Aussie 'Speed' Sold At An Auckland Supermarket
NZ Customs may have stopped $135million worth of crystal meth and pseudoephedrine from entering the country this week,
but another speed shipment seems to have got through. The pictured Australian energy drink Speed is prominently
displayed in a six-foot high stack at an Auckland supermarket. Exactly how socially responsible is the manufacturer, or
the supermarket chain, in stocking this product when the country is struggling to get through a P "epidemic"?
The manufacturers are pushing their luck in naming their guarana-based drink “Speed”. Although obviously designed to do
the same as their illegal namesake (albeit with less oomph) this is the first brand to be so direct about the link. Some
of the more imaginative brands include Jet Up Action Fuel, Full Throttle and Xtazy Energy.
The Australian manufacturer has cleverly aligned itself with motor racing, sponsoring the Australian GT Championship and
Porsche Drivers Challenge – a smokescreen that covers the fact that they are strongly referencing speed the drug.
Last year the Australian Advertising Standards Board upheld a complaint against their television ad for reasons of
health and safety outlined in the code. The complainant believed the ad promoted drug use and contradicted the
government’s Drug Information Campaign.
The board said the television ad established strong references to drug use backed up by setting the ad in a nightclub
(with cans bouncing off the walls to “oonst” beats).
“Our name relates to the performance of vehicles we sponsor and are proud to be associated [with],” says the advertiser,
Australian Distribution Company. Yeah right.
So guess what? Looks like they’re trying to offload the product in New Zealand.
ENDS
Ana Samways & Steven Shaw are freelance writers based in Auckland. You can view their works at spareroom.co.nz