For the past half-decade or so, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has broken box office and social media records on his way to becoming the “Most Likable Person in the World.” It turns out he can make a pretty good energy drink, too.
First announced last January and launched in March, ZOA has broadly managed to live up to the lofty goals it set for itself upon entering the market, becoming the fastest-growing new energy drink of the past year. This year, the brand is looking to leverage that momentum to continue expanding its audience with the release of two new zero-sugar flavors — White Peach and Tropical Punch — and a 12 oz. can format.
“I’m proud to say that ZOA is an A-plus product. From our formulation, to taste, to our health and wellness benefits to the story and ethos that is ZOA,” Johnson told BevNET in an email.
The new flavors and format, first teased at the National Association of Convenience Retailers (NACS) trade show in October, are designed to nudge ZOA toward a slightly more mainstream audience; recall that the brand originally was given an early access exclusive with GNC last March, where it plays on the shelf with other fitness-oriented, “performance energy” brands in 16 oz cans, including C4, Bang and A.M.I.N.O. Energy. Through its nationwide distribution agreement with Molson Coors, the line has since migrated to 40,000 locations spanning across channels, from Kroger, Hy-Vee and Albertsons to Circle K, CVS and Speedway.
But according to the brand, 16 oz. cans currently account for just over half of the energy drink category, meaning there’s plenty of white space to capture new consumers under the brand’s ethos of celebrating the “everyday warriors” that “champion positivity.” In a survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by the brand, results showed that 79% of Americans want to make decisions that are best for their bodies, but are often forced to turn to less than ideal options like sugary caffeine drinks or multiple cups of coffee in order to keep their energy levels elevated, while 60% of respondents said they didn’t believe they could make it through the day without sugar.
The brand remains “rooted in fitness,” said co-founder Dave Rienzi, but its messaging is now leaning more into callouts of “clean, natural energy” that “doesn’t mean you have to be in the gym to be a ZOA Warrior.” The ingredient deck reflects that mix across both the sugar-sweetened (100 calories) and zero-sugar varieties: there’s natural boosters like turmeric and camu camu, alongside the requisite caffeine (from green coffee and green tea) and B vitamins.
With that in mind, the 12 oz. can is “the perfect size to appeal to a broader demographic audience,” according to CEO Michael Pengue, with a lighter caffeine payload compared to the 160mg in the full size can. The brand is leveraging the smaller size to target the addition of another 60,000 retail outlets this year to pass the 100,000 mark: major chains like Target and Walmart — both of which requested a smaller size for their shoppers — are coming onboard, along with 7-Eleven, Murphy Oil, Kum & Go, Walgreens, Chevron, Giant Foods, Food Lion, GPM and others. Both new flavors will be available in singles, 4-packs and 12-pack ($29.98). The brand’s e-commerce ambitions are equally high, Pengue said, noting the goal is to “more than double our business” on Amazon (where it currently ranks as the top-selling energy drink), ZOAenergy.com and other new online stores this year.
Looking ahead, there’s not much to indicate that ZOA will do anything but continue to rise. The overall energy drink category continues to expand (+15.2% year-over-year through the end of December, according to Nielsen), while Johnson himself will have plenty of cross-promotional opportunities with the release of “Black Adam” (based on the DC Comics character) later this summer.
That’s even better news for Molson Coors and its evolving non-alcoholic beverage segment (alongside names like La Colombe and ZEN WTR), of which ZOA accounted for roughly half of the 2 million cases of non-alc product shipped by the beer giant over first nine months of 2021. Crossover between the beer and energy drink spaces isn’t new in itself, but with big names on either side getting more involved with each other — see Anheuser-Busch and GHOST Energy or, more recently, Monster Energy’s acquisition of CANarchy Brewing — the stakes continue to climb.
“We created a healthier for you energy drink that has become the #1 fastest growing energy drink in the market,” Johnson said. “A kick ass product that men and women of all demographics absolutely love. Much more work to be done as we grow the ZOA brand and expand our healthy offerings.”