From Motivation to Marketing : Understanding What Drives Energy Drink Purchases Among Finnish University

Abstract

This thesis will examine the purchasing motivations behind the consumption of energy drinks by Finnish university students. In addition, it will explore how energy drink brands can use these purchasing motivations to develop effective marketing strategies. The theoretical frameworks used to understand the purchasing motivations of energy drink consumers include consumer motivation theories, hedonic and functional consumption theories, the Theory of Planned Behaviour, and prior research on energy drink purchase motivations of university students across multiple countries.

To answer the research questions, a quantitative research methodology was used. Data were collected via an online questionnaire distributed among Finnish university students in March 2026. The questionnaire included 16 questions across three sections measuring demographic characteristics, purchasing motivations, and marketing influences. The questionnaire used a four-point Likert-type scale to measure respondents' attitudes. A total of 72 complete responses were obtained and analysed using descriptive statistics in IBM SPSS Statistics.

The results indicated that taste and the desire for energy and alertness are the primary purchase motivations among Finnish university students, while social influence and lifestyle identity are the least influential. Of all the marketing influences examined, only brand transparency about product ingredients received support from most respondents.