Who should read this issue? If you ever picked Red Bull over another drink from the 7/11 fridge and want to understand why you did that then this is for you, extra points if you’re a marketer who wants to learn what it means for your brand.

Read time: 4 minutes (long but mostly pictures)

THE SUM

Turns out Red Bull is kind of a big deal, like the third most valuable non-alcoholic beverage brand in the world, kind of a big deal. They don’t actually even make beverages.

They got here with marketing that became a full on media business, consistent product innovation, and distribution prowess. One of their JDs explained that their goal is “Drive awareness and grow consumption of Red Bull products, both the can and the media business.”. This is a masterclass in selling your product by showing, not telling - handing out wings to athletes (wings being adrenaline filled events) and to target audiences (wings being cans of Red Bull) at the right place and time. All leading to 91% awareness among energy drink enthusiasts.

Here are the parts we find notable:

1. A website nav that reveals their strategic priorities
2. Sponsored athletes who personify the brand
3. Approach to fueling their 6 target consumption occasions
4. A disconnected visual identity

PART DEEP DIVE

PART 1: A website nav that reveals their strategic priorities

Their brand awareness strategy focuses on orchestrating and showcasing awe-inspiring, daredevil events that resonate with the spirit of their consumers. Their website is in lockstep with this strategy - product is 4th in the hierarchy, rare for a beverage co.

PART 2: Sponsored athletes who personify the brand

Outside of the extreme events they host and sponsor (we won’t go into their major faux pas with the cancellation of Formation, a women’s freeride mountain biking event), Red Bull sponsors specific athletes poised to become the next big thing not just in their sport but in the media.They deck them out in Red Bull gear like a custom wrapped helmet or surfboard–a badge of honor that can’t be bought. This is both an efficient use of capital and creates viral content that personifies the brand.

For example:

• Kai Lenny will never be an Olympic surfer but he regularly surfs the biggest wave that ends up all over social media–all on a bright-colored Red Bull board,
• Wout Van Aert and Tom Pidcock are world champion caliber cyclo-cross riders–a niche sport with a small global following. However, both rider's are super-domestiques in the Tour De France– responsible for essentially towing their podium-hopeful teammates up difficult climbs so they can save energy and attack at the last moment. As a result, they are at the front of the race for 4-6 hour stretches with cameras on their Red Bull wrapped head protection.
• Sponsoring Eileen Gu in women’s freeskiing, long before her gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Following that success, Red Bull has been able to align themselves with her extreme lifestyle working as a full-time fashion model and Stanford college student while training for the winter competition season.