Virgin picks YHS for launch of Colours

<p>SINGAPORE: Virgin Drinks has chosen Yeo Hiap Seng (YHS) to handle </p><p>bottling, distribution and marketing for its Virgin Colours soft drinks </p><p>range due to launch in Singapore later this month. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The local beverage company took on the franchise partly because Virgin </p><p>Colours is a strong brand, which it can use to woo kids, mostly 10 to 16 </p><p>year olds, and take market share from Coca-Cola's F&N flavoured drinks </p><p>range. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Elaine Ng, YHS trade marketing and brand manager, said: "Virgin Colours </p><p>is a little bit different to other brands and will create some </p><p>excitement in a segment of the soft drink market which until now has </p><p>been quite plain and boring." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Virgin Colours will come in curvy bottles with four flavours to choose </p><p>from - Virgin Purple (berry fruits), Virgin Cool Blue (tutti-frutti), </p><p>Virgin Yellow (passion fruit) and Virgin Ruby (cranberry). Ng said there </p><p>were no plans to launch Virgin Cola as YHS has the Pepsi-Cola franchise </p><p>in Singapore. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Tequila is handling advertising for Virgin Colours, which was launched </p><p>to the trade on October 11. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Virgin Drinks is already in Bangladesh, Japan and Taiwan making </p><p>Singapore its fourth Asian market. It plans to expand further in the </p><p>region by launching into Hong Kong, China and South Korea. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Coca-Cola has generally focused on its power brands - Coca Cola, Sprite </p><p>and Lift - in Singapore, with relatively little spend going on marketing </p><p>the F&N brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But coincidentally, Coca-Cola's ad agency McCann-Erickson is currently </p><p>working on a campaign for F&N. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Singapore is the regional headquarters for the Virgin Group, which is </p><p>launching several other businesses in Asia, including Virgin Mobile and </p><p>Virgin Radio. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>