Red Bull’s integrated marketing communications mix has been so successful that the company has created an entirely new billion dollar drink category — energy drinks. In addition, Red Bull has become a multi-billion dollar beverage brand among fierce competition from beverages kings like Cow-Cob. Pepsi and Anheuser-Busch. To date, the company has sold more than 40 billions cans of energy drinks across 166 countries. Now ? Red Bull became the energy drink market leader by skillfully connecting with youth around the globe and doing it differently than anyone else.
Dietrich MunchIts founded Red Bull with a single product in Austria In 1987. By 1997 the slender silver and blue can be available in 25 markets globally. Including Western and Eastern Europe. New Zealand and South Africa. Its size and style Immediately signalled to consumers that its contents were different from traditional sok drinks. Red Bull’s ingredients — amino acid taurine. B-complex .4tamins. caffeine and carbohydrates — were specifically formulated to make the drink highly cafkinated and energising. In fact some users have referred to it as liquid cocaine or ‘speed in a can’. Over the past decade, the company introduced other products and flavours. many of which did not succeed. Today. Red Bull offers the original Red Bull Energy Drink Red Bull Total Zero. Red Bull Sugar-Free. and special editions infused with berry. lime and cranberry flavours.
As the company continued to expand worldwide. it developed an integrated marketing communication plan that reached Its target audience on irony different levels and builds its strong band image of authenticity. originality and community. First Red Bull focused on pre-marketing. sponsoring events like the Red Bull Snowthrill or Charrionbt ski contest in France to help build word of mouth excitement around the brand. Once the company entered a new market it built buzz through Its ‘seeding program. micro-targeting trendy clubs, shops, ban and stores. This enables the cultural elite to access Red Bull’s product first and influence other consumers. As one Red Bull executive explained “we go to on-premise accounts first because the product gets a lot of visibility and attention. It goes faster to deal with individual accounts. not big chains and their authorisation process. The company also targeted opinion leaden likely to Influence consumer,’ purchases, including action sports athlete and entertainment celebrities.