• Forbes CMO Network, Friday, June 5, 2009 10:45 AM

Vita Coco. The New York company is the largest maker of a drink that is all the rage in the beverage industry: coconut water. Indeed, until recently, the main players have grown by marketing to distinct consumer niches, Laurie Burkitt reports. "Marketing is what's selling these drinks, since the taste isn't something that will appeal to everyone," she writes.

Market leader Vita Coco, which sells for up to $2 and raked in $20 million from sales in 8,000 stores last year, targets young hipsters who might use the beverage in a cocktail, for example. The company has vans that cruise New York and Los Angeles with samples and DJs and women who jump out and hula hoop when the van stops.

Coconut water represents 60% of O.N.E. beverages' $10 million in revenue last year, says founder Rodrigo Veloso, and his target audience is moms. Zico, with $4 million in sales last year, is aimed at sports enthusiasts, particularly yoga lovers.

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