Chicago
English
Howard leads Euromonitor's global soft drinks research and strategic client engagement. He authors global reports on the industry and provides editorial support for our Passport soft drinks content. He is also the co-lead for Euromonitor's drinks blog.
Howard provides insights to Euromonitor's soft drinks client base on consumer trends, global category and market performance. He is particularly interested in cross-industry innovation, forecasting and new research methodologies. Howard’s insights have been cited in a variety of international programs and publications including the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Fortune magazine. In a previous role, he worked in health care and education survey research for the public sector.
Internet culture and social media are major catalysts of drink creations and trends but also platforms for scrutiny and accountability. Consumers are reacting quickly, critically and publicly to new food and beverage products. Press play to hear from Howard Telford, Senior Global Insight Manager – Soft Drinks, on how brands can navigate and adapt to these shifts.
Energy drinks remains one of the growth stars in US soft drinks, and more widely across consumer packaged goods. Despite many categories struggling to stimulate meaningful volume with a financially stretched US consumer, energy drinks achieved 4% retail volume growth in 2024 – even accounting for weaker traffic in the higher-priced, inflation-impacted convenience channel, a challenge which appears to be somewhat abating in 2025.
At the beginning of March, Euromonitor International attended Natural Products Expo West – one of the largest trade shows in the world focused exclusively on natural, organic and healthier consumer products. The event is an important showcase and launching pad for the latest trends in natural product innovation – particularly in the world of functional and better for you (BFY) soft drinks.