Slap Hits Target Audience Where It Lives

When Brain-Twist Inc. launched a Slap brand frozen energy drink in April, job No. 1 was making sure the target audience was aware of the product. Aimed primarily at college students, Slap relied heavily on social marketing and convenience store placement."College kids aren't listening to the radio. These kids live online, and if you want to reach them, you have to live online as well," says Mike Oringer, president of Brain-Twist. "If you look at a convenience store, that's our target. The average college student is not shopping at the grocery store. Their daily shopping is at the c-store."Leading up to the launch, Brain-Twist partnered with Midwestern c-store chain Casey's General Stores for a "Frozen Ticket" promotion that encouraged Casey's shoppers to register on Slap's Facebook page to receive a BOGO coupon via regular mail. In-store signage supported.The frozen drink (think, a prepackaged Slurpee) is supplemented with caffeine, the amino acid taurine and a packet of B vitamins. In marketing materials, Brain-Twist is using a "Freeze it. Squeeze it. Get Slap'd" tagline.In addition to extensive Facebook and Twitter promotion, Brain-Twist developed a "Freeze Yourself" app at Slapfrozen.com, where users can insert their image into virtual blocks of ice in easily sharable photographs. The entire campaign is meant to appeal to the nature of young consumers to share their lives and interests, Oringer says.In related launch activity, Brain-Twist negotiated placement of Slap frozen energy drinks in Walmart stores, while also conducting sampling events in areas frequented by the college students (campuses, beaches, amusement parks), Oringer says.Working with Inner Workings, Chicago, which created POS materials, and In-Store Experience, Westport, Conn., which created merchandising displays, Brain-Twist developed such materials as 3-D window clings and suction cup-equipped trays for the insides of freezer doors, as well as traditional endcaps and shelving stands.The company is also offering an on-pack promotional sweepstakes through which consumers can submit a picture of themselves with a Slap beverage for a chance to win a trip to the Snow Village Ice Hotel in Montreal. "College kids love dealing with things on a bucket list," Oringer says. "An Ice Hotel is something very cool. This is a clever way of appealing to them and reinforces our brand attributes."

Slap Hits Target Audience Where It Lives

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