Every morning in my research class, a line of teenagers walks in with their fruit-flavored Celsius like badges of honor, signaling the few hours of sleep they got. Sparkling fruit-flavored cans of Celsius were on almost every table, belonging to teens who cared more about grades than their sleep schedules.
With the booming popularity of energy drink brands such as Celsius, Bloom and Alani, many are marketed toward adolescents with their bright packaging and colors. Energy drink marketing toward adolescents can pose serious ethical implications.
In my last article, “Confessions of a post-caffeine addict – the side effects of energy drinks on teens”, the long-term physical and mental effects adolescents can experience from energy drinks were discussed.
Within the energy drink market, companies utilize adolescents as a highly profitable demographic and rely on them as a key source of profit. By honing in on specially crafted ads and advertisement strategies, teens are lured into purchasing these highly caffeinated drinks. To put it into perspective, an Allied Market Research report found that the global energy drink market was valued at $45.80 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $108.40 billion by 2031, – with children and young people helping drive this growth.
According to Buzz Kill, a report written by the staff of Senator Edward Markey, many companies such as Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar control most of the U.S. energy drink market and refused to promise that they would not advertise to teens under 18, pointing to evidence that companies prioritize profit over adolescent safety.
With the growing number of energy drink consumers, now more than ever it is crucial for teens to understand the marketing tactics that are being used to persuade them to purchase these unhealthy beverages.
In my next article, I will discuss nutritional alternatives that can support focus rather than caffeinated energy drinks.
