The cocreator of Starface has a new project: Making it cool to test your drugs for fentanyl
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The cocreator of Starface has a new project: Making it cool to test your drugs for fentanyl
Scrolling through the Instagram feed of Overdrive and seeing videos showcasing BMX and skateboard tricks, pranks, and nightlife events, you might think the brand is selling something extreme.
But the company—launching today from Brian Bordainick, cofounder of Starface pimple patches, Julie emergency contraceptive, and Futurewise skincare—isn’t quite what it seems. The loud, all-caps wordmark on a neon-orange background and its camo-print trucker hats are all in service to its debut product: an orange box evoking a cigarette pack that flips open to reveal Overdrive’s fentanyl test kit.?
The kits launch today for $12.99 on Overdrive’s website and on Amazon. Each includes five test strips, five water pouches, and five mini spoons, alongside instructions on how to accurately test drugs for fentanyl.
Bordainick describes Overdrive as a “lifestyle and CPG brand for harm reduction and drug safety.” It’s a far cry from the “just say no” approach of D.A.R.E., and its branding approach is unlike how a lot of CPG companies operate. Rather than focus on product (in part because of tough restrictions on posts containing the word “fentanyl”), Overdrive is marketing its brand identity, leaning into a relatable but hardcore vibe that’s as comfortable at a late-night DJ set as an extreme-sports event. Bordainick’s bet is that by avoiding a clinical, sterile look, Overdrive can show up authentically in spaces where fentanyl testing kits are crucial (like the club) and help reduce the stigma and judgment around drug testing.?
The need for more fentanyl testing
In the U.S., more than 112,000 people died from overdoses last year, and fentanyl poisoning has become the leading cause of drug-related deaths. The synthetic opioid is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as a pain reliever.?
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According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, some dealers mix fentanyl with the likes of cocaine, heroin, and MDMA to create potent highs more cheaply. Given the rise of overdose deaths caused by fentanyl, it’s especially important for potential drug users to know if their supply poses a danger to them.?
“The idea of just even acknowledging that there is a fentanyl crisis is a really big step,” Bordainick says. “The better and more specific the products are, the more it can open up those conversations that are really hard. The approach here was, ‘If we were to have a material hand in lowering the number of fentanyl overdoses that happen in the U.S., what would day one look like?'”
A product design that feels ‘native to party culture’
Overdrive’s branding started with the observation that the existing clinical approach to harm reduction and drug safety doesn’t always resonate with people who would benefit most from testing awareness and supplies.
And though fentanyl-testing resources are offered for free in certain cities via local governments and nonprofits, Bordainick noticed that many products in consumer healthcare seem to be built for “really wide swaths of an audience,” he says. He brought media and marketing veteran Ryan Weaver onboard as Overdrive’s creative and brand lead, as well as executive producer, to help create a tailored approach to court consumers with whom standard harm-reduction resource messaging doesn’t resonate.
Weaver’s job was translating the ethos of brands like Starface into the world of harm reduction. That brand turned acne patches into “the most exciting thing in your drawer,” he says.
With Overdrive, “We want to take that same logic system and bring it into this harm reduction drug safety space. It doesn’t lead with telling you what to do, or an intimidating science clinical approach,” Weaver says. “A lot of the principles that went into the design were riffing on safety, but then mixing it with things that were native to party culture.”
Overdrive’s actual test kit box is a classic safety orange with a diamond tread pattern and a top that flips open like a cigarette pack. The custom spoons inside, embossed with Overdrive’s logo, even feature a tiny hand making a horns gesture.?
An unconventional marketing approach
The test kit’s product design has been tailored down to the smallest detail—and Overdrive is putting that same precision into how it crafts its brand identity. The content- and entertainment-first approach is partially practical. Some social media sites will flag or block content they see as potentially promoting drug use.
Bordainick and Weaver turned to companies like Monster, Red Bull, and the UFC for marketing inspiration on making content to build a brand, especially in the extreme sports arena. On Overdrive’s socials, most posts feature a sponsored content creator doing stunts, DJing, or interviewing people while wearing some custom Overdrive merch. By building awareness that way, Weaver says Overdrive can feel like a more natural fit at an extra sports arena, a rave, or a music festival—spaces where drug use is likely.
“Using drugs is an extreme behavior,” Weaver says. “The brand is called Overdrive specifically so it can appear in these environments in an organic way. If it was called, like, ‘Test Your Drugs, Be Safe,’ that would be pretty corny to someone who’s actually going after this lifestyle.”
The brand’s copy reflects this relatable, non-judgmental mindset, too. On Overdrive’s test kit Amazon listing, the product description partially reads, “You do you, we got your back.”
Next Steps
For now, the fentanyl test kit is Overdrive’s only product, though Bordainick says the brand plans to develop more harm-reduction products. Though he may adjust the branding approach based on consumer feedback post-launch, for now, Bordainick thinks Overdrive’s niche will set it apart from other drug-safety products.
“Early stage stuff is great, because if you can be really specific,” Bordainick says, “[But] you actually have to be willing to stand for something, which is not for everybody and certainly not for everybody in consumer healthcare—but it gives you the opportunity to do something really special if executed well.”
OK Bo?tjan Dolin?ek