Four Loko Stages a Comeback, Partnering With Gamer Collective FaZe Clan for New Flavor and Campaign

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

It's been a while since Four Loko, the once-caffeinated icon of late-2000s party culture, was front and center in the headlines. In weeks to come, that may be subject to change. On Monday, the alcohol brand joined forces with lifestyle and gaming collective FaZe Clan for a campaign promoting its latest flavor, Camo. In a video posted to Instagram, myriad Internet savvy figures including FaZe Banks, Lacy, Adapt, Sketch, Big Mike and Glenny Balls can be seen partying with Four Loko in what the brand calls a "Project X-style celebration." If those names don't sound familiar, don't worry — you're probably not the target audience. Originally conceived in 2010 as a Call of Duty YouTube channel, FaZe Clan has since evolved into an all-encompassing LLC complete with a roster of in-house influencers, podcasters and dedicated esports teams. Across its various social media platforms, FaZe has over 500 million followers. On YouTube alone, it has amassed well over 1 billion views. FaZe's ballooning growth over the past few years has positioned it as a darling for big-name brand collaborations. The collective has joined forces with companies like McDonald's, Nike, Nissan, Champion and New Era for a seemingly endless cascade of signature merch drops and advertising campaigns. In 2021, the company teamed up with DC Comics for a story that featured Batman fighting crime alongside various FaZe clan influencers. FaZe is, for all intents and purposes, the Doritos-munching, 21st-century equivalent of the Brat Pack.

“FaZe Clan is internet culture. We create unfiltered, boundary-pushing content that truly connects with our community and Four Loko gets that,” Spencer Sherman, SVP of content and business development at FaZe Clan, said in a news release. “They’re not trying to play it safe or asking us to play it safe, they embrace out-of-the-box ideas which makes this such a great fit for both brands and our audiences.”

Four Loko was founded in 2005 by Ohio State University alumni Chris Hunter, Jaisen Freeman and Jeff Wright. Inspired in no small part by cocktails like Vodka Red Bull, the original — and most infamous — version of the Four Loko recipe combined a malt alcohol base with caffeine, taurine and guarana. The rest quickly became history. The brand skyrocketed to popularity, faced legal challenges in several states and eventually decided to omit caffeine from its formula at the tail end of 2010. Many thought it was the end of an era. However, thanks to shrewd marketing and a deluge of new flavors, Four Loko has slowly but surely staged a comeback in the decade and a half since. According to the brand, annual revenue is up 64% over the past five years, partly thanks to collaborations with Gen Z-favorite names like FaZe Clan. In 2022, Four Loko debuted a "Cosmic Punch" flavor alongside the Warheads sour candy brand. That same year, Four Loko made its debut as NASCAR, its branding plastered onto the No 44. Chevy Camaro driving for Alpha Prime Racing. The brand is managed by Phusion Projects, the same Chicago-based beverage company behind Barstool Sports' recently debuted Pirate Water.

“FaZe Clan has built one of the most engaged communities on the internet by staying true to who they are and constantly redefining internet culture. At Four Loko, we’ve built our brand the same way by being fearless and unconventional,” Phusion Projects Co-Founder and CEO Jaisen Freeman added. “This is the biggest partnership we’ve ever done, and we wouldn’t trust anyone else but FaZe to do it with.”

[callout-app-promo]