Mizone

Mizone, also known as Mizone Sports Water, is a formulated sports drink manufactured by Frucor Suntory, a Japanese-owned beverage company operating in Australasia.^[1][2] In China, the drink is known as Maidong (脉动).^[3]

Mizone

Type	Sports drink
Manufacturer	Frucor Suntory
Origin	New Zealand
Introduced	2000; 25 years ago (2000)
Website	frucorsuntory.com/mizone

History

'Maidong', Chinese range of the drink

The flavoured sports water was launched by Frucor in New Zealand in October 2000.^[4] In the first 9 weeks of its launch in New Zealand, Mizone accomplished 15% market share in petrol stations, which was a hortative sign for the water business.^[4] In 2003, Frucor's parent company Danone released the drink in China, and Chinese company Robust Co Ltd adapted the product under the name 'Maidong', which means "pulse". The product began to be popular with those residing in urban areas. A year after its creation, 'Maidong' became the best-selling energy-drink and was named China's beverage of the year. In 2006, the drink had a strong start in Indonesia under the Mizone brand.^[5]

In 2014, due to the influx of new sports drinks and water brands, Mizone launched a new campaign with the slogan "More than Water" to represent the drink as the modern man's hydration and to have drinking plain water appear to be an outdated way to hydrate one's self.^[6]

In 2018, after the drink's declination in Australia, its brand was relaunched via a campaign that featured Australian cricketer and soccer player Ellyse Perry, with the slogan "find your zone".^[7] As of 2023, Fructor Suntory has indefinitely ceased to distribute Mizone in Australia.^{[a][citation needed]} In October 2023, Mizone was revamped in China, after its underperformance in the country, by releasing Mizone Electrolyte +, a grapefruit-flavoured variant aimed for those who want to increase their electrolyte intake.^[8]

Products

Lemon and lime-flavoured range, introduced in 2018

Mizone Lime Flavoured Still Water

Nutritional value per 750 millilitres (25 US fl oz)
Energy	116.6 kcal (488 kJ)
Carbohydrates	27.9
Sugars	27.9
Dietary fiber	0
Fat	0
Protein	0
Vitamins and minerals Minerals Quantity %DV† Potassium 0% 0 mg Sodium 7% 170 mg
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[9] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[10]

Mizone comes in 750mL transparent, somewhat curved, blue plastic bottles that have depressions made for fingers at the bottom half. The bottles feature a blue flip and flow lid that opens to a nozzle.^{[citation needed]} In Australia, a 800ml sipper bottle was available when the drink was first launched in 2001.^[1]

In Australia, Mizone Active Water came in lime, blackcurrant, mandarin and raspberry, while the product in New Zealand was made up of lime, passionfruit, mandarin and crisp apple. Mizone Isopower was available only in New Zealand. The drink had two low-carb flavours, Raspberry Rush and Lemon Lime Charge, which are discontinued. The last range was Mizone Rapid, launched in 2007 and discontinued in 2011.^{[citation needed]}

In 2016, Mizone Activ was launched in Indonesia, targeted to the sports community.^[11] In 2017, Mizone expanded its product line in China, where it included two new flavours; cactus green orange and sea salt mango, including a new merchandise line titled "blazing energy," which is high in taurine and plant extracts. In 2019, also in China, Mizone introduced three new products; taurine, ginseng and fiber.^[12]

In New Zealand, the drink comes in three flavours; lime, mandarin and crisp apple, as per the official website.^[b] In Indonesia, the drink currently comes in cherry blossom, cranberry, starfruit and lychee lemon flavours.^[13]

Ingredients

A blend of purified water and natural fruit flavours, Mizone features antioxidant, vitamins (vitamin C, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12), electrolytes, vitamin B, carbohydrates (glucose, fructose and sucrose), sodium chloride, citric acid, apple cider vinegar, in addition to variants and ranges of the drink that have come with flavours such as apple, blackcurrant, passionfruit, raspberry, mandarin, lemon/lime, strawberry and watermelon, throughout the course of its history.^[14][15] Furthermore, the drink does not contain artificial colours or preservatives and it has a third less sugar than other sport drinks.^{[16][independent source needed]}

Advertising

Some notable television commercials about Mizone include:

An early Australian–New Zealand advert that features a jogger leaping over a CGI canyon^[17]

• In 2002–03, an Australian–New Zealand television commercial featured a male jogger in a suburban street who gains super strength by jumping over a computer-generated gorge, before taking a sip of Mizone, with the opera music Messa da Requiem: I. Requiem & Kyrie by Giuseppe Verdi playing in the background.^{[17] [independent source needed]}
• In 2011, Danone launched 'Ur Flava' in Indonesia, partnering with Admax Network, with the aim to expand the brand beyond the beverage category and capture the young professional markets.^[18]
• In 2012, a quirky, action-packed Chinese commercial titled "tilt" featured stuntmen from Shanghai walking in a tilted manner, before they turn upright after drinking Mizone. Directed by Australian filmmaker Husein Alicajic, a library set with bookshelves and wire rigs was constructed solely for the ad, so it would collapse like a row of dominoes.^[19]
• In 2012, in association with Warner Music, Frucor made playlists to motivate athletes.^[20]
• In a humorous 2014 Chinese advert, the "Tilting Man" character theme recurred to symbolize people being "out of state" when they do not drink Mizone. Integrating special effects imagery, the advert featured people in a city walking in a "tilted" fashion prior to drinking Mizone, in addition to buses and skyscrapers being canted as well.^[3]
• In 2016, an Indonesian Mizone commercial featured the DNCE song Cake By The Ocean.^[21]
• In an action-packed 2017 Chinese commercial titled "Catapult", a new tagline called "Mizone Forward" was proposed. Incorporating VFX imagery, the ad featured people of all walks of life being catapulted (by the drink) over city buildings.^{[3][independent source needed]}
• A 2019 Chinese commercial titled "Tilted World" featured 14 shots that consisted of high resolution water splash elements and rotoscoping. The advert's message was that, by drinking Mizone, the person can turn their tilted body upright and return to their normal posture.^{[22][independent source needed]}