LifeAID Beverage Co., founded in 2011, develops high-performance drinks for athletes, partiers, and everyone in-between, delivering specialized formulations designed to replenish the essential nutrients that may be needed for corresponding activities.
 
Within the already saturated energy drink market, LifeAID is working to define itself as the beverage of choice for individuals with specific lifestyles, where each lifestyle requires its own drink formulation.
 
“If you look at most traditional companies, what they’ve done is taken a product and repurposed the same product for different markets. Take energy drinks for example, an energy drink brand may have anywhere from six SKUs (like a Red Bull) to 25 SKUs (like a Monster or Rockstar), but it is still the same core product,” stated Aaron Hinde, CEO, LifeAID.
 
Design By Avocation
According to Mr. Hinde, LifeAID differentiates itself from companies that do market the same core product through a strategy of design by avocation, tapping into the vein that intersects customization and lifestyle. This is a trend that, Mr. Hinde stated, is not solely confined to the beverage industry, but is rather easily identifiable in all consumer-based areas of life; people want customized products for their unique lifestyles.
 
“What we’ve done, instead of taking the same product and marketing it to different industries, we’ve taken unique formulations of targeted, effective supplements— based on the needs of that particular avocation—and provided that to them in a contemporary, chic way that’s congruent with their lifestyle, is very refreshing, and tasty,” Mr. Hinde stated.
 
Acknowledging the challenge this presents for marketing—raising brand awareness for multiple products in specific, unique niches—Mr. Hinde stated that the objective is to become synonymous with quality across the product line. LifeAID wants to be the first name a consumer thinks of when they consider what beverage will best suit their lifestyle needs, and by “going deep” in its specialty distribution channels, LifeAID will reinforce its position as a top quality provider of beverages for those selected avocations.
 
But how does it simultaneously, cost-effectively, and successfully market multiple products all with differing core ingredients to specific markets? Through effective advertising of its core brand, FitAID, the goal is to build awareness to the point where any consumer will be able to recognize the brand and its quality, and automatically be willing to give it a try. In other words, FitAID is striving to create a loyal customer base that will see value in the other avocation-based, line extensions and thereby spread awareness through personal use, or endorsement, of those lines.
 
Concerning advertisement of the actual ingredients, Mr. Hinde does not believe this to be necessary because individuals in different avocations already largely know which nutrients benefit them and which do not.
 
“Everybody within a particular community knows what is effective for their particular activity,” stated Mr. Hinde.
 
In addition, “the product names are fairly self-explanatory,” he added. One needs only to look at the product name to deduce what activity it supports.
 
Optimized Nutraceutical Formulations
Regarding product development, the team at LifeAID requires inside knowledge so as to include the best ingredients in formulations for optimum nutritional value. After all, this is the critical aspect of what differentiates LifeAID from other brands—“doctor-developed,” “optimized nutraceutical formulations,” as described by the company’s website. LifeAID caters its formulations to specific, recreational passions.
 
“Having intimate knowledge of the particular activity or avocation and knowing what is important to the participants in that particular community is what drives the formulations of our products,” said Mr. Hinde.
 
For example, the flagship product, GolferAID, as its name implies, is specially designed for individuals who play golf. To know what that entails, supplement-wise, Mr. Hinde taps into his own first-hand knowledge base as a sports chiropractor with a nutrition background. He also consults professionals in the golf community, players and trainers, LifeAID’s in-house PhD chemist, and two food chemists. 
 
“Typically, we consult with professionals within the communities, brainstorm to figure out what their current routines are, getting an extensive list on what people are already doing. Then researching, on my end, what is effective, what is snake oil, what are effective doses, and that type of thing,” explained Mr. Hinde.
 
At this point, Mr. Hinde writes the preliminary formulations and the collaboration process begins. To create a successful golf recovery drink, for instance, the GolferAID beverage features a proprietary blend (635 mg) of supplements such as:
 

• Coenzyme Q10—for improved mental acuity and focus
• 5-HTP (L-5-hydroxytryptophan)—for improved mood and confidence
• Eleutherococcus senticosus (ginseng)—for reduced stress
• Bilberry—for enhanced visual acuity and balance
• D-glucosamine hydrochloride—for joint health
• Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs)—for strength and power
• B vitamins—for improved stamina and endurance
• Magnesium—to lessen muscle fatigue
• Turmeric/MSM—for improved joint and muscle mobility

 
Origins & Projections
Meeting at a local CrossFit gym, founders Aaron Hinde and Orion Melehan, a certified financial planner, developed a friendship that revolved around their common interests. It wasn’t long into their friendship until the pair decided that there was a clear market need for something that was clean and healthy, that replenished the nutrients in the body without adding all the extra sugar and unnecessary ingredients, and that would be appealing to a younger generation.
 
Putting their heads, collective experience, and business acumen together, they began to develop the LifeAID brand as an alternative to the high-caffeine, high-sugar substitutes on the market. After developing the concept, they immediately trademarked 75 domain names around the AID concept. GolferAID was the first AID product to come to fruition, launching in 2012 at seven local golf courses. Six months later, they began to distribute FitAID, followed by PartyAID four months after that.
 
For the most part, overall brand growth has been steady. However, shortly after the FitAID introduction, its sales began to skyrocket and it has since been the largest and most popular line extension.
 
In the next year, Mr. Hinde told Nutraceuticals World that LifeAID is looking to unveil a couple of new, fitted, line extensions that are consistent with the brand promise of creating high-level, lifestyle products. These include TravelAID, to be released to select U.S. airports, and FocusAID, at high-end grocery outlets, as well as corporate and college campuses. These outlets, like the ones before them, are highly specific and intentional; it is all a part of the marketing strategy.
 
“Costco, Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid, and other national retailers have reached out to us, but we’ve told them the timing is not quite right yet; we’re not trying to blow out products everywhere only to then sell out to a bigger company that can water down our dream by cutting supplements in half and adding high-fructose corn syrup to everything. We are taking a slow and steady growth approach to support our accounts and slowly grow out from there,” Mr. Hinde stated. 
 
LifeAID beverages, in addition to the select brick and mortar retailers, are available for purchase at LifeAidBevCo.com for $59.75 (24-pack). FitAID, largely driven by the growth of CrossFit internationally, is currently sold in 18 countries including Sweden, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Australia.
 
“We’re taking a much different approach than most companies out there that are being built to sell to a big player in 3-5 years. I see us really changing the landscape and expectations of the beverage industry over the next 10 years,” predicted Mr. Hinde.