Nelly’s Pimpjuice will help you get your swerve on. Steven Segal’s Lightning Bolt will give you an all-natural energy boost.
And Carmelo Anthony’s C1.5 Extreme Energy Drink will give you “the energy to win.”
The Denver Nuggets forward’s entry into the crowded energy-drink market – which tastes like a mix between Red Bull and Mountain Dew – will finally hit stores Friday, said Brendan Shaw, chairman of Intervest Media Group, the Chicago company behind C1.5.
C1.5 will launch in the Syracuse, N.Y., area, where Anthony attended college. It is slated to hit stores in metro Denver in late December.
The drink has had a hard time getting in the game despite being billed as the boost you need to “really have game.”
More than a year after it first was announced, the product hasn’t been sold anywhere because of distribution problems.
Privately-held Intervest said it is in the process of registering with the Nevada Securities Di vision to go public and raise funds from investors for a marketing campaign. The company ran radio commercials in Denver this month seeking investors.
That is not allowed here unless the company is registered to sell securities in Colorado.
“By advertising, they’re doing a public offering, and they’re selling an unregistered security,” said Henry Withers, securities examiner for the Colorado Division of Securities.
Shaw acknowledges that the radio commercial “was definitely premature.”
He said the company has pulled the commercial, which was only supposed to announce that the drink is coming. A new ad will hit the airwaves in a couple of weeks, he said.
Anthony played a big role in the drink’s taste and presentation and he’ll get 35 percent of profits, said Clenton Alexander, director of investor relations for Intervest. A portion will go to the Carmelo Anthony Foundation, his charitable organization.
Anthony’s big cut of the proceeds and heavy involvement in the product’s development attracted him to the project, said Bill Sanders, vice president of marketing for BDA Sports Management, which represents Anthony.
“Melo knows that basketball can be fleeting and that he’d like to position himself so at the time that he’s finished playing, hopefully that’s a long time from now, but when he’s done, he can transition into a business career,” Sanders said. “That’s included developing a film, a record label and various business investments and ventures.”
With more than 500 energy drinks already in the market, why would a company launch another one?
Profit margins, according to Denver-based energy drink expert Dan Mayer.
“The cost to make an energy drink is a penny more than a regular coke, and (an energy drink) can is generally smaller, and it sells for over twice as much,” said Mayer, who has reviewed more than 200 drinks on his blog, www.bandddesigns.com/energy.
The suggested retail price for C1.5 is $1.99.
Staff writer Andy Vuong can be reached at 303-954-1209 or avuong32@yahoo.com.
Name game:
Anthony’s endorsements
Brand Jordan
PowerBar
C1.5 Energy Drink
mStation
Perfect Jumper
Melo
Mobile
Steiner Sports (exclusive memorabilia)
Radio Shack
got milk?
Fathead
Toyota
The competition
Carmelo Anthony has some stiff competition in the energy-drink market. The five best-tasting brands, according to Dan Mayer (bandddesigns.com/energy):
Go Fast: Spicy strawberry flavor
Monster Khaos: Mix of Sprite with orange juice
Kronik Entourage: Mix of grape and pear juices
Gorilla Juice: Lemonade with light carbonation
Red Bull: Drink with the ultimate “kick”
