After its first iteration struggled to connect with consumers, Intent Brands has taken a second crack at the functional drink space.
Founded in 2019 by two practicing Arizona-based optometrists, Tom and Amy Czyz, Intent’s original concept – available in Energy/Antioxidant (lingonberry-acai), Focus/Balance (cucumber-jasmine) and Calm/Restore (vanilla-chamomile) SKUs – aimed to align with a consumers’ circadian rhythm fueling mental and physical energy needs throughout the day.
Envisioned to deliver a “spa in a bottle” experience, co-founder and CRO Tom Czyz told BevNET Intent missed the mark on its target consumer.
“Who ended up buying it was professional athletes,” Czyz said.
Taking that feedback the brand realized it needed to rethink its strategy while keeping to its core competency of meeting consumers throughout the day with caffeine-free energy drinks and beverages intended to calm and relax. During the course of reinvention, Czyz’s former fraternity brother Doug Kennedy – a video game executive behind hits like Guitar Hero and Rock Band – suggested there was opportunity in eSport for healthier, natural beverage options.
“[Kennedy] told us we need to get rid of this persona of Mountain Dews in the basement,” Czyz said. “Gamers are healthier than they are perceived to be.”
After surveying a number of professional gamers and streamers, Intent found that the eSport community wasn’t asking for another high-sugar, caffeinated drink, but rather something that could help them calm down and destress, Czyz said.
The final result, created with help from Los Angeles-based beverage formulator Drink Labs and design firm Interact Brands, is Sly, a five-SKU line in 12 ounce slim cans that is soft launching this week at gaming culture convention TwitchCon in Las Vegas. The product will be available in 4-can variety packs and single flavor 12-packs, and will retail for about $3.79 individually.
Sly’s five flavors span across three use occasions: Boost (Berry and Tropical), Chill (Citrus and Mango) and Dream (Vanilla). Boost features 2 grams of sugar and a more robust profile of functional ingredients like Rhodiola, Acetyl-L-Carnitine and L-Theanine along with the B vitamins for stress, focus and clarity as well as bilberry to support eye health. Chill was formulated with chamomile, ashwagandha, valerian, magnesium and biotin. Dream has the same formulation of Chill with 2 mg of melatonin as a sleep aid.
A second Dream flavor, Orange Cream, has also been tested but won’t be available in this launch.
Positioning towards the gaming and eSport community has become a familiar story in beverages. Energy brands like Ghost, G-Fuel and C4 have leaned into streamer culture with partnerships with gamer platforms, events and streamer groups.
Though still relatively a small segment of the total market, gamer energy drinks are “poised for strong growth considering gaming’s ubiquity among young consumers,” according to Mintel’s 2023 U.S. Energy Drinks report.
Other brands like Nerd Focus, Emotional Utility and Jack Harlow-backed Phocus are targeting Gen Z with functional drinks that promote focus, stress-relief and calm.
This time around the company is “taking it slow” and using a more targeted launch strategy, Czyz said. Sly has amassed some key advisors to help including a former 7-Eleven merchandising executive Edgar Vargas, former Rockstar Energy marketing executive Frank Guernsey and a gaming industry communications manager Tracie Snitker.
The brand is also looking to drive organic awareness through the gaming community: Sly was recently named the official drink of the Ultimate Endgamers League and has sent reveal boxes to about 50 content creator partners with large social media reach.
In retail, Sly is targeting distribution among independent convenience and grocery stores near the Arizona State University campus in Tempe. The brand will also be part of an eight-week 7-Eleven pilot program in the Tucson and Phoenix area as it tries to lock down a foothold in its home market.
Part of the short term strategy is to raise more capital to fuel the demand that Sly is expected to produce. Currently, Intent Brands has a convertible note and has raised about $500,000 through friends, family and previous investors but is hoping it might get investment of nearly $3 million.
“It’s been a long road and we’re ready to go now. Finally,” Czyz said.