Horlicks is the name of a company and a malted milk hot drink claimed to promote sleep when drunk at bedtime. It is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline in the United Kingdom, India and Jamaica.
* Also a slang term used in the United Kingdom by journalists in political interviews to describe a mess. eg. "it's a bit of a horlicks".
India is by far the biggest market for Horlicks, where it has traditionally been marketed as "The Great Family Nourisher". New products have been developed specifically for India, such as alternative flavours and special formulations for young children and breast-feeding mothers. Claims by GlaxoSmithKline India in 2005 that Horlicks encourages growth and alertness in children have, however, caused some controversy.
In the UK, GlaxoSmithKline attempted a rebrand of the product in 2004 for younger consumers by redesigning the packaging and publicising its consumption at a number of trendy London venues such as the Groucho Club.
In some countries, such as the Philippines and Malaysia, Horlicks was also sold as milky-chocolate-flavored disks in paper packets, which were then eaten as candy.
In Hong Kong, Horlicks is known better as a café drink than a sleeping aid. It is served at cha chaan tengs as well as fastfood shops such as Café de Coral and Maxim's Express. It can be served hot or cold, and is usually sweetened with sugar. It is almost always made with warm milk, and ice is added to it if a cold drink is desired.
The product's name has entered the vernacular as a substitute for the profanity "bollocks". This was exploited by the company in a 1990s advertising campaign, in which a harassed housewife exclaims "Horlicks" in a context where a stronger term could have been expected, thus widening the term's exposure and usage for a while.
The term was used in July 2003 by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw ("a complete Horlicks") to describe irregularities in the preparation and provenance of a dossier regarding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
A combination of chocolate drink and Horlicks is commonly referred to as Choclix.
Horlicks has launched Horlicks Lite and Horlicks Lite Bite, products that have been specially formulated keeping in mind the dietary needs of health-conscious adults. This product is also suitable for people with diabetes, said its spokesperson during the launch at Chennai. Horlicks has claimed that its product will help alleviate a lot of concerns that adults have with age. Horlicks Lite will help people with diabetes in managing their daily diet requirements.
Horlicks Lite contains zero sugar, zero cholesterol, is high in fibre and low on fat, said Anindya Das Gupta, general manager, Nutritionals InnoVATION, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. "We developed Horlicks Lite and Lite Bite in consultation with leading doctors and dieticians. Horlicks Lite and the Lite Bite biscuits are ideal nutritional products for all adults, and are also suitable for people with diabetes
Boost is a chocolate flavoured health food drink. It is another product of GlaxoSmithKline. It was launched in 1977 in India.
The first brand ambassador for Boost was the cricketer Kapil Dev in 1986. Sachin Tendulkar became the brand ambassador with his Debut in 1989, and Virender Sehwag joined in 2002.
The product's slogan "Boost is the secret of my energy" is ubiquitous in India.
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Replied 02 November 2009
Boost is the secret of My ENERGY:)))))))))))))))))