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Case Study: How Monster Energy Drinks used Promo Products To Launch


It is no secret that the Energy Drink Industry is booming and has for some time now. Most of the players in this industry have fantastic branding and advertising campaigns going after key markets and hitting them fast and hard. This Promotional Product Case Study focuses on one of those key players, Monster Energy, and how they used promotional products to help them launch onto the market.

Back in 2003, the Hansen’s Beverage Company was making huge strides to get into the energy drink market. They hired a firm called SWAT Marketing to help them create marketing and advertising strategies for their launch. The goal was simply to promote Monster Energy Drinks as an edgy, hip and new product targeting a demographic of 16-25 year olds. They wanted to explore using non-traditional marketing strategies.

SWAT Marketing identified the key markets they wanted to launch in and decided to go out and find some of the most influential, involved, business minded individuals at the top fifty universities nationwide. They hosted simple training events, laid out the program criteria and gave strategic advice to these individuals.

Next they loaded each of these people up with a whole bunch of promotional products, everything from hats, t-shirts, stickers, coolers, jackets, beanies, shot glasses and wristbands. They were instructed to sponsor sporting events, intramurals, sororities and fraternities, clubs and any event they could on campus or online. Most of the individuals charged with these tasks reported fantastic results and created a massive collection of content both in visual form and in written form.

SWAT Marketing saw tremendous results the first year with this marketing campaign that in year two they went to the top 100 universities, that they identified, nationwide. And then in year three it went to 150 schools and ambassadors for Monster Energy Drink. The capping of the campaign was when each of these ambassadors hosted or sponsored spring and fall break trips.

SWAT reports that during the three yearlong partnership with Monster Energy, Hansen’s stock experienced phenomenal growth. Before joining SWAT Monster Energy grossed an estimated 30 million is sales but after the partnership, Monster grossed an estimated 200 million in sales.

The promotional products that were used were tailored to the fans and audience that Monster identified. It created clothing, accessories and drinkware that were useful and had tremendous value to their key markets. That is they key with promotional products, if they bring value to the customer, the customer will remember where they got it and the message the item had.

For more case studies and like this one on the effectiveness of promotional products for marketing and for advertising click here. Also if you have a case study like this one please leave me a comment below on how I can read it.

Check out some of the cool stuff we are doing on our website. Take a peek at thousands of Promotional Products and Branded Apparel ideas.

#Marketing #PromotionalProducts #Branding #CaseStudy

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