Australian QF Energy Drink

Wimmer Marketing Pty Ltd have dabbled into the energy drink category with an energy drink named QF Energy, unfortunately I only discovered it on a visit to the local supermarket yesterday, no tip offs received. I wonder why??

QF Energy has a comic book inspired design, I think it is uninspiring and boring. The taste did nothing for my taste buds, in actual fact it was not enjoyable to drink at all.  The cheap grape like flavour will suit the unsophisticated pallet of the average Australian. To be honest I am disappointed, I expected better from one of the most experienced and oldest beverage companies in Australia. The style is seedy looking and has nothing original about it, the only point of difference is the Queensland grape like soft drink flavour. Maybe thats why the can is purple! What happened to the innovation spirit in the product formulation, nothing but a "me too" carbon copy of brands like Red Eye Energy drink.

As for the brand connecting to the consumer, well what can I say read the extract from the website.

How does it come first? Nothing worse than insulting the intelligence of the consumer.

What ingredients in this energy drink will get you over the line in first place? Does it help if I am from Queensland?

Take a look at how Red Bull markets itself, they specifically state they have a unique superior  formulation than the competitors! So does the QF brand want the consumer to second guess themselves to first place?

QF Energy is made in Queensland and I am assuming the Q stands for Queensland and the F stands for Failure.
I am not sure how long this energy drink will last outside of Queensland, but I am betting sales will actually fall off in other states as it has no relation or inspiration for the consumer to emotionally connect, relate to it and make sense of it.

QF Energy is one of those trivial annoying regional brand names that get under your skin. QF Energy needs to get a talented designer to give it a fresh makeover and a unique reformulation is also required from the experienced team at Wimmers..

In conclusion, it is ugly, has no clear brand identity, and lacks innovative or unique ingredients. I give it a F for Fail.

UPDATE:

I listened to the radio ad found on the website and what a shock, it has sexual connotations! One guess what QF stands for!

Research:

Whois Result for qfenergy.com @ whois.tucows.com

Registrant:
 The Trustee for NATIONAL BEVERAGE DISTRIBUTION UNIT TRUST
 2/18 Nevilles Street
 Underwood, QLD 4119
 AU

 Domain name: QFENERGY.COM

 Administrative Contact:
    White, Gary  sales@wimmers.com.au
    2/18 Nevilles Street
    Underwood, QLD 4119
    AU
    +61.732993300    Fax: +61.732993022

Got the chance to sample this new entrant to the Australian market. I was reflecting on how may new products were launched in the USA (sigh), something like a thousand NEW non-alcoholic beverages are introduced. So if the population of the USA is 301,139,947 (July 2007 est.), then the launch rate for Australia should be like 70 new launches a year. The theory looks good on paper but the reality is another story in another post..

Will we ever see the landscape change from Coca Cola, Pepsi and Schewppes? I doubt it, the non alcoholic drinks sector is the biggest ironic, superficial, plastic fantastic tit job going around in Australia.

We have the top end of town portraying Coca Cola, Pepsi and Schewppes products as super premium, super quality, super duper, ants pants bla, bla, bla. Have a look at the Melbourne Cup to see the hypocrisy, same products are served in the carpark as they are served for the super rich corporate tents.

They say marketing today is all about about the physcolgical reward and thats how they price a product accordingly.

Coca Cola, Pepsi and Schewppes fridges are an eye sore, they stick out like an albino Tasmanian Devil on Rottnest Island.

So why are these Coca Cola, Pepsi and Schewppes fridges and products found in the food areas of micro breweries? Where is the logic, how does the boutique experience apply to the mass produced non alcholic foreign experience? Can the marketing dollars of Coca Cola, Pepsi and Schewppes override logic and domestic competitors marketing attempts?

It makes no sense how micro breweries are exploding in Australia and you have these Australian yobbos in the media tallking arty farty about the characteristics of what makes micro brews so special and unique, bla, bla , bla. Yet when it comes to the non alcoholic drinks side, you see and hear them worshipping a coke or some other sugarless tasteless, inferior piss product from the Coca Cola, Pepsi and Schewppes stable.

A decade ago, if you had asked an Aussie to name their favourite brew, the answer would probably have been VB, Tooheys or XXXX. How things have changed. In recent years, a new brand of brewery has emerged in Australia. Small commercial breweries (known as microbreweries) are popping up across the country, challenging the existing trend of mass-produced beer, and slowly reinvigorating the collective imagination of Aussie beer guzzlers.

travelaustralia.ninemsn.com.au

So who is challenging the existing trend of mass-produced non alcoholic drinks, and slowly reinvigorating the collective imagination of non alcoholic drink guzzlers? Nutrient water by Nutrient Water Pty. Ltd. in Victoria.

I had a meeting up in Malaga, Western Australia and stopped by a local deli run by an Asian family who have the courage to stock some new products besides the tit enhanced Coca Cola, Pepsi and Schewppes stable.

On the lower levels, out of the important eye level shelf, lay a lonley few newish Nutrient Water bottles.

I selected the flavor Passionfruit Citrus due to the "sexual connotation" on the label.

Directions: Mix with individuals displaying symptons of tiredness, fatigue or severe procrastination.

Warning Excess consumption may result in the desmise of alarm clocks, motivational speakers, personal

trainers, and phrases like"not tonight honey, I’m too tired ."

It tasted ok, nothing spectacular in the taste department, but better tasting than Gatorade as for the performance test, my honey was not home. Use your imagination, my fellow Aussie non alcoholic drink guzzlers.

During last years visit to Taiwan I could not resist bringing back one of the ugliest soft drinks that I have seen, the drink has a marble stuck inside in the cap for its targeted market (not me). I did not drink it because it was over the due by date (assumption) and smelt like vinegar with a hint of bleach (toxic).  

What do you think?

Brownes Dome Cappucciono Supa Shake, got one out on the road and was thinking the combo should be better than anything on the market.

Boy, was I wrong, when do Dome Coffee make instant coffee powder?

I am guessing never, since they roast fresh coffee beans the last time I checked.

Who is Dome?

So be warned all your getting is the hype with the brand association, not the real thing. So once again I have found that my wallet has been supa shaked, the only thing that got thicker was my stupid impulse buying.

As for taste, none, poor, weak, likelihood of me buying this again? none, poor, weak and to late for a refund. 

Alka-Pure is a mineral enriched bottled water sold here in Western Australia, it is bottled by Planet Sales of Wangara, the makers claim alkaline drinking water has rapid hydration qualities, restores balance to your metabolism and enhances blood circulation all for a healthier wellbeing.

Mineral Enriched Water

I tried to drink this but squirmed with each mouthful, it has an unnatural feel to it, the chemical aftertaste is most dominant and it is not enjoyable to drink, I personally would not drink it even if the health benefits were proven to be true. I am sure one could find the same health benefits in a tablet or a well balanced diet.

The packaging makes it look generic and the picture of a flowing stream is most confusing, will consumers think this water is from that stream?.

The water does not originate from this location and the words "technology for well being" seem lost in the overall message, sure it has been enriched with minerals but the technology that has achieved this is not explained in detail within the label, I assumed it must be on their website. Unfortunately no website was on the label, so I "googled" Planet Sales the bottler and discovered a listing at enviro.org.au for Planet Sales Pty Ltd. I contacted Michael Perkins the Managing Director by email and asked if they had a functional website?

This was the response:

Do you want any bottling done?

If so please forward your details and we will contact you.

Regards

Michael Perkins
Planet Sales
Ph:08-9302 1188
Fx: 08-9302 1189
Mob: 0409 110 543

Mineral Enriched Water Characteristics:

Tap Water (turned into pure water method not stated).

Alkaline ph7.6

Typical Analysis:

Calcium 20mg/L

Magnesium 8:3mg/L

Sodium 110mg/L

Silica 17mg/L

Silver <0.01mg/L

pH 7:6mg/L

You better believe it, I was fortunate enough to get some samples from Alejandro Licea the Brand Manager of Health Cola, this is one fine tasting cola, lightly carbonated with the most exquisite taste of real kola nuts. You would be forgiven to compare it to a micro brewed beverage. This drink is an all natural masterpiece that combines well with authentic Portuguese peri peri chicken, my side of life keeps on getting better.

Thank you Alejandro, everyone who tasted it are looking forward to it being available in Australia.

Breathe fire into your bellies with Australia's very own 100% Organic Ginger Beer. Here is a picture I took before I drank this exquisite, light tasting, refreshing, satisfying, ethical and sustainable ginger beer.

How many hand crafted certified organic ginger beers do you know that have a unique, high quality, unpasteurised, brewed in a bottle, live, zero additive and GE Free characteristics. The master artisan behind this is a humble man named, Richard Patton.

The legend goes like this, I was doing research on the Australian Beverage Industry and people would mention and recommend a ginger beer that was like no other. I asked them, what is it called. They replied, "the red dragon inn", I never heard of it I replied, thinking it was some micro brew pub.

I tried to find the Red Dragon Inn on the internet but with no luck. But in May of this year, I discovered the Red Dragon Inn website.

So I would like to thank Richard for the samples he sent, they arrived cool and in great condition all the way from New South Wales.