Leapin’ Lizards
Having established a beachhead in the herbal-drink market, South Beach Beverage Corp. of Norwalk, CT, has found itself a fast-climbing sponsorship.
SoBe became the first corporate sponsor of Cannondale’s HeadShok Mountain Bike Racing Team, which will compete in more than 500 events this year. The three-year-old beverage firm, which has helped pioneer herb-enhanced drinks, is using the tie-in to interact with consumers. A fleet of customized vehicles will sample at racing events, the SoBe HeadShok team will sport Lizard-design biking gear also available through a catalog and Web site. Two SoBe Lizard Love Buses tour the U.S. through December.
“Mountain bikers are an ideal target audience for SoBe because they appreciate our naturally healthy and energizing products, and they can identify with the somewhat irreverent attitude of our company,” says vp-marketing Billy Bishop.
SoBe Lizard Fuel, a dairy-based, strawberry and banana beverage sporting ingredients such as Siberian ginseng, astragalus, and yerba mate, debuted in June with a mountain biking-themed label and the seal of the International Mountain Biking Association. “With SoBe’s signature Lizard hammering his mountain bike right over the brand name on the label and the product’s screaming pink color, Lizard Fuel will be the first thing that thirsty consumers see when they check out the cooler,” said South Beach ceo John Bello, a.k.a. “The Lizard King.” Consumers earn a free T-shirt by collecting three SoBe caps with the slogans “Raging Lizard,” “Mr. Green,” and “Bare Naked Lizards” and redeeming them along with $5 for shipping.
Lizard Fuel is billed as a “limited-edition” drink. But SoBe’s Lizard Blizzard, which launched last winter as a limited-time product, earned a permanent SKU after its cold-fighting ingredients won converts among snowboarders, the company says.
