Prime (drink)

Prime (stylized in all caps) is a range of sports drinks, drink mixes, and energy drinks created and marketed by Prime Hydration, LLC. The range is promoted by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI. The announcement and the release of the product in 2022 was followed by a social media hype associated with these social media personalities, who have tens of millions of followers combined. It was also promoted through mainstream sports sponsorship deals.

Prime
A lemon lime flavoured Prime bottle
TypeSports drink, drink mix, energy drink
DistributorCongo Brands
Country of origin 
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
IntroducedJanuary 4, 2022 (2022-01-04)
WebsiteUS Website
UK Website

Products
Two bottles of Prime sports drink

Prime Hydration, LLC is affiliated with Congo Brands, co-owned by American businessmen Max Clemons and Trey Steiger.[1] In the United Kingdom, where the product was launched in June 2022,[2][3] it was originally shipped from the United States, and is now manufactured by Refresco.[4]

The Prime labelling is used on sports drinks, energy drinks, and drink mixes.[5] The sports drinks, described by the manufacturer as "hydration drinks",[6] are made up of 10 percent coconut water and contain electrolytes, B vitamins and BCAAs.[7] The manufacturers state that this version of the product has zero added sugar or caffeine and has around 20 calories per bottle.[7] It is sweetened with acesulfame potassium and sucralose, like many other sugar-free drinks.[8] Sports drink flavors are blue raspberry, grape, ice pop, lemon lime, "Meta Moon", orange, strawberry watermelon, and tropical punch.[7] The energy drink, which was launched in 2023,[9] contains 200 mg of caffeine.[10] Energy drink flavors are blue raspberry, lemon lime, orange mango, strawberry watermelon, and tropical punch.[9]

Advertising

Social media promotion
See also: Influencer marketing and Hype (marketing)

On January 4, 2022, YouTubers[11] Logan Paul, who is American,[11] and KSI, who is British[11]—with more than 40 million YouTube subscribers and millions of followers on other platforms[12][13]—announced on a live Instagram feed that they had founded a new drinks company known as Prime Hydration.[14] Their involvement led to a social media hype around the product,[8][13] which was followed by demand from school-age children, particularly teenage boys.[15][16][12] According to the Evening Standard, the surge in demand caused high prices among online resellers,[17] including an eBay listing offering twelve bottles for £400.[18] Sky News reported that the release of the drink sparked "chaotic scenes" at Asda[4] and Aldi supermarkets in the United Kingdom.[19][20] A Financial Times article conveyed a London teacher's account of how children who only possessed used Prime bottles, filled with water, were "catapulted to higher status among their peers".[11]

Sponsorships

Prime was the sponsor for Timmy Hill's number 13 car for the NASCAR circuit.[21] In July 2022, Premier League club Arsenal announced a joint marketing agreement with the company, with Prime becoming the official sports drink supplier for the club.[22] In their official statement they said it meant they have "access to talent and footballers which they do leverage in some of their marketing".[13]

In January 2023, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced a joint marketing agreement with the company, with Prime becoming the official sports drink supplier for the mixed martial arts promotion company.[23][24] In February 2023, Prime was promoted in a Super Bowl LVII commercial.[25] In April 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced a joint marketing agreement with the company, with Prime becoming the official sports drink supplier for the baseball team.[26]

Reception

Mary McCarthy of The Independent said that KSI and Logan Paul were "monetising misogyny" and criticized them for the amount of influence they had on young boys.[27]

Gordon Ramsay reviewed the drink on Heart radio, describing it as "like swallowing perfume", and giving it 0/10.[28] Boxer Chris Eubank Jr also tried the drink saying "It's very sweet, I mean it says it's naturally flavoured. It doesn't taste bad, but it's not a natural flavour of drink".[29]

See also: Energy drink § Regulations
Prime energy drinks at a store in Sydney. The store restricts the drink to those over 18 and limits customers and groups to six cans each.

Prime has been banned in schools in many countries, including some in Australia, Canada,[30] South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.[31]

Australia

Several Australian schools have instituted bans on Prime energy drinks, as a health risk to students due to its high caffeine levels. ABC News noted that the Food Standards Australia New Zealand legal limit for caffeine was 32 mg per 100 ml, while Prime contains around 56 mg per 100 ml. A sports dietician, who described the drink as an "addictive substance" went on to state that "giving a dose of caffeine to young children who've got … developing cognitive function is not a wise idea". ABC noted that the drink, on sale in Woolworths stores, carried a disclaimer stating that the drink "is not suitable for children under the age of 15, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision".[32]

In March 2023, several schools in Queensland, Victoria[33] and Western Australia banned the drink.[34] In April, several New South Wales schools followed.[35]

In April 2023, a store in Perth controversially allowed the sale of the drink to minors.[36]

Denmark

In Denmark, which also has a legal limit for caffeine at 32 mg per 100 ml, the energy drinks have not been approved for sale, and the trading of the product that has been occurring has been "illegal", according to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. In April 2023, the agency announced that it advised five retailers to pull the product.[37]

References
  1. Sommerlad, Joe (January 1, 2023). "Who actually owns Prime energy drinks?". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  2. Butler, Sarah (October 28, 2022). "Prime market: YouTube star Logan Paul's £2 energy drink listed on eBay for £10k". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  3. Louis, Nathan (June 17, 2022). "KSI returning to Watford today to launch drink with Logan Paul". Watford Observer. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  4. Butler, Sarah (October 28, 2022). "Prime market: YouTube star Logan Paul's £2 energy drink listed on eBay for £10k". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  5. "PRIME By Logan Paul x KSI". PRIME. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  6. Ross, Alex (March 4, 2023). "School in Bristol bans Prime drink over what's inside the bottles". Bristol World. National World. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  7. Sommerlad, Joe (December 31, 2022). "What is Prime energy drink and why is everyone so obsessed with it?". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  8. DeLaire, Megan (December 21, 2022). "What to know about Prime Hydration, the expensive sports drink hyped on social media". CTVNews. Bell Media. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  9. Reid, Claire (January 4, 2023). "New Prime Energy drink unveiled that's coming to the UK very soon". LADbible. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  10. Wilson, Bee (February 18, 2023). "'Adults and kids pushed each other to grab as many bottles as they could': how the world got hopped up on energy drinks". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  11. Jacobs, Emma (March 11, 2023). "The playground Prime craze is a lesson in modern marketing". Financial Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  12. Ng, Kate (April 28, 2023). "It tastes foul. It's impossible to buy. But Prime has become a playground obsession". The Independent. Retrieved April 30, 2023. The wild popularity of Prime can be credited to KSI and Paul. KSI, a British rapper and boxer whose real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, has 24.1 million subscribers on YouTube, 11.1 million followers on TikTok and 12.7 million followers on Instagram. Meanwhile, YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul boasts 23.6 million subscribers on the video-sharing platform and 25.5 million followers on Instagram. Combined, these two men wield influence over nearly 100 million followers – more than the population of Vietnam.
  13. Pandey, Manish (January 27, 2023). "Prime drink: How KSI and Logan Paul made it so popular". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  14. W, Courtney (January 5, 2022). "KSI & Logan Paul Team Up To Launch New Drink Company 'Prime'". GRM Daily. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  15. Harling, Danielle (March 15, 2023). "What Parents Should Know About The Energy Drink Being Banned In Some Schools". Delish. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  16. Becker, Ben (February 28, 2023). "Investigates: Kids and teenagers thirsty for Prime Energy drink amid health concerns". Action News Jax (WJAX-TV/WFOX-TV). Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  17. Bulbul, Nuray; Morris, Seren (February 23, 2023). "What is Prime drink and why is it so expensive?". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  18. Monaghan, Becca (October 20, 2022). "Bottles of KSI and Logan Paul's Prime drink are being sold on eBay for £400". Indy100. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  19. "Prime Hydration: Chaos in Aldi supermarkets after brief sale of new drink promoted by YouTubers". Sky News. December 30, 2022. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  20. Partridge, Joanna (December 29, 2022). "Customers queue at Aldi at dawn for YouTubers' Prime Hydration drink". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  21. Gutelle, Sam (May 23, 2022). "Logan Paul and KSI are getting some Prime advertising space on the NASCAR circuit". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  22. O'Brien, Sean (July 28, 2022). "DRINK IT IN Arsenal team up with Logan Paul and KSI – who was 'sick' of being a Gunners fan in 2019 – as YouTube boxer celebrates 'childhood dream' with hydration deal". Talksport. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  23. "Logan Paul and KSI laugh at Pimblett after signing Prime x UFC deal despite previous rivalry". February 2, 2023. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  24. "UFC ANNOUNCES GLOBAL MARKETING PARTNERSHIP WITH LOGAN PAUL AND KSI FOR THEIR PRIME BEVERAGE BRAND | UFC". www.ufc.com. January 31, 2023. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  25. Graham, Megan (February 12, 2023). "YouTube Stars Run Ad for Sports Drink Prime". WSJ. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  26. "Logan Paul and KSI's PRIME Becomes Dodgers' Official Sports Drink". Hypebeast. March 31, 2023. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  27. McCarthy, Mary (January 3, 2023). "The three reasons I loathe everything about Prime energy drinks". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  28. Bossinakis, Charisa (January 12, 2023). "Gordon Ramsay tried KSI and Logan Paul's Prime energy drink and gave it a savage review". LADbible. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  29. "KSI's Prime Hydration: Is It Worth the Hype?". Men's Health. January 13, 2023. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  30. "Island school bans sports drink surging in popularity among kids". CBC. April 3, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  31. "SA schools join international counterparts in banning PRIME drink". Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  32. "Prime energy drink sold by KSI and Logan Paul banned from Australian schools". ABC News. March 28, 2023. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  33. Perillo, Sarah; O’Brien, Susie (March 29, 2023). "Schools move to ban Prime energy drink". heraldsun. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  34. Whelan, Chloe (March 29, 2023). "'Dangerous': Schools ban cult energy drink". news. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  35. Riddle, Rebecca (April 20, 2023). "PRIME hydration drinks' hype running dry at NSW schools".
  36. "Shop owner selling controversial Prime energy drink 'not worried' about children buying it". amp.nine.com.au.
  37. "Sale of popular Prime energy drink 'not legal' in Denmark". The Local. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
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