participate in a bus tour that will span Chicago, Orlando, Seattle, Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth, Texas. On the tour, Braun will interview people about how they encompass an “everyday warrior spirit.”

While Johnson won’t be a focal point for the brand’s new commercials, the famous actor and athlete will continue to pitch in with marketing efforts, including through social media. Johnson also recorded a voice over for a gas station chain in the Midwest, contributing to the brand’s rise to become a top-three energy drink at the chain, per release details.

Still, the brand has also proven to have legs without a prime focus on Johnson. In one example, a Colorado grocery chain saw Zoa sales more than triple after being put on display, per release details. In another example, a big-box chain in California saw Zoa sales grow 15-fold after building a stack of ZOA on the floor.

The energy drink market has seen tremendous growth in recent years, with a projected compounded annual growth rate of 8.1% through 2030. By 2032, the market is expected to be worth $98.8 billion. With 50% of energy drink consumers being millennials, many brands are looking to move into the category. As younger consumers look to diversify beyond beer and traditional alcoholic offerings, Molson Coors is betting on the brand to help anchor a stake with this cohort.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the relationship between Molson Coors and Zoa due to an editing error. The story has been updated to clarify that Molson Coors is a distributor partner of Zoa.