February 8, 2008
New Energy Drink Promotes Vandalism?
Pictured: All City NRG designed by Vincent "Factone" Ficarra, urban artist in New York.
Remember AriZona Iced Tea? Well, its made a cross-country image trip and landed in the heart of NYC with its new energy drink called All City NRG (you know, like the subway lines). As you can see, the cans are all tagged up, and their promo van is similarly decorated -- though it's sort of camouflaged when parked in the streets of Bushwick, no?
Wes Vultaggio, Creative Director for AriZona, says "We call the cans our 'subway series'. The art is a form of expression that captures the creativity, imagination, and energy of the urban lifestyle. Since AriZona originated in Brooklyn, we thought we would pay tribute to the passion and originality of these artists with our own street art design on the can and with a bold energy-infused beverage."
City Council Member Peter Vallone is, not surprisingly, saying that this product clearly promotes vandalism! He says, "This product shamelessly glorifies a culture of vandalism and lawlessness. If this drink was called 'pickpocket pickup,' and had pictures of criminals lifting wallets, wouldn't people be offended?" Mmm...pickpocket pickup. But it's not like the drink is being sold with a can of spray paint - yet!
Other products to raise the ire of City Council members: The Cocaine energy drink and thug chips.
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Peter Vallone needs to get a life. What is up with these local politicians getting so riled up about the dumbest things?
Really nice graphics. Can't wait for the chips and salsa to debut.
I thought vandals promoted vandalism.
Whatever. I guess I need to listen to meatheads from Queens who get elected on their father's name if I want to learn anything.
If Arizona - sorry, AriZona - wanted to celebrate that they're from Brooklyn, why not call their product "Brooklyn"? (or would that be "BrookLyn"?)
They should co-promote one with myspace AnD hAve ThE LetTerInG LoOk lIKe ThIS!
Brooklyn Iced Tea sounds too much like Long Island Iced Tea.
I wonder who designed the graphics.
Nothing better than a can of All City and a sack of Thug Snacks:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/thug-snacks-this-councilman-wont-bite/?st=cse&sq=thug+snacks&scp=1
Brooklyn Iced Tea sounds like it's in the same vein as "Coney Island Whitefish".
Oh Vallone.
If you are young, intelligent, charismatic, somewhat attractive, aren't a total douchebag, and live in Astoria
PLEASE RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL! I'm begging you.
So is Cocaine un-banned again? Tastes like Smarties and battery acid.
I'm not sure I totally like the mainstreaming of the underground graffiti culture. It just seems so commercial to me and that sort of negates the whole anti-authority, anti-consumerist message.
Then again, I'm perpetually stuck in the 80's, so what do I know. Just my $0.02.
(and for the record, I think Staten Island Landfill ice cream is way worse than Brooklyn Iced Tea ^_^)