#croc block

[wormadile]

I only Bertie post when I have art block

[tylerbaugh]

MiO-my

Energy! Evidently, we are in desperate in need of it. From the “two thirty feeling” to the clear desire for wings, energy drinks, are the new coffee combatant. Enter MiO. The “liquid water enhancer” has added a new challenger to the ring with its new energy line. Instead of sticking with its clear affection of KC and the Sunshine Band, MiO has decided to move forward with a new campaign entitled “The Watering Hole”. The gratuitous miscibility shots are forfeited for what can best be described as a dive bar for banter. Oh, I forgot to mention that the patrons are all animals. Now before you get all excited, the answer is of course “no”, they do not eat each other (which would be pretty interesting). Instead, the male characters hit on everything with a pulse while the female characters make references to surgical “enhancements”. 

Oh yes, you heard it correctly, “croc block”.

Disregarding the ridiculous premise, the problem with MiO’s new campaign is its lack of strategy. It’s difficult to see who is actually being targeted. The bar reference appears as an attempt to entice the crowd that can see rated “R” films without their parent’s permission. However, I’ve never encountered anyone who—in an attempt to impress the opposite sex at a bar—would pull a tiny vial of energy syrup out of their pocket and shoot its content into their glass of water.

Even if we disregard the age requirement, the point of an energy drink is to shrug off drowsiness as quickly as possible so that:

A) A task can be undertaken

B) The task can be completed

If MiO’s customer was going to drink an energy drink in the manner in which they are currently portraying, it would be before he or she made it to their destination--not while actually there. Instead of attempting to push MiO Energy as edgy or hip, the company should have focused on the sheer convenience of its product. For those on the move, those who feel busy or rushed, those who truly rely on energy drinks, convenience is king.  MiO had an opportunity to supplant coffee as the primary source of caffeine for its target market. An opportunity to create a daily ritual that would be greater than habit, need. However, instead of looking forward to an energy shot, MiO’s potential customers will only think of being croc blocked.