The End of the Energy Empire? The ban is coming...

I've recently been seeing a lot of coverage around MillerCoors being sued by The Center For Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) over their alcoholic energy beverage, Sparks. Citing the health concerns and that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is dangerous and drinkers of these beverages are more likey to drink excessively, drive under the influence or be involved in sexual assaults.
True or not, I think we all know deep-down that mixing caffeine (a stimulant) and alcohol (a depressant) is probably not the healthiest or safest choice. Not sure about you, but I can get on board with this movement (maybe because I've never been big on the insane amounts of sugar in these beverages). Even Anheuser-Busch has agreed to remove the caffeine and additives from their version of energy-infused alcohol (Bud Extra and Tilt) when notified of the same legal suit that MillerCoors is now battling.

In a more drastic approach across the pond, countries have even begun to ban energy drinks alone. Redbull is banned in France, Denmark and Norway (among others). Can you even imagine the uprising if Redbull was taken from the hundreds of thousands of American teens and young adults that thrive on it?

And, how long is it going to take for somebody to go after the businesses (bars & restaurants) that serve the "Oh-so-popular" Vodka Redbull? It is exactly what CSPI is suing MillerCoors for, it just doesn't come in one neat, tidy little package.

As a former bartender and general "nightlife professional", I can say with great confidence that Vodka Redbull is the most popular mixed drink out there. I have friends in my immediate social circle that would be devastated if they were no longer allowed to order their favorite "stay-up all night" cocktail. I'm sure they aren't the only 21-34 year olds that would be upset about a ban on Vodka Redbulls.

Not to mention, the drastic loss of sales if Redbull is no longer allowed to be sold in combination with alcohol!

-Lindsay, Campaign Manager
Lunch today: too much Pizza hut

The Mashup Round-up

The Premise team attended the National YPulse Mashup last week in San Francisco. As usual, we gained some useful insight about youth-culture and managed to have a little fun at the same time.

We ate fancy dinners (they had cloth napkins!) and put on our boogie shoes for the local youth DJ, but only after observing the presentations and networking with other youth-focused professionals.

Here is a slideshow of all the fun times we had at the conference.

But, we couldn't just take in all the information without sharing some thoughts of our own! Premise's creative director (and all around great guy), Gregg Witt, delivered his thoughts on effective viral marketing in a "catchy" presentation (Yeah, I went for the play on words. Sue me!). Everyone knows that two heads are better than one and that's why Gregg brought in entrepreneur Andrew Chen, who shares his perspectives on viral marketing over at Futuristic Play.


Together, this dynamic duo shared thoughts on highly successful viral campaigns from Facebook applications to a Six Flags Theme Park summer sports program. They only had 20 minutes and they pushed the time limits to the max with an abundance of information, not allowing much room for Q & A.

If you have any questions or comments for these two, please leave a comment and we'll make sure one of them gets back to you!

- Lindsay, Campaign Manager