The soft drinks category is full of 'me too' brands all competing with slightly different USPs, but For Goodness Shakes! stands alone as being the only milk-based sports drink for men. The company's main rivals - Yop, Frijj, Yazoo and Nesquik - all primarily target the children's market, which is reflected by their choice of flavours and marketing techniques. But the Ofcom ban on advertising of HFSS products to children means companies are changing their marketing tactics to appeal to a wider audience and focusing on the health benefits of milk rather than just the fun element of milkshakes or yoghurt drinks. Dairy Crest recently launched a campaign for its Yop brand that focused on the benefits of calcium to teeth and bones. Adverts, aired during adult TV viewing, are designed to appeal to a wider audience. Arla Foods has also attempted to bring adults to the flavoured milk category with its Hint Of... milk drink. The product is designed for adults who like to drink flavoured milk but feel children's milkshakes are too sweet and thick for them. Yazoo has taken a similar route to For Goodness Shakes! with links to sport, but with children instead of adults. The brand is official sponsor of the Youth Hockey Festivals and says promoting an active and healthier lifestyle makes the drink more appealing to parents. Jeremy Martin, marketing director at My Goodness, welcomes his rivals' approach. "The category needs stimulation with new products," he says. "The big problem is that people buy their weekly milk but don't look at the rest of the products. We need to develop milk as a destination stop." However, he warns, success is not just dependent on clever marketing. "Just buying TV airtime during adult programmes isn't going to work. You need a specific product for adults if you want to target them properly."
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