About

PRIME Energy and PRIME Hydration are two sports drinks (with energy and hydration versions) created by the collaboration between influencers, YouTubers and streamers KSI and Logan Paul. The hydration variant was originally launched in the United Kingdom in early 2022, and the energy variant was then released in early 2023. Due to the marketing push by both influencers and their reputations in sporting events, the sports drink brand has a notable online presence, being referenced in numerous online discussions, memes, reviews and other discourse, as well as controversies.

History

During their multiple influencer boxing matches, the two internet personalities collaborated and decided to work together on a product back in 2022. This product was then revealed in a livestream on January 4th, 2022, with both Logan Paul and KSI showcasing the look of the product and announcing its availability.^[5] That same day, a reupload of the reveal was posted on YouTube by the channel Celebrity Drama^[1] getting over 44,000 views in one year (shown below).

A year later on January 4th, 2023, Paul and KSI then announced the addition of an energy-drink version of Prime.^[6] On the company's official Instagram account, the two revealed the new product and its details, receiving over 647,000 likes in 20 days (shown below).

Online Presence

Prime's lineup of sports drinks has had a notable online presence since the brand was revealed in early 2022, largely due to its association with influencers Logan Paul and KSI. As of January 2023, the company's Facebook page (DrinkPrime) has over 7,600 followers, its Twitter (@PrimeHydrate) has over 325,000 followers and its Instagram has over 1.3 million.

During Christmas in 2022, several TikTokers also uploaded viral videos of their children receiving and opening gifts of Prime with excitement. For example, on December 26th, 2022, TikToker @thest33l^[3] uploaded a clip of a boy opening up a wrapped bottle of Prime and getting very excited (shown below). Other similar ones of kids being excited to open Prime for Christmas were also prominent on the app, gathering over 1 million views each in under a month.

Various Examples

Controversies

Ingredients / Nutrition Facts

In the middle of 2022, shortly after the launch of Prime Hydration, the sports drink started to come under fire from several health-focused content creators for the ingredients used in it. For example, on June 10th, 2022, TikToker imjustwasim^[4] uploaded a TikTok in which he goes over the ingredients found on the back of a Prime bottle, taking umbrage with the coconut water being from concentrate and the chemical additives found within it on top of the sucralose, earning over 131,000 likes in seven months (shown below).

On October 11th, 2022, YouTuber More Plates More Dates then uploaded a video titled "Logan Paul Crossed The Line – Scientifically Dismantling Prime Hydration" discussing the nutrition of the drink. The video received over 1.9 million views and 69,000 likes in three months (seen below).

Scalping Prices / Availability

Following the initial release of Prime Hydration in 2022, the brand experienced rapid growth online as both KSI and Logan Paul promoted it in many of their YouTube videos and podcast appearances, as well as their social media. The explosive growth led to a large shortage of the drink in many parts of the U.K., subsequently spawning a notoriously prevalent scalping culture with bottles reportedly selling for over $400 on eBay.^[7] Many social media users posted about this issue in late 2022 as people attempted to find the sports drink in stores.

For example, in October 2022, TikToker @wakey_wines^[2] uploaded numerous TikToks on its main and backup accounts for months showing people coming in from various far-out cities to buy a bottle of Prime for 20 quid when it normally retails for 3 quid at convenience stores when in stock (examples shown below).

The price gouging at Wakey Wines reportedly grew to the point where the shop sold a 12-pack of the beverage for over 1,200 pounds. This led to Wakey Wines getting briefly banned from TikTok. On January 22nd, 2023, YouTuber Cr1tikal then uploaded a video discussing the scalping and price gouging going on surrounding both Prime Hydration and Energy. The video, titled "This is a Pathetic Scam," accumulated over 2.8 million views and 117,000 likes in roughly 24 hours (seen below).

Search Interest

External References