3 Takeaways From an Energy Drink Blog

To wrap up these few months of blogging about energy drinks, I wanted to put a few thoughts down on paper about the whole experience thus far.

1)  I am greatly annoyed by people who get up in arms about the things other people like, for no other reason than to look down their noses at others for liking things they don't like. All my time looking for sources and articles to reference came across so very many anti-energy drink posts. Isn't there just so much more going on to be mad about than the person next to you slamming a Red Bull? At least I'm living in the U.S. where there isn't an up to %100 tax on energy drinks.

2) The market is flooded with stuff. Everyone who has an energy drink on more than a rare occasion has their favorite that they tend to stick to. Branching out and actively looking at other products and even brands makes you realize just how many dang energy drinks there are out there. Whats more is its more than just the drinks, caffeine powder, and water, and pills, and  gum for crying out loud. Now is the time to explore, find new ways to consume your caffeine, broaden your jittery horizons.

3) The market is changing, and there are good things on the way. Teenagers and 20 somethings are being focused on less and less by energy drink producers. That means we have less sugary, syrupy nightmares on the market. To replace these we will see more drinks that are actually pleasant for someone who has acquired a taste for bitter things, like coffee, and beer, and watching your childhood dreams crushed under the weight of reality.

Top 5 changes a'comin to energy drinks

The energy drink market is constantly evolving and going through phases in popularity and who the drinks are marketed to. Sometimes it is nice to attempt to see a little in to the future. So, I will be sharing my top 5 things to look out for in the energy drink market in 2019.

1) We energy drinkers are getting older, and marketers know it. You will start to see marketing with less motocross and more trying to keep up with your kids Christmas morning. 5 Hour Energy is already on top of it, and you will begin to see the other companies follow suite very soon.

2) Energy drinks are making the move from the gas station to the grocery store. Energy drinks are no longer for edgy teenagers and edgier people in the early 20s. Energy drinks are consumed by a wide market now, and to reflect that you will begin to see more and more drinks show up in the soda aisle of your local grocer right next to the household name sodas.

3) Herbal. I am not the biggest fan of herbal drinks, but that is because I don't even attempt to pretend to be a healthy individual. For people who have not chosen my tomorrow-be-damned path herbal energy drinks will start becoming more and more common. Pepsi is ahead of the curve on this one, already releasing many "organic" drinks. Expect this to be a fad, if not a trend.

4) Powder mix. Mio has already come out with a way to add energy to boring old water (not to be mixed with other caffeinated products (yeah, right)). Other companies will no doubt be breaking in to this market before long a quick Amazon reveals some small companies are using this as of yet exploited niche to break in to the energy drink game. If my Facebook feed is any indication people are becoming more and more conscious of the fact that their bodies need water, and these H2O supplements will be set to monopolize on that.

5) Searching around the web for sources and information on energy drinks, as I am wont to do, I always come across multiple scary news articles. These articles tell me how energy drinks are going to kill me and my loved ones and cause the fabric of society to unravel and plunge humanity in to a new dark age where terror and despair is a constant companion and the living envy the dead. People love to tear down the things others enjoy, and love the attention they get from screaming about the evils of something, anything, no matter how innocent the thing is. With smokers becoming a dying breed, hastened by the rise of vaping, the fun killers need to find something else to scream about, so why not energy drinks. So prepare yourselves energy drinkers, for folks with "I want to speak to your manager" stopping you at the supermarket to tell you how you shouldn't be buying that pack of Redbull, and have your witty comebacks about that six gallon tubs of ice cream ready.