willc.me

Caffeine is possibly the most consumed drug in the world. Throughout history, we have built society around it and it is regarded as normal or even desirable to drink the bean.

Coffee was around and active at the heart of our society long before Starbucks was even conceived of. The first great gentlemen’s club (the posh ones where men with white hair meet as opposed to a nightclub or strip bar) Whites, was named after a man named Blanco who ran coffee shops in Renaissance London. Coffee was expensive and a preserve of the rich. It therefore became a drink associated with money and even power.

Coffee, which was until recently one of the few forms of caffeine, has been revered as a commodity. An expensive and sought after drug.

That was until Starbucks came along. At the end of the last century the coffee chain sweep across the world, a success of capitalism. It put caffeine at the heart of society once more. Their earthen coloured walls and comfy sofas became a place meet and socialise once more. It all paints a beautiful and romantic picture.

That is until you come to energy drinks. Energy drinks aren’t quite the little perk that coffee is. It’s the crack of caffeine. Relentless, Rockstar and Red Bull all leave nothing to imagination with their titles. They are for people who cane it. But they definitely work.

It’s obvious why people have grown to consume and love caffeine. It keeps you awake and the more we do and the harder we push ourselves in life the more we feel like we need an energy boost. But it doesn’t actually work like that. The low after the high is worse for you and a dependence on caffeine will mean you feel tired on days that you don’t drink it.

They say that nothing in life comes for free but sometimes they’re wrong. When people want to sell stuff they normally begin by giving a load of it away free or at a hefty discount. And if you know where to find it then there’s nothing to stop you getting free stuff all the time.

It normally comes down to PR. This week, when Wrangler wanted to launch their new range of jeans they held a party at Whisky Mist. They handed out jeans to select people for free in order to promote the brand.

Likewise, on my desk there’s a free can of Rockstar energy drink. The reason is so that people talk about it and push it to other people. They’ve even got me doing it on here just by writing that it’s free. I won’t tell you how it tastes but my eyes are wide and my heart a fluttering.

This also works with discounts. For example, between 5 and 9 today there’s 20% off at all the stores on Carnaby Street. It means that they sell more stuff today and attract more customers in the long run. All you have to do is register here. and you can go shop your heart out at a discounted rate. If you feel parched you can even stop by for a free drink at the Kingly Club.

If you work in PR then you don’t pay for much. Between expenses and product launches you can pay for almost nothing. Somebody picks up the price but if it isn’t you then do you care? As long as I’m concerned, it’s free.