Does the Marketing of AEDs Put Young People at Heightened Risk?
AEDs build on the popularity of nonalcoholic energy drinks, a market which has exploded in the last ten years, particularly among young people. Teenagers and young adults are the core consumer group for energy drinks. According to a recent report, thirty-one percent of 12- to 17-year-olds and 34 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds report regular consumption of energy drinks. Consumption of energy drinks drops dramatically with age. AED marketing mimics nonalcoholic energy drink marketing. It emphasizes non-traditional media and grassroots one-to-one communications such as internet sites, chat rooms, logos on merchandise, text messaging, event sponsorship, and other communication channels popular with teenagers. There is only minimal reliance on traditional channels such as television, radio, magazines, and outdoor advertising. The messages often have youth-oriented themes such as enhanced partying, extreme sport images, sexual attraction, risk taking, and rebellion. The stimulating effects
