Cocaine
September 29th, 2006
September 24th at Midnight, an apology letter from the Founder of Redux Beverages was posted on www.drinkcocaine.com. In this age of taking ourselves too seriously (healthy cookie monster, anyone?), I would have expected it to be a broad apology, a recall, a name change and something about “our best intentions” and “any harm done.” But instead… it was an apology for outages to their website which had been inundated with more hits than they could possibly have planned for (6.7 million from Sept. 17-23). What is drinkcocaine.com advertising? Well… it’s a road trip’s best friend - an energy drink called Cocaine Energy Drink (yup) that boasts 350% more caffeine (I said 350% more) than Red Bull. If you ever want to blink again, I’d steer clear.
Of course, what’s really great about this story is their marketing spending so far: $37.50. That was what it cost to pay a courier to deliver a case to the offices of The New York Post. The Post took it from there.
Learning lessons from the release of Red Bull - which involved a lot of rumors and speculation and concern over ingredients and such to build anticipation - Cocaine took the controversy a step further and let their name spark the conversation. If ever there were a case for building Buzz into an identity… this would certainly be on the list. It isn’t an example of great WOM based on an authentic community relationship (yet), but just try naming your product Cocaine and NOT being talked about. Of course, they’ll also have a lot to live up to. If you step out with that much daring built into your name, you’d better hope that the rest of your identity and consumer inroads can live up to it. Otherwise, all that buzz can turn on you… FAST.
They’re only available in limited release right now, but you can bet this burst of conversation over the last 2 weeks is going to translate into sales… even if it ends up tasting like shoe polish. But more importantly… will the excitement last?
Other posts by Jennifer.
msugal86 says:
No, the excitement will not last. Things will die down when people realize there is no cocaine involved.
September 29th, 2006 at 8:20 amTroy Worman says:
I can’t recall a more brilliant use of bad taste to generate immediate buzz. If the product makes it to the market shelves, like you said, it will sell, but 350% more caffeine than Red Bull is ridiculous. That’s not an energy drink. That’s… I don’t know what that is, but it should be against the law to sell it to anyone under the age of 18.
Who do you think will stock this shtuff?
September 29th, 2006 at 9:02 amMr. Steve says:
I don’t know if I’d consider this bad taste, or just sheer brilliance. I know I’m going to try it…and I dare any of you to say you won’t. I would imagine it would be restricted to night clubs and Hot Topic type stores at first, and then into gas stations and such in a few months. Same tactic as Red Bull. But hey, even if they DON’T live up to the name, they’ve done something special, and they took a heck of a chance (and they seem to have done it in a very personal and fun way, based on their website…just check out their drink mixes section). You’ve got to respect someone willing to fail that spectacularly…and even secretly keep your fingers crossed for them.
September 29th, 2006 at 10:13 amOlivier says:
LOL on msugal’s comment.
Widespread distribution will help, but I don’t know if major grocery retailers will want to carry a product that is sure to have pro-family and other conservative consumer groups up in arms. (Maybe the folks who make CED have a different strategy though.)
Drinks with more caffeine and other “herbal” ingredients than RedBull aren’t fun to drink. I’ve tested a few (don’t ask) and the side effects are scary: Accelerated heart rate, increases in body temperature, the shakes, teeth-grinding… (and all that without real cocaine.)
And they always taste horrible. Not a good idea.
The $37.50 thing is pretty impressive though.
September 29th, 2006 at 12:58 pmTroy Worman says:
I wonder if Pat Travers has been contacted about turning his ‘Snorting Whiskey, Drinking Cocaine’ into a jingle.
September 30th, 2006 at 9:36 pmAnn Handley says:
Jennifer: This is just about the funniest line ever: “If you ever want to blink again, I’d steer clear.”
Cocaine gets points for pushing the envelope — perhaps other beverage companies could follow: CrystalMeth Lite, anyone?
October 3rd, 2006 at 3:31 amThe Blog Columnist » a $37.50 Marketing Budget, some Cocaine and Great Buzz says:
[...] Great comment at Brains on Fire - “If you ever want to blink again, I’d steer clear”. [...]
October 4th, 2006 at 2:37 amCocaine: Bad Taste - Orbit Now! Troy Worman’s Weblog says:
[...] Cocaine: Bad Taste Check out this post at Brains on Fire. There is a new energy drink on the horizon and it’s called Cocaine. Drink cocaine. I can’t recall a more brilliant use of bad taste to generate immediate buzz. If this product makes it to the market shelves, it will sell, but with 350% more caffeine than Red Bull, I dare say it’s not an energy drink. It’s… I don’t know what it is, but it should be against the law to sell it to anyone under the age of 18. [...]
October 4th, 2006 at 5:50 amJen says:
Together we can keep this product off of store shelves! Log on to HateCocaine.com to help out!
October 6th, 2006 at 10:15 pmJen says:
Together we can stop this product! Log on to HateCocaine.com and see how we can eliminate Cocaine Energy Drink!
October 7th, 2006 at 4:59 pmJennifer says:
And wow… there’s another good lesson. Any product that inspires a website dedicated to hating it… has a good chance of generating some real interest. Strong reactions - positive or negative - are better than none at all, eh?
October 7th, 2006 at 6:20 pmJim says:
Well, as much as I hate the idea - you’ve got to hand it to the company for starting what sweems to be a win-win situation — for now. The old adage “There’s no such thing as bad press” applies — for now.
But, in an age where people sue (and win) McDonalds for making them fat or giving them hot coffee — you know that someone is eventually going to blame this drink for their cocaine addiction, and it’s pretty much a certainty they will win. I’m thinking the company will retihink the strategy at that point.
As a parent, I agree that this company has only done this for publicity and money and I think it’s horrible. But, it won’t help to add publicity to their cause. I think I’ll just sit back and watch them fail. They have enough rope and will hang themselves eventually.
October 25th, 2006 at 9:35 amkerry says:
cocaine energy drink is nuts! I found the cocaine energy drink at http://www.cocaine-drink.com i’m tempted to try it
December 12th, 2006 at 8:00 amSounds a little scary
Jamey Kirby says:
The website mentioned in “kerry’s” post is a fake website and it is not associated with the real Cocaine Energy Drink. I am Jamey, the creator of Cocaine Energy Drink. The official site is http://www.drinkcocaine.com.
Jamey
December 27th, 2006 at 10:34 amTom says:
Looks like a real site to me, what moron as the creator of a product goes around posting on blogs, what a loser, not only that but i would nto be proud of that the drink tastes like absolute ass one of the most disgusting things i ever tasted…
Your company will be here tommorow and gone faster than it came in and you’ll be left sitting with a horrible tasting novelty drink and be broke and bankrupt.. enjoy the 15 mins it’s a fluke
January 19th, 2007 at 7:22 amthe truth says:
james kirby is a moron… the guy is illegally selling a product mislabeled and leading people to believe it is a legit product. It’s been banned by the fda, and the guy is a lieing scumbag
April 12th, 2007 at 6:14 am