Move Over Cocaine, GreenCard Latest Controversial Drink in Energy Category
November 10, 2006 -
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- As the energy drink category expands to the point where every new offering apparently needs an even more controversial stance than its predecessor, one new energy beverage is looking to target an illegal market -- migrant Hispanics illegally crossing the border to the U.S.
GreenCard Energy Drink, made by Z CORP, markets its energy beverage to illegal immigrants on their way to the U.S. It claims that it will give energy to those looking to cross the border and potentially outrun U.S. Border Patrol.
"It's a fact," that people illegally cross the border, president and CEO of Z CORP, Jeff Weiss, told CSNews Online. "If they are going to come to the U.S., I don't want them dying in the desert, I'd rather have them hydrated."
Weiss seriously believes that the beverage will be a big sell in Southwestern c-stores, mainly as a novelty drink. It's Weiss' opinion that he can gain money and publicity through this beverage and its market.
The drink will have a "brand loyalty unique amongst Hispanic energy drinks," Weiss said in a statement, but told CSNews Online that he doesn't feel it is offensive to the group it targets.
It's tagline: "Papers, we don't need no stinkin' papers" -- a clear play on a famous line from the film 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.'
Is the c-store industry going to jump on such a beverage? Chances are the beverage will not end up in 7-Eleven's coolers, as it requested the controversial Cocaine energy beverage pulled from shelves of its stores earlier this month, "They just didn't think that the product's name was appropriate for the image we're trying to portray,'' said spokeswoman Margaret Chabris at the time. "Our image is legal," she added.
But Weiss told CSNews Online that he believes that his beverage is less offensive than Cocaine. Its chances in c-stores, however, remain unknown.
The outrageous names, claims and marketing schemes that energy drinks are developing are being tracked on CSNews' Blog Spare Change. To comment on this product, its chances in your stores, or the increasingly "extreme" energy drink category, visit the blog by clicking here.
This year is special for Convenience Store News, as it marks the 40th year of publication, making it the longest continuously published news source for the convenience store industry.
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November 10, 2006 -
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- As the energy drink category expands to the point where every new offering apparently needs an even more controversial stance than its predecessor, one new energy beverage is looking to target an illegal market -- migrant Hispanics illegally crossing the border to the U.S.
