“If Johnny stays out with Julie until 7am and gets to class by 8am, how many Red Bulls does he need? Just the one under his seat.” Many Comm 101 students were thrilled to discover free Red Bull energy drinks under their chairs on Thursday. Also swimmers and spectators of this weekends Odlum Brown invitational at UBC were handed Red Bulls during Sunday’s finals session. Red Bull’s marketing strategy for Red Bull Blue edition is very clever; by marketing this product to an early morning class, Red Bull is reaching its target market of young, sleep-deprived students. Although this is an intelligent strategy, there is surmounting evidence that energy drinks can cause lasting, possibly fatal, damage especially to individuals aged under 18-25 (Bleier).
Not only are energy drinks not reviewed by the FDA, but they have been linked to left ventricle strain, increased blood pressure, and abnormal heart rhythm- all of these side effects are thought to increase when combined with physical activity (Ellis). Interestingly, all of these side effects are heart related and can have a dire impact on young people’s life. This is why I believe that marketing for energy drinks should be more strictly controlled. Red Bull and Monster currently advertise to young, athletic people; coincidentally the people most at risk for severe side effects. If the advertisements were restricted so that the content could not reference drinking the energy drink and increased athletic performance in young people, then many hearts could be saved.
Understandably this will not happen without some precedent. Surprisingly, an Eastern Arab Province is taking the lead by removing all energy drink billboards and advertisements and putting up signs by all energy drink refrigerators that state, “No nutritional value”(Al-Sughair). This is a huge step for the fight against unhealthy energy drinks. Canada and the US alike should take not and follow in the Arabs footsteps.
Sources:
Al-Sughair, Sultan. “Warning Signs Placed on EP Energy Drink Fridges.” Arab News. 1 Nov. 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/653326>.
Bleier, Karen. “Energy Drinks Linked to Adverse Health Effects.” CNBC. 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cnbc.com/id/100581965#.>.
Ellis, Marie. “Energy Drinks Alter Heart Function, Study Shows.” Medical News Today. 2 Dec. 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269569.php>.