Who is buying 5-Hour-Energy, and why

Logan Sachon  |  10:03 PM, Friday, June 3, 2011

Have you ever had 5-Hour-Energy? You know, the little red bottles by the 7-11 checkout that are featured in low-fi commercials on late-night TV. I've had it a few times, both during nights out when my body was saying "go home" but my friends were saying "one more bar." A pit stop for a bottle of caffeine seemed a better option both times than black coffee or soda (fewer calories on my hips and fewer ounces of liquid in my bladder).

But it turns out that my party, party, party experience with the energy-boosting juice isn't entirely typical. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, the company is increasingly marketing its product to senior citizens! They run full-page ads in the AARP magazine, have displays next to the Ensure at Costco, and have coupons available in geriatric doctors' offices. Displays of the little red bottles are even available in many golf pro-shops.

So is the elixir especially suited to help out older folks? Not really. 5-Hour-Energy does include vitamins, but it mostly contains caffeine — 207 mg of the stuff (a 12-ounce Starbucks coffee has 260 mg). The company initially marketed itself to students and people who worked long shifts — truck drivers, police officers. Then when they noticed that seniors were buying the stuff, they expanded their business to target them, too. And it's working: last year, sales of the drink were over $1 billion.

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