Beer is a popular drink of choice at many college parties, and energy drinks are now becoming very popular at these parties. Mixing a energy drink with alcohol (vodka redbulls, vodka and Monster energy drinks) are a new fad among young adults. So why not mix beer with energy drinks? This is what Anheuser-Busch did back in 2005. The b-to-the-e product is beer mixed with popular energy drink ingradients such as caffeine, guarana, and ginseng. They have also made the taste similar to energy drinks by adding flavors of raspberry and cherry. This energy beer is an example of an unneeded product that was brought onto the market and failed. There was no demand or need for a energy beer, and Budweiser thought they could introduce something new to the market and be successful.According to an article in News Tribune, Budweiser said this new product should "appeal to 20-something consumers craving something zippy in their highly social, fast-paced lifestyl
es". However, this failed attempt at a new product is due to this reason. Energy drinks are very popular with younger consumers, and having them as their target audience is ethically irresponsible. Marketing this towards younger crowds, such as college students, invites many underage minors to try this product. This product might have succeeded on the market, but their marketing strategy is what made it fail and become unethical. It is illegal to sell alcohol to minors, but by making a product that appeals to this age group is also unethical because the company knew that this age group would be their major buyers. Even though many college students over the age of 21 are major cusumers of alcoholic beverages, knowing this and intentionally trying to draw in a younger crowd is unethical.
es". However, this failed attempt at a new product is due to this reason. Energy drinks are very popular with younger consumers, and having them as their target audience is ethically irresponsible. Marketing this towards younger crowds, such as college students, invites many underage minors to try this product. This product might have succeeded on the market, but their marketing strategy is what made it fail and become unethical. It is illegal to sell alcohol to minors, but by making a product that appeals to this age group is also unethical because the company knew that this age group would be their major buyers. Even though many college students over the age of 21 are major cusumers of alcoholic beverages, knowing this and intentionally trying to draw in a younger crowd is unethical.
Energy drinks, such as RedBull, Monster and RockStar, are very popular with young crowds...high school through college. Creating a fruity beer with the benefits of an energy drink makes these younger individuals want to purchase it because they get the best of both worlds. Being a major company like Anheuser-Busch, you would want to make sure that you don't intentionally market any of your products to minors. There is a difference with intentional and unintentional marketing. Bud Light has very funny commercials that many people enjoy; however, they are not targeting minors. They are targeting minors with this product and that is what makes this an unethical situation.
Legal issues have forced the company to stop selling this product because their marketing strategy was unethical. Not only Budweiser's B-to-the-E, but any other product like it as well. This is a very classic case of a unneeded product that was put out on the market, and failed because of unethical marketing strategies.
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