Conceptual Energy Drink Brand Logo

Energy Drink Research

Consumption of energy drinks are incredibly high within adolescents and young adults as they’re recognised for the high quantity of caffeine they have that can boost productivity and energy. This can be useful within this demographic that are constantly working and need a drink which can aid them through it. As it is such a big industry there are plenty of brands and flavours the public can pick from which can further their appeal.

As well as boasting 160mg-200mg of caffeine per 500ml they also have an high sugar count ranging from 21g to 34g per oz making them very unhealthy to consume and cause potential side effects such as diabetes and obesity (James. J 2023) (Abdulrahman Alsunni. A 2015). Despite this they’re still incredibly popular and most have similar branding techniques in order to market them successfully. One big marketing strategy that can be seen in major energy drink companies such as Redbull, monster and rockstar is the sponsorships they have with extreme sporting events. By doing this they associate the drink with incredible feats and intensity, allowing the consumer to believe they can accomplish something similar and achieve this crazy lifestyle by drinking their drinks (Tandem 2019). Their packaging reflects this with their bold metallic colours and intense use of language such as “bang”, “monster”, “venom” and “hell”. Most cans have a very maximalist style with lots of graphics and imagery all over the packaging furthering the idea that they’re full of ingredients which can be used to energise you.

A lot of energy drink logos include reference to lightning bolts and very rough jagged lines to make it seem like a very “hard-core” drink that can be used as a symbol of status among young people. By drinking and owning drinks that seem scary and intimidating it can start trends and be a way to be seen as cool and earn “social points”.

Natural Energy Drinks

Within the energy drink market there is also a big demand for “natural” energy drinks that are advertised towards a different audience. These are made for the demographic of people who want to enjoy an energy drink without believing what they’re drinking is unhealthy, whether it may actually be healthier for them or not. People who are very fitness and health focus will more likely be drawn to them as well as they align more with what they believe their lifestyle is and fits in with a persona they’ve built for themselves (Holland & Barret Corp. 2022). It also widens the market to the massive group of people who don’t consume caffeine.

The branding for these natural energy drinks have a very different design style to their “unhealthy” counterpart. They seem to have a much thinner bottle design which could be seen as the companies way of subliminally saying you’ll be able to stay “fit” and “in-shape”” whilst drinking these. They also have an overall much simpler design with a lot less words and graphics to clutter the branding in order to achieve a “clean” appearance. By having lots of elements on the design it could generate interest but also promote a drink which has too many ingredients/chemicals in which the average person won’t fully comprehend.

These designs also include very soft shapes with smooth lines and corners as opposed to the jagged and rough feel most ordinary energy drinks give off. They seem to follow a simple colour palate consisting of only a few colours to reflect its flavour but also how little ingredients are in it.

My Logo

For this brief I decided to name the energy drink brand “Grand-Pops”. I chose this name as both the words grand and pop can have multiple connotations that relate to both energy drinks and older people. The word ‘Grandpop’ could be used as a term of endearment towards an older relative with ‘Grand’ relating to something luxurious and wise and ‘Pops’ being a word relating to energy/fizzy drink terminology.

References:

• Baier, L. (2021) Are energy drinks good for you? [Image] Available online: https://www.asweetpeachef.com/are-energy-drinks-good-for-you/ [Accessed 01/03/24]
• Roman, M. (2018) Logo History Report [Image] Available online: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/marcelr-eportfolio/2018/05/14/logo-history-report/ [Accessed 01/03/24]
• Monster Beverage Corp. (2021) Monster Beverage reports record sales of $1.41 billion in Q3 amid supply chain [Image] Available online: shortageshttps://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/management/news/21245718/monster-beverage-reports-record-sales-of-141-billion-in-q3-amid-supply-chain-shortages [Accessed 01/03/24]
• Holland & Barrett Corp. (2021) 5 of the best natural energy drinks [Images] Available online: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/the-health-hub/food-drink/drinks/best-natural-energy-drinks/ [Accessed 02/03/24]
• Abdulrahman Alsunni, A. (2015) Energy Drink Consumption: Beneficial and Adverse Health Effects [Study] Available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4682602/#:~:text=Gastrointestinal%20and%20metabolic%20effects,obesity%20and%20type%202%20diabetes. [Accessed 05/03/24]
• James, J. (2023) How much caffeine is in YOUR child’s favourite energy drink? Table shows how Rockstar, Prime and Monster contain ‘dangerous levels’ – in some cases more than double the amount found in a cup of coffee [Study] Available online: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12290929/How-caffeine-childs-favourite-energy-drink.html [Accessed 05/03/24]
• Tandem (2019) Energy drink sponsorships in extreme sports [Blog post] Available online: https://tandempartnerships.com/extreme-sport-energy-drink-sponsorship/ [Accessed 05/03/24]