The Inevitable Comes To Pass: Pedialyte Targeting Hungover Adults

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(jsharktank)

Although we acknowledge the fact that all of our readers are surely shining examples of fun in moderation, perhaps you may have known someone in your adult life who, after having had a few too many Brandy Alexanders, has attempted to rehydrate the next morning with the same drink your mom gave you when you stayed home with a stomach bug. Pedialyte feels your pain, and it’s definitely taking of its popularity among adults.

There’s nothing to be ashamed of, after all — it’s like Johnson’s Baby Shampoo: Just because it’s for babies doesn’t mean parents can’t use it too.

And mom, dad and friends are drinking it, Pedialyte says, with adult consumption growing by almost 60% since 2012, accounting for more tan a third of the company’s sales, Heather Mason, an executive vice president at Abbott Laboratories, the manufacturer told the Wall Street Journal.

The company doesn’t disclose sales but said that retail sales tracked by Nielsen have gone up 22% to $102 million in 2014 from 2013, giving it a 58.2% share in the $167 million U.S. oral electrolyte market.

The historical average of adult drinkers was more in the 10% to 15% average range, she noted.

Of course, athletes are also in need of rehydration often, but with the advent of social media and sharing of life tips like surviving college, Pedialyte is often the beverage of choice to treat a hangover.

Abbott isn’t letting this opportunity pass, Tweeting things like “#CincoDeMayo #rehydrate” on May 5, an occasion often celebrated with copious amounts of margaritas.

#CincoDeMayo #rehydrate http://pic.twitter.com/rjqgnuGT21

— Pedialyte US (@pedialyte) May 5, 2015

The company is also heading to where the action is, with plans to hand out free samples at 144 music festivals and sporting events around the country this summer.

“There’s an underground movement in social media to drive word of mouth,” Mason told the WSJ. “We saw increased use by adults. We have high electrolyte and lower sugar content than common [hydration] beverages. That combination caused us to say, ‘We need to be part of this.’”

There are no plans to veer from the Pedia part of the name, she said, as it has “strong brand recognition,” adding that the company won’t change its product make-up to cater to adults more closely. But it will be launching larger packs of the powdered version it sells and add flavors like strawberry, lemonade and orange.

Me, I like my electrolytes frozen in popsicle form. You know, after I’ve run a marathon or whatever.

Pedialyte Sales Grow—Into an Adult Market [Wall Street Journal]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist