Marketing Energy Drinks to Americas Youth Essay

As I started collecting culture for this paper, I soon realized that the efficacy boozing industry is a precise small (18 part) part of the bever mount industry, moreover a actually dominant part to say the least. Interestingly, the major pseuds in the industry, goliath efficacy, Red darn, and Rockstar, grant intentionally veered away from the conventional mediums lend oneselfd to promote products. They instead abide chosen securities industrying mediums that appeal much to their target foodstuffs and the live life history on the edge lifestyles that they live.Monster for example, shies away from mass market advertizing instead they focus all of their sales efforts and marketing muscle on sponsoring bring through sports athletes, artists and musical, events and tours. All of this ties in with the companys general philosophy that Monster isnt just a crapulence, but a lifestyle sword (Landi). The key is for us (Monster) to retain what we do best, which is mark eting in an unconventional way and keep that rule for the stain, said Rodney Sacks, CEO of Hansen ingrained Corp. Monster is all round(predicate) action sports, punk rock music, partying, girls, and live life on the edge (Landi).The companies that produce nix insobrietys ar utilise the current popularity of action sports such as motocross, skateboarding, BMX, etc. , to showcase their products and to advertize brand aw arness. Its not coincidental that the demographic that participates in these sports and idolizes its passe-partout athletes argon correspondingwise the same demographic that consumes cipher take ups. Youll becharm very few TV commercials or print ads promoting brawn soak ups but when you resign on the ESPN produced X-Games, just nearwhat every athlete participating is sponsored by Red Bull, Monster, or Rockstar.John Lee, director of sports marketing for Monster brawniness Drink says, We fathert do print ads or television. We stringently reali se promoted our brand through athletes and the events that the athletes compete in. With our current generation (Gen Y) of puppyish Ameri dissolves being the first to really grow up with the Web, it is important for marketeers to get married the use of the internet as a vital marketing calamus and communication medium (cape). This group has a lot of life term forrad of them and that makes their Lifetime Value (LTV) high for marketers, says Greg Ness, Chief Strategy Officer, Burst Media.Ness was as head quick to point out that, one-third of current college students make pass 10 or more hours online per week and one-fifth spend 20 hours or more online. Ness concludes, Their time online exceeds the amount of time they argon spending watching TV or listening to the radio. Monster has deep starting using the internet as a recruiting / marketing bill of sorts when they introduced the Monster army. The Army is a grassroots marketing outreach community that also locates up-a nd-coming athletes forgatherking sponsorship opportunities (Campanelli).In the past few classs, more than 50,000 athletes (recruits) view as signed up as members of the Monster Army where more than 1,000 of them are currently sponsored through the program. Its been a very successful program, our Army members are out there spreading the word about our products, verbalise ten of their friends who in turn tell ten of their friends, its a snowball effect (Lee). In addition Monster has also recently announced an exclusive relationship with the Loopd Network, a friendly media platform exclusively for online sports communities. The Loopd Network currently boasts more than 200,000 members worldwide (Campanelli).The history of nothing make happys is much deeper than nigh would imagine. Japan is impute for pioneering the energy deglutition phenomenon, but the first mass produced energy alcohol addiction was called Lucozade, and was launched in 1929, in the UK (enquiry Wikis). It wa snt until Red Bull, which was first launched in 1987, and introduced the fall in States to the world of energy drinks a decade later that the energy drink industry really took off (Reuters). Red Bull dexterity allow had the first big impact on the market in 1997, but Monster, launched in 2002, by Hansen Natural Corp. has clearly make a hygienic impression on the market.With its initial market share of 12 percent in 2003, Monster now has a 30 percent take to on the market piece of music Red Bull maintains 25 percent (Reuters). Past portrayals of energy drinks were for the most part all negative as energy drinks are not regulated by the FDA and most integrate large amounts of sugar, sodium, and caffeine, among former(a) things. Some brands and flavors set out a caffeine matter that evict range from a modest 50 mg. to an alarming 505 mg. per fuel (Reissig).For example, an 8. 3 oz. can of Red Bull contains 76 mg. of caffeine which is about twice what a 12 oz.can of degree c entigrade contains (LeBlanc). A 16 oz. can of Monster contains about 14 teaspoons of sugar and 200 calories (LeBlanc). So what are all of these negative energy boosting drinks doing to our bodies?A recent study make by Wayne State University in Detroit showed that consumption of energy drinks subjoind kind pressure and heart rate levels in healthy adults that drank two cans a day (LeBlanc). With all of those negative aspects there must be something erect in energy drinks. There is a long list of skilful ingredients that can be erect in most of the energy drinks on the market today.They include vitamin B-complex, antioxidant vitamins C and E, the amino acid taurine, bee pollen, inositol, glucuronolac government note, and herbal extracts from ginseng, guarana, gingko biloba, horny goat weed, milk thistle, yerba mate, damiana, rosemary, skullcap, black seed, royal jelly, and white willow, among others (Berry). The overall benefits that energy drinks are said to produce include stress relief, alter effects, an improved love life, increased stamina, sharper reflexes, heightened alertness, virility, and theyll stimulate your metabolism (Berry). The demographic that energy drink companies are after is rather broad. opus their fig one consumer fits the description of a immature white male surrounded by the ages of 16 to 25, energy drink companies are broadening their marketing horizons and are now notioning at men, women, and children between the ages of 12 and 40 (LeBlanc). progenyer kids see drinking energy drinks as something their parents might disapprove of, says Jim Karwowski of violence Brands. A market that has yet to be fully tapped into is the effeminate consumer. enchantment the number of distaff consumers has grown 74 percent over the exit five years, women are still considered the minority population when it comes to energy drinkers. close to 20 percent of men say they drink energy drinks while only 10 percent of women say they do (Fr ancella). Ill be using information gathered from a number of different explore papers as well as reports produced from beverage industry insiders to substantiate my findings on the marketing techniques being used to lure Americas youth into becoming loyal consumers. Method During this study I legislationd 60 magazines. I reviewed issues of Racer X Illustrated and Motocross Action Magazine looking for ads from energy drink companies. My goal was to find print ads directly from the energy drink companies themselves that promoted their product.Once found (if found), I would evaluate what the ad was about and what demographic the ad was targeting. I watched and commandd 10 TV commercials (via YouTube) in an attempt to depict out if the messages shown were direct towards a particular market. The only corporate do TV commercials I was adequate to find were from Red Bull and Rockstar. I found a categorization of homemade Monster commercials but no(prenominal) that would declare be en endorsed by the corporate office. With Red Bull, four of the ads were animated and four were of Red Bull sponsored athletes.The two Rockstar commercials were based around music, one having a more psychedelic look while the other had a guitar player helping a stranded woman. My goal here was to evaluate what the ads were about and what demographic the ads was intended for. I reviewed and coded four tissue locates, tercet from energy drink companies and one from an action sports promotion company. My objective while evaluating these lays was to see what groups of people, whether it was men or women, and what age range was the information intended for. I found a vast amount of information to dissect and code from companies that are within the beverage industry.These are companies that do product reviews, market analysis, and product introductions, among other things. Two common messages that I repeatedly found in these articles revolved around college kids using energy drinks t o mix with alcoholic drink and the overall abuse of energy drinks. My objective here was to get an motif of how many college kids fall into one of these two groups. Although my options were limited due to a lack of documentation from other academic researchers, I was able to find, evaluate, and code information from four other academic research papers.I was able to find these documents after an exhaustive search using Lexis Nexis, Psychinfo, and the Social acquaintance Citation Index via the Joyner Library. I came across a huge armory of other academic research papers that were based on same subjects, but to gain access to more than the first paragraph I would bugger off had to sign up for subscriptions and pay fees. Im hoping that my frugality will not negatively impact my grade and hope the information that I was able to obtain and evaluate will satisfy the requirements of this paper.While evaluating and coding the different mediums I looked at the overall tone of the materi al. Was the tone very harsh and bold, which would possibly be directed more towards college senile males? Was the tone very light hearted and fun which would be more challenge to a younger population and/or women? Or belongly, did the ad have some sexual overtones and innuendos which could either be directed at young men or women? Results Being a subscriber of Racer X Illustrated and/or Motocross Action Magazine for the last 30 years, I have found that I look at many of the ads in those magazines in a rather numb, non-consuming state of mind.Ive seen the ads so many generation that I know all about the companies and their products so I dont pay much attention to them. To my surprise, after looking at 60 different magazines that were printed over a span of five years, I didnt find a single ad that was specifically publicise the actual energy drink. I found a large variety of ads that were promoting energy drink sponsored events, but none for the drinks themselves. The majority o f the sponsored events were either motocross executes, action sports events, or alternative rock concerts (the Vans Warped Tour) and bands (Linkin Park).If I was to describe the age, sex, and race of the attendees of these events it would probably be predominantly 16 25 year old, white, males. Although I didnt find any product ads in the magazines it was nearly insufferable to turn a page and not find pictures of riders or motorcycles that didnt have the name or logo of an energy drink showing. I felt the four animated Red Bull commercials could be perceive as trying to target the very young viewers and the female market as much as anything else. They were light hearted, funny cartoons that werent big, bold, and overbearing.The four Red Bull commercials featuring their sponsored athletes were very action packed and intense. They include Robbie Mado Madison jumping his motorcycle onto the roof of a building in Las Vegas, B-boy Ronnie freestyle break dancing, big wave surfer Ian Walsh, and stunt plane pilot program Kirby Chambliss. While the animated commercials carried the pitch, Red Bull Gives You Wings, the commercials with the athletes concluded with the athlete saying, incur to my World, the World of Red Bull. These action driven commercials were in my opinion made for the thrill seeking male consumer between the ages of 16 to 25.I also found that Red Bulls marketing plan has the brand pursuing traditional advertising such as TV commercials as its last phase of product market development (Hein). Media is not a tool that we use to establish the market, says Red Bulls wrong President of marketing, David Rohdy. The idea is to reinforce, not introduce the brand. Only when a market is deemed mature does the company begin a media push, concluded Rohdy. Red Bull typically creates two new TV spots each year and runs them in their mature markets (Hein).The four meshing sites that I reviewed and coded were the corporate web sites of Red Bull http//www. red bull. com/ , Rockstar goose egg Drink http//www. rockstar69. com/ , Monster dexterity http//www. monsterenergy. com/. In addition to the 3 top marketing energy drink brands I also looked at Alli Sports http//www. allisports. com/ the promoter of some of the biggest action sports series and events in the world. Themes that were consistent with all four of the sites were action, youth, and energy, energy, energy. The Red Bull site was the most clean cut and professional looking site out of the three beverage sites.Im not saying that the Rockstar and Monster sites were cheaply made, or have an unprofessional appearance, but the Red Bull site looks like something you would present to share holders of the company. It has the least amount of boldness of the three beverage sites, but is packed full of well filmed video clips showing off their sponsored athletes. I dont know if the situation that the corporate base for Red Bull is in Austria has anything to do with the web sites visua l appeal, but its unimpeachably a different come near than its competition took.With the look and accessibility of this site and its features I felt like it was geared for an older more mature audience. I didnt see the sight selling the sexual appeal of women as much as I did on the Rockstar site. I look at Red Bulls site would appeal to both men and women ages 15 to 40. The Rockstar site was definitely the edgiest of the three beverage sites. Just on the home page unaccompanied you see ads for merge martial arts fights and heavy metal concerts that the brand is sponsoring. If you look further down you can watch a bypass video clip of five beautiful, big breasted women posing on motorcycles and race cars.Theres also links that talk about the variety of products they offer as well as links to the heterogeneous music and sports events that they sponsor to include the sponsored bands and athletes that participate in those events. I felt that the Rockstar site was definitely gear ed for young, white, males, ages 15 to 30. Overall I sentiment that the site had a very harsh tone to it and women probably wouldnt appreciate it. With a mix of the fighters and rock concert promotions flashing on the screen a viewer might even aspect some rage building inside while viewing the site. The Monster site was all about speed.The home page had a constantly changing look that showcased many Monster sponsored racers. The site overall was neatly displace out. It didnt have as clean and crisp of a look as Red Bull had but it wasnt as interfering as the Rockstar site was. The site was easy to navigate and was very appealing to the eye. I feel the overall look of the site and the message that it gives was directed more towards the young, white, male between the ages of 15 and 35. The site is very dark, as the background is black, and has a hardcore feel and tone. I think women might be turned off by that.One feature on the Monster site that is inviting to a broader fan / consumer base is the Monster Army. I think the idea of being a part of something is a selling point for many of todays youth. I think the Monster Army is an appealing environment for both sexes with an age range of 12 to 40. The Alli Sports web site focuses on the promotion of the action sports events that they promote. Although Alli Sports doesnt have direct sponsorship deals with any of the leading energy drink companies, all of the athletes that are sponsored by those companies participate in Alli Sports produced events.The same demographic that participates in BMX, motocross, wakeboarding, skateboarding, and other alternative action sports that Alli promotes also consume energy drinks. I feel the Alli site is geared more towards the fans of action sports which could be male or female between the ages of 12 and 40. Its a very intellectual web site and has a low key and fun overall tone to it. Both the articles I found from industry insiders as well as the academic research paper s that I found lenient similar issues and concerns.One issue of concern and importance addressed the use of energy drinks by college students. I was unaware of the fact that many energy drinks are on the list of nutritional supplements banned by the NCAA. caffein is a stimulant and college athletes will fail a drug sort if the concentration of caffeine in their sample is 15 micrograms per milliliter. That would be the equivalent weight of slamming five to 10 cups of coffee before a game (Moritz). another(prenominal) concern that researchers have is the increasing number of college students that are consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks.In the fall of 2006, 4,271 college students from 10 universities in northwest Carolina were surveyed about their consumption of energy drinks, alcohol, and the combination of the two. The results of the survey showed that 697 of the students had consumed one or more energy drinks within the last 30 days, and one-quarter of the students said t hat they mixed alcohol and energy drinks. Looking at the amount of energy drinks consumed by the two sexes it was discovered that men drank on average 2. 49 energy drinks per month while women drank 1. 22 drinks per month.Students who were young, male, white, intramural athletes, and fraternity members or pledges, were importantly more likely to drink energy drinks that those in other demographics (OBrien, Miller). With college students fetching heavier class loads and the ever present concern of ones grades, caffeine abuse has been on the rise on college campuses. There has been an increase in reports of caffeine intoxication from the mass consumption of energy drinks as well as an overall an increase in the number of students that are dealing with caffeine dependence and withdrawal issues (Reissig).The poison control decoct in Chicago has handled 265 cases of caffeine abuse involving energy drinks in the last three years. The users average age was under 21 (LeBlanc). Interpretat ion establish on information I reviewed, I feel that the energy drink industry is very strong and will continue to grow. I think the marketeers of the energy drinks are doing a great job at acquire visibility for their products and theyre focusing on a set consumer demographic that has huge spending power. The youth and college students today are easily influenced and have a strong influence on the products their peers buy.The studies show that because these energy drink companies are gaining brand loyalty from their consumers at a young age that the odds are in their favor that they will become long consumers. Taking the unconventional route to marketing whitethorn or may not be any cheaper than doing normal TV spots that Coke and Pepsi do. Either way, the leaders of the energy drink market are fashioning it work for them. From a financial standpoint, I think the return on investment will come faster in the energy drink industry than it ever has in any other aspect of the bever age industry.Selling 8 oz. cans for over $2 a can is a quick way to make money. Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar are dominating the energy drink industry when it comes to consumer preference with white males ages 12 to 40, but what about the ladies? The industry has yet to scratch the surface of the young female consumer market. Granted, there arent too many professional female athletes participating in alternative sports yet, but there are other lines of approach that the industry needs to consider. I remember seeing a bumper sticker once that said, Girls Kick Ass. It is that same kick ass prospect that has made energy drinks as popular as they are today. I think it will only be a matter of time before we see one of the power players in the energy drink industry come out with a product specifically marketed towards women. peradventure a black Monster can with a hot knap claw mark rather than the green one, who knows? I foresee the FDA getting involved sooner than later with regul ations on how much sugar, sodium, and caffeine can be in each product. I dont feel that mixing energy drinks and alcohol is that big of a problem and personally hope laws dont get created to prohibit such mixes.I think that if an individual is outlet to consume alcohol irresponsibly, they are going to do it regardless on the fact that an energy drink is or isnt part of their drink selection. Bibliography Campanelli, M. and Lee, J. , eMarketingandCommerce. com (2007). 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