54% of Belgians want more time for themselves
Coca-Cola responds to this trend with the launch of Fuze Tea – a new breed of iced tea
This month saw the launch on the Belgian market of the new iced tea brand Fuze Tea: Coca-Cola’s largest product launch since Coca-Cola zero sugar, now 10 years ago. Fuze Tea is a delicious fusion of tea extracts, fruit juice, and herbal extracts. The four Fuze Tea varieties available in Belgium and Luxembourg are all low in calories* and made with sustainably-sourced tea. Under the tagline 'Serve yourself a little me-time', the brand aims to encourage people to think about the value of creating time for themselves.
BELGIANS NEED TIME FOR THEMSELVES
A large-scale study conducted by Fuze Tea among 1,000 Belgians[1] shows that there is a great need for me-time: 78% of Belgians think it is important to have some me-time on workdays. No fewer than 9 out of 10 Belgians find me-time a must on weekends.
Yet, Belgian adults only have a little more than an hour (64 minutes) of me-time per day. The least me-time is experienced on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Sundays, Belgians are able to free up a little more time for themselves – about 72 minutes on average. Nevertheless, 54% of Belgians indicate that they rarely have a moment for themselves. 55% explain this by the increasing pressure of everyday modern life.
Belgians indicate that they want 57 minutes more me-time on average. 70% of Belgians believe that more me-time would give them extra time to relax and a quarter of Belgians would use the time to reflect while 20% would use the extra minutes to spend more time on others.
ALMOST 1 HOUR PER DAY ‘MULTI-SCREENING’
43% of Belgians find it difficult to finish things by the end of the working day: they continue working and checking their email in the evening. Nevertheless, the majority still finds a moment for themselves after 6pm. 50% of Belgians consider watching television as me-time and 42% read a book or a magazine in their spare time. Others cite taking a hot bath (19%) or cooking (17%) as real me-time. 14% relax with a cold refreshing drink. If no one is looking, some Belgians do other things: for example, 28% talk to their pets, 22% sing unnoticed in their cars and 9% occasionally dance in front of the mirror.
At home, 57% of Belgians do a lot of multi-screening (the phenomenon of looking at multiple screens at the same time). For almost 1 hour (57 min) per day, Belgians are most inclined to watch TV (68%), check social media (44%), send messages (37%), play games (28%) or just randomly browse or scroll (27%).
THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING TIME FOR YOURSELF, ACCORDING TO FRANCE, A MILLENNIAL AND BLOGGER ON MADEBYF.COM
“In short, it's a blog that got me out of my burnout a few years ago. I have not talked about it on my blog until recently. After a lot of thought, I decided at the time to lay down my career as a corporate lawyer and dedicate myself full-time to my blog and make a living from it. When I think about it, it was a completely crazy and risky gamble. But in the end, it was the best decision of my life... Since then, my daily routine has radically changed. Which is why I wanted to share some tips with you: meditate, switch off, learn to say no or start writing. In short, take time for yourself!” advises France Maydenn.
FRANCE'S TIPS:
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1. Meditate This is my number one recommendation: start to meditate! This is the best and most valuable me-time you can treat yourself to. Meditation is the key for everyday life. It will help you manage stress and set priorities, whether at home or at work. It will help you be more focused and productive and, most importantly, define who you are and what you want in life. I am a strong advocate of this practice and believe it should be included as a separate course at school from a young age. Even 5 minutes per day is a game changer and I would insist that employers create a space for this at work. Efficiency wise it’s also a win so why not?
2. Switch off // Let go I have always been concerned about how people seem to put pressure on themselves; continuously checking and answering work emails, even after hours. The « study » shows this point clearly, with more than 40% of Belgian people struggling to switch off from work. Some jobs require a high level of commitment but let’s face it, the majority of emails received in the evening can wait till the next day. If there is an emergency, you call, you don’t send an email. So in order to get some me-time and switch off, I would recommend not checking your emails after a certain time in the evening. It is not an easy exercise, I know, but the world will keep on turning. 3. Dare to say no Not checking emails after work requires another special skill that we seem to have forgotten: learning to say no! Because if you learn to say no, chances are that you will have more me-time opportunities. In my former career, it was just inconceivable to me but I was clearly missing the point. Most employees think that if they say no, they will get fired. Stop thinking this way right now! You are a value to the company you work for! There are things you can say no to and not answering an email after a certain hour is one example. It’s also essential career-wise: do you think your boss got his/her job by saying yes to everything? 4. Spark your creativity Leisure activities are important but watching TV is not the best use of your time. This is sadly the definition of “me-time” for half of the Belgian people according to the "study". I am not a TV-hater, don’t get me wrong but to me, “me-time” should ideally be allocated to creativity. We forget how satisfying for the mind it can be to create something. It gives us a sense of purpose and something to be proud of. You don’t need to create a masterpiece but just give some space to your imagination. It is also a form of meditation. 5. Be amazed, and stay positive Satisfaction is so important in life but only a third of Belgian people are satisfied with their life, according to the Coca-Cola study. Yet there are some many amazing things in our lives that we don’t notice because we are too busy thinking about work or the less-pleasant aspects of our daily lives. One of my favourite forms of “me-time” is to take 5 minutes each day to reflect on the things in life that bring me satisfaction and write them down. I highly recommend trying the “5 Minute Journal” concept, which is all about writing down the things you are grateful for, what has made your day great, the beautiful things that happened to you during the day and most importantly, the things that give you the chance to say something good about yourself. Let’s start recognizing the positive things around us! |
*except sparkling postmix
***ENDS***
About Fuze Tea
Fuze Tea is a delicious fusion of tea extracts, fruit juice and herbal extracts. A unique blend that creates an unexpected taste experience. In Belgium, Fuze Tea is available in four flavors and different pack sizes:
- Black Tea Peach Hibiscus
- Green Tea Mango Chamomile
- Black Tea Lemon
- Black Tea Sparkling
> 200 mL glass bottles, 250 mL and 330 mL cans, 400 mL and 1.25 L PET bottles
The four Fuze Tea varieties contain 17 to 19 kcal per 100 mL and are therefore classed as low-calorie drinks thanks to a combination of sugar and stevia extract. A low-calorie drink contains 20 kcal or less per 100 mL. The only exception is the sparkling post mix, which is available in some restaurants.
Star performer in international portfolio
Fuze Tea is a star performer and one of the fastest-growing brands in The Coca-Cola Company’s global portfolio. After the initial launch in 2012 in 14 international markets, Fuze Tea is now an established brand that is popular with consumers in no less than 52 countries. This month, an additional 37 European countries will be added to that list. For Belgian and Luxembourg consumers, Coca-Cola has developed a selection of special Fuze Tea varieties at its Brussels R&D center, which have been tailored to meet European and, more specifically, Belgian-Luxembourg tastes.
Sustainably-sourced tea
The introduction of Fuze Tea is another example of Coca-Cola’s recently launched Western European sustainability plan. Sugar reduction, packaging and social engagement are important pillars of this action plan. Fuze Tea comes in 100% recyclable packaging, including the caps. The low-calorie drink also contains sustainably-sourced tea from plantations that contribute to their local community, for example, by providing employment and training.
For additional questions, please contact Laura Brems, Communication Manager Coca-Cola Services via lbrems@coca-cola.com or on +32 499 77 28 28.
