For my major project I am choosing to examine the energy drinks industry, I feel that this product category has a wide range of options regarding branding and visibility within the space. There are many avenues to investigate as each of these product vendors have curated identities beyond the product on the shelf.
I find it fascinating that energy drinks when on the shelf contain highly carbonated sugar water with a hefty dose of caffeine in similar aluminium containers. These products at heart are effectively the same. I wish to explore how these brands offer different perceptions of their products through their usage of colour, typography, icon design and layout.
Each of these brands do more than just sell a drink as the major brands within the space primarily focus on marketing endeavours outside of their core products. Red Bull sponsors several extreme sports teams, Carabao sponsor a football league, Monster has a E-sports division, Rockstar frequently co-sponsor popular media properties within game item downloadable content (DLC) and tie ins with popular movies and tv shows. How do these relationships with external factors impact on their identities and awareness of the products. “Many great brands are like amoebae or plasticine. They can be shaped, twisted, and turned in all sorts of ways yet remain recognizable. That’s why so many brands can be divorced from the products / services with which they were originally associated” (Ollins, 2003).
Ideas to explore
As a rough outline for my major project, I will examine the following topics to understand how to create a brand that could feasibly enter this space, complete with marketing materials, brand identity and learn how to engage the core demographics.
Logo design / Usage of colour
How do energy drink companies reinforce their identity through visuals and what makes each product distinctive in an already over saturated market when viewed on a shelf with no additional context added?
Each of the five major brands I will choose to examine have strong visual identities that start with their usage of colour and composition. How have these designs evolved over time and what was the critical and market reception to these redesigns when evaluated within the space?
Typography
What do the typefaces these brands use say about the product. How much text does each can contain and how well do they sell the idea of the product assuming the consumer has zero knowledge or experience of what they do.
External Influences
Each of these brands do more than just sell a drink, what framing and context can I add to my product line and brand?
How do these relationships with external factors impact on their identities and awareness of the product?
Marketing based on health-conscious choices
These drinks are known publicly to cause health issues, yet people still choose to buy them in massive quantities. How does the marketing of these products influence the perception of these negative reports?
Other ideas to explore
- Examine local and international brands
- How do brands develop and is there a way to predict future trends (Do any brands seem to have greater foresight in their space than their competitors?)
- Is sustainability a factor in consumer choice?
References
Olins, W. (2003). On brand : Wally Olins on brand. London: Thames & Hudson.
Reign Beverage Company LLC (2022). Reign Body Fuel | Fitness & Performance Energy Drinks. [online] reignbodyfuel.com. Available at: https://reignbodyfuel.com/en-gb/ [Accessed 3 Oct. 2022].
