Teen Institute Leaders Team versus TILT

            As concerned citizens, we are writing to you in response to the release of your product, TILT. We believe that the marketing for this beverage attracts attention from people younger than was intended by your company. Because this could be a problem, we are informing you of the concerns we have regarding TILT%u2019s marketing.

            Teenagers drinking energy drinks is a very common occurrence in our every day lives. Teens turn to them before school, during meals and during late night study sessions. According to Simmons research in a Fox News report in 2006, 31% of teenagers say they drink energy drinks. This is equivalent to 7.6 million teens.

            Understanding the popularity of energy drinks, we could not help but notice that TILT looks very similar. For instance, it has the same volume and dimensions as the majority of energy drinks on the market. TILT also has the fluorescent tab, which is something commonly seen on energy drinks and not on alcoholic beverages. The design and color choices are appealing to teens as well.

            One of our biggest concerns with this product is the ambiguity of the alcohol warning label. It would be very easy for teens to conceal the fact that they are consuming alcohol. Parents, teachers, and even law enforcement officials could be fooled by the appearance of this product. By simply placing a hand over the warning label, underage drinkers could appear to only be drinking an energy drink.

            We are not asking your company to completely remove this product from the shelves. However, we are suggesting that you change the packaging so it is not as appealing to teens. We feel that the can should look less like that of an energy drink, and more like that of an alcoholic beverage. We also believe that the alcohol warning label should be more conspicuous and less easily hidden.

            Again, we would like to emphasize that your product can be mistaken for an energy drink because of the can%u2019s furtive packaging. We, as members of the Teen Institute Leaders Team, a small group of teens, speak for all teens when we say that something must change with your product. A mere redesign of the can will alert teens, as well as parents, that your product is an alcoholic beverage.

Thank you for taking the time to read our letter. We understand that your company is opposed to underage drinking, and we hope that you take our suggestions into consideration in order to further prevent underage consumption.