James Kirby, the inventor of a new energy drink "Cocaine," has recently faced some public relations problems for his not-so-subtle name-choice. The energy drink, which contains 280 milligrams of caffeine, is not surprisingly targeted toward people ages 20-30. Kirby says the name for the drink came to him during a "brainstorming" session at, big surprise, one o'clock in the morning. As if the name and the marketing campaign are not bad enough, Kirby proudly claims that there is a secret "throat-numbing" ingredient to emulate the drink's namesake.
So you got the attention of you're target audience and the FDA; now what?
The name has been banned from use by the FDA. Is there any way that relating an energy drink to an illegal drug was a good idea? Probably not. A recent article in PR Week suggests the company leave the scene quietly. Although exiting with grace from the market is the best advice for "Cocaine Energy Drink," something tells me the company that takes pride in creating a legal version of cocaine will not be the same company to maturely bow out.
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