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The largely unknown history of SoBe saw the brand born in 1995 amidst the boom of the mid-1990s US economy and the early mainstream adoption of the internet.
Sold in 2000 during the turbulent Bush-Gore election that led to a recession, and later relied on provocative marketing during the US housing crisis and Great Recession to promote new flavors and fuel continued growth as a PepsiCo subsidiary.
In 1995, entrepreneur Kevin McGovern sought to capitalize on the rising popularity of herbal health tonics by founding an innovative beverage company.
Along with co-founders John Bello, a beverage marketing specialist, and Tom Schwalm, an industry executive, McGovern launched the South Beach Beverage Company (later shortened to SoBe) in Norwalk, Connecticut.
The company’s first product, released in 1996, was SoBe Black Tea 3G, an iced tea containing stimulant and nootropic ingredients like ginseng, guarana, and ginkgo biloba.
This functional beverage, with its unique blend of herbs and teas focused on mind and body enhancement, heralded a new generation beyond traditional sodas and teas.
Its success cemented McGovern’s vision of health-conscious refreshment and laid the foundation for SoBe’s acquisition by beverage giant PepsiCo in 2000. SoBe’s genesis showed daring and innovation in customer targeting, product formulation and functional drink marketing.
By 2000, the small startup SoBe had made a splash on the beverage scene with its line of herbal elixirs and teas focused on health and wellness.
PepsiCo, seeking to tap into the rapidly growing market for functional drinks led by the breakout success of SoBe's signature Black Tea 3G, purchased the 5-year-old company in October 2000 for an undisclosed sum.
The deal marked a major strategic move for PepsiCo to complement its traditional soda brands with SoBe's new age beverage offerings.
It also propelled SoBe's distribution and retail availability to mass market levels under PepsiCo's merchandising might.
The acquisition demonstrated the value PepsiCo leadership saw in the vibrant functional drink space that scrappy innovators like SoBe had opened up, as well as SoBe's potential as a rising star brand with its finger on the pulse of evolving consumer preferences.
One key to SoBe’s rapid growth in its independent era and continued success under PepsiCo was constant product innovation.
Seeking to stand out from traditional beverages, SoBe pioneered functional drink varieties with bold, evocative names that marked their differentiation.
Some of their most uniquely named offerings included Mr. Green, a short-lived green-hued soda promoted alongside the 2000 film The Grinch—Adrenaline Rush, an energy drink marketed to action sports enthusiasts—No Fear, another energy drink line playing to extreme sports culture—and Zen Blend, a New Age-inspired relaxation beverage.
These creatively titled products across categories like teas, juice blends and enhanced waters exemplified SoBe’s Anything but Flat mission to offer consumers exotic drink formulations for life’s highs and lows.
The distinctive naming built on SoBe’s irreverent outsider ethos to drive consumer intrigue and brand affinity with adventure-seeking youth cultures.
Seeking a visual icon to define its irreverent brand identity, SoBe adopted a cartoon lizard as its official mascot. This unusual choice aligned with SoBe’s positioning as a funky, alternative beverage upstart.
The green lizard, pictured wearing sunglasses or surfing, became a recognizable emblem of the company's flavorsome drink offerings.
Building on the reptilian theme, SoBe incorporated the lizard mascot directly into eccentric product names like Lizard Fuel, a energy drink line, and Lizard Lightning, an electrolyte-infused variety.
The company also referenced the mascot in drinks like Lizard Lava and Long John Lizard’s Grape Grog.
The lizard's centrality in SoBe’s branding and playful drink titles reinforced the company’s distinctly exotic personality amongst competitors while allowing customers to self-identify with values of vitality and laidback fun represented by this unusual brand avatar.
Seeking to build buzz and connect with younger demographics, SoBe frequently partnered with big names in sports, entertainment and fashion for attention-grabbing co-branded promotions.
They sponsored arena football dancers called the SoBe Adrenaline Rush Dancers starting in 2007. Reality star Kendra Wilkinson and athletes like Jerry Rice and Kenny "The Jet'' Smith participated in SoBe Lifewater bracket challenges for college basketball fans.
Actresses Ashley Greene, Jessica Szohr and Yvonne Strahovski each posed for provocative SoBe "Skinsuits" print ads to launch new flavors.
Even Mike Tyson got in on the action with a 2011 mobile gaming campaign for SoBe’s beverage portfolio.
These sexy and outrageous themed campaigns starring household names epitomized SoBe's edgy, youthful vibe even as a PepsiCo subsidiary. The famous faces offered SoBe increased visibility and credibility with desirable target markets for its expanding product lines.
In an unusual foray outside its typical non-carbonated offerings, SoBe unleashed a brightly-hued soda in 2002 called Mr. Green to promote the film release of The Grinch.
Playing off SoBe's signature lizard mascot, the company billed Mr. Green as a "cyber lizard" complete with green-tinted soda and ginseng flavor.
Targeting a winter holiday tie-in, the Grinch-green concoction marked SoBe's first and only carbonated soft drink product.
The company hoped the gimmicky Mr. Green, wrapped in promotion of a major movie comedy, would translate SoBe’s oddball sensibilities into the realm of mass market soda for a limited time.
However, the cyber lizard's inaugural outing as a fizzy pop proved short-lived, as Mr. Green would disappear from store shelves essentially as fast as it arrived.
Seeking attention for new product launches, SoBe kicked off a three-year run of its headline-grabbing "Skinsuits" ads starting in 2010.
These featured actresses like Ashley Greene and Jessica Szohr posing provocatively in flesh-toned bodysuits printed with lifelike SoBe branding and bottle graphics.
The risqué ads intended to mimic nude celebrity images sparked criticism for objectification even as they generated buzz.
However, SoBe extended the Skinsuits concept annually with other actresses including Yvonne Strahovski, leveraging controversy into increased brand awareness.
The sexually suggestive Skinsuits campaigns maximized publicity for promoting SoBe Lifewater drink flavors at the cost of perpetuating questionable gender stereotypes in advertising. But the intended audience likely saw the ads as embodying the company’s unconventional image.
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