Coke plans massive marketing campaign for Fuze
The Coca-Cola Company is gearing up for a massive marketing push to support Fuze ready-to-drink iced tea brand in early 2013. This comes as the company is set to lose its distribution deal for Nestea at the end of 2012. The beverage giant lags considerably in the ready-to-drink iced tea category valued at $5.5 billion and is currently ranked fourth, with sales of Fuze representing less than a 0.1% of the category. And while Coke is still silent on the budget and campaign specifics, it is expected to focus on building brand awareness and the investment is likely to eclipse the $8 million budget of 2011, which saw Fuze launch its first TV campaign. Ultimately Fuze hopes to rival AriZona iced tea. The privately held company controls 40% of the RTD tea category, yet relies on a tiny annual marketing budget estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.