Case: Red Bull
Overview: It’s a safe bet that most people reading this textbook are familiar with Red Bull.
The $6.4 billion company that virtually created the market for energy drinks revels in its
association with cultural events such as concerts and extreme sports including snowboarding
and surfing. The company uses a variety of communication channels in addition to
advertising and public relations to promote the brand. Red Bull’s Facebook page has 38
million “likes,” and 1 million people follow its Twitter feed.
The brand’s slogan, “Red Bull Gives You Wings,” made Red Bull the perfect corporate
partner for one of the biggest public relations coups in recent years. In fall 2012, Red Bull
sponsored
Felix Baumgartner’s death-defying skydive from the edge of space.
Red Bull utilizes a communication tool known as marketer-produced media. The Red
Bulletin is a monthly magazine produced by Red Bull Media House. Red Bull distributes
more than 3 million copies of each issue through newsstand sales, subscriptions, and as a free
iPad app.
The magazine is available in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Kuwait, New Zealand, Poland,
and South Africa. In 2011, The Red Bulletin was launched in the United States; 1.2 million
free copies were distributed in major newspapers. The first U.S. issue featured San Francisco
Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, one of hundreds of athletes who are sponsored by Red Bull. As
publisher Raymond Roker putit, “We are entering a new age of media in terms of what
consumers
of content want and expect.”
Since 1998, Red Bull has been involved in another high-profile initiative. The Red Bull
Music Academy is a series of concerts, workshops, art installations, and other cultural events
that rotate from year to year among different international cities. Red Bull Music Academy
also sponsors stages at international music festivals such as Montreaux Jazz; RBMA Radio is
a Web resource where listeners can access new music, live concerts, interviews, and other
content. Despite the name, Red Bull plays down its participation in the Academy; according
to the Web site, “The Red Bull Music Academy is not a sponsored event, but a long-term
music initiative, committed to fostering creative exchange amongst those who have made and
continue to make a difference in the world of sound.” Needless to say, the Red Bull logo is
visible everywhere, and coolers filled with the drink are placed in strategic locations.
Nirmalya Kumar, a marketing professor at the London Business School, has written a case
study on Red Bull titled “The Anti-Brand Brand.” Kumar gives Red Bull high marks for its
nontraditional marketing communication strategy. As Kumar explains, “Part of being a great
brand is conveying what you stand for in an authentic manner so consumers find it
believable. The music academy and the [Baumgartner] air show have given Red Bull a lot of
that.”
Source (Keegan, W. J., & Green, M. C. (2020). Global marketing. Pearson Education)
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