After over 30 years of success in Japan, Otsuka Ltd. have decided that they want to launch their ‘ion supply drink’ in the UK.

 

Unfortunately the brand goes under the name of ‘Pocari Sweat’ — an inocuous name, free of negative connotation for most Japanese, but a fairly unpleasant proposition for most English speakers.

It was clear then, that in order to break into the British market, a complete rebrand was needed. The drink is positioned as a sports drink in Japan, but with the dominance of Lucozade and energy drinks in the British market, a different strategy was needed.

 

Targetting aspirational 25-35 year old men, and focussing on the scientifically-proven rehydration properties of the drink led to a crisp, clinical design, which, whilst alluding to Japan (the name ‘Nomi’ simply means ‘drink’ in Japanese) doesn’t overplay this aspect and maintains a cool, understated look to appeal to the demographic.