red bull stratos marketing case study

The Brand Hopper

All Brand Stories At One Place

A Case Study on Red Bull: “Stratos” Campaign

A Case Study on Red Bull: “Stratos” Campaign 7 min read

In the realm of marketing and adventure, few campaigns have achieved the level of notoriety and awe-inspiring impact as the Red Bull Stratos campaign. Red Bull, renowned for its daring and groundbreaking marketing strategies, orchestrated a truly unprecedented event that not only pushed the boundaries of human achievement but also marked a significant milestone in the annals of scientific exploration. At the heart of this campaign was Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner , a fearless individual chosen to undertake a skydiving project that would etch his name into history.

Red Bull Stratos was not just a conventional marketing ploy; it embodied words like dangerous, groundbreaking, earth-shattering, daring, and courageous. Conceived by the energy drink company, the campaign aimed to surpass records by orchestrating the highest-altitude jump ever attempted. On October 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner ascended 24 miles into the stratosphere above New Mexico, suspended by a helium balloon, before taking a free fall that would test the limits of human courage and scientific understanding. During this breathtaking descent, Baumgartner not only shattered records but also achieved the remarkable feat of breaking the sound barrier without the aid of any engine power.

The live broadcast of this audacious endeavor marked a pivotal moment in the history of global social media events. Red Bull, leveraging its sponsorship of the jump, strategically utilized social media platforms to showcase the magnitude of its reach. This was not just a promotional stunt; it was a calculated move to demonstrate the company’s prowess and ability to make significant strides in the exploration of Earth’s outer layers. The campaign not only served as a testament to human resilience and courage but also contributed to human, medical, and scientific interests by advancing our understanding of the outer reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere. In essence, the Red Bull Stratos campaign transcended traditional marketing boundaries, leaving an indelible mark on both the commercial and scientific landscapes.

Campaign Elements – Social Media will never be the same again

The Red Bull Stratos campaign left an indelible mark on the landscape of brand engagement and social media reach, transforming the event into more than a mere promotional stunt. At its core, Stratos served as a unique community within the larger Red Bull brand , uniting individuals worldwide in their shared passion for witnessing daring feats and memorable moments that defy the ordinary.

YouTube emerged as the primary battleground for the campaign’s social media conquest. The live stream of the event shattered records, with a staggering peak of over 8 million concurrent viewers , surpassing the previous benchmark set during the 2012 Summer Olympics. Red Bull’s adept use of YouTube extended beyond the Stratos event, with the brand consistently posting adrenaline-fueled content, from dirt bike stunts to snowmobile tricks and the iconic Harlem Shake skydiving edition. This strategy catered to their niche yet diverse audience, predominantly comprised of high-energy young adults and teens with a penchant for motor sports, winter sports, skateboarding, and biking—an alignment that resonates with Red Bull’s overall brand identity.

Facebook and Twitter played pivotal roles in amplifying the Stratos narrative , each platform having its dedicated Stratos accounts. These platforms maintained a consistent target audience aligned with the broader Red Bull brand, primarily catering to males aged 18 to 34. The separation of Stratos accounts from the general Red Bull brand was strategically crucial, highlighting the campaign’s distinct mission: “Red Bull Stratos will attempt to make history and deliver valuable learnings for medical and scientific advancement that will aid the exploration of space in future years,” as articulated on its Facebook page. On Twitter, the slogan “Mission To The Edge of Space” underscored the campaign’s unique objective compared to Red Bull’s conventional “Gives You Wings” commercials.

The content shared on these platforms transcended the event itself, offering glimpses into the behind-the-scenes intricacies, interviews with Felix Baumgartner, and snapshots from Stratos museum exhibits. This multifaceted approach not only sustained engagement but also showcased the campaign’s commitment to transparency and its broader impact on medical and scientific advancement, cementing Red Bull Stratos as more than a marketing triumph—it was a cultural phenomenon that resonated across platforms, fostering a sense of community and anticipation for the next daring leap into the unknown.

Results of the campaign

The Red Bull Stratos campaign stands as a testament to the power of strategic social media engagement, with success concentrated in a condensed timeframe that encapsulated the days leading up to the jump, the jump itself, and the aftermath.

YouTube served as a significant battleground for Red Bull’s social media triumph. The campaign triggered a substantial surge in subscribers, with an average daily growth of 2,142 subscribers, as reported by Socialbakers. Notably, the day of the jump witnessed the most significant spike, attracting a staggering 87,801 new subscribers. This surge catapulted Red Bull’s YouTube channel to a total subscriber count of 10.5 million, showcasing the campaign’s profound impact on expanding the brand’s online community.

Red Bull YouTube Subs growth over the campaign period

On Facebook, Red Bull Stratos’ dedicated page experienced remarkable interactions on October 14, recording over 900,000 interactions and 83,000 shares . A standout post, illustrated in Figure 4, garnered nearly 460,000 likes, 18,000 comments, and 44,000 shares, solidifying its position as the most interacted-with post. Socialbakers’ analysis of reach and engagement suggested that this post could have reached tens of millions of people worldwide, underlining the campaign’s global resonance.

The Twitter front echoed the success seen on other platforms, with over 20,000 mentions in a two-day period . Crucially, the official Red Bull Twitter account did not experience a parallel surge, highlighting the distinctive impact of the Stratos account and its 127,000 followers specifically dedicated to the campaign.

The key to social media engagement lay in the campaign’s narrative specifics. Posts concerning the jump’s particulars, including delays, Felix Baumgartner’s preparation, and his safe landing, drew the highest levels of engagement across platforms. This nuanced approach to content creation not only capitalized on the audience’s anticipation but also cemented the Stratos campaign as a captivating success in the digital realm. In essence, Red Bull Stratos not only broke records in the stratosphere but also soared to new heights in the digital sphere, leaving an enduring mark on the brand’s online presence.

Concluding..

In the annals of marketing triumphs, the Red Bull Stratos campaign stands tall as a resounding success, achieving its scientific, marketing, and social media objectives with unparalleled flair. This endeavor, designed to break barriers and redefine the brand’s identity, emerged as a testament to Red Bull’s prowess beyond merely selling energy drinks.

The campaign not only shattered the sound barrier but also left a mark on social media records. With over 8 million simultaneous viewers and millions more engaging across various platforms, Red Bull Stratos set new standards in the digital realm. The event garnered coverage from 40 TV network stations and 130 digital outlets , while a single Facebook post reached over 2 million people within 40 minutes of Felix Baumgartner’s ground landing . Online conversations worldwide were dominated by Baumgartner, Red Bull, and the Stratos Mission, capturing 54% on Twitter, 26% on Facebook, 6% on blog sites, and 14% on other video platforms.

This triumphant campaign offers valuable lessons for future marketers and those embarking on social media endeavors. Firstly, the power of awe-inspiring and daring content cannot be understated. Red Bull’s ability to create and showcase something extraordinary captivated audiences globally. Moreover, the campaign demonstrated the importance of thinking outside the conventional marketing box, aligning brand values meticulously, and going beyond traditional advertising norms.

Harnessing the potential of social media was a pivotal strategy. Red Bull understood that in the age of interconnectedness, people yearn to be part of something significant. By leveraging popular hashtags like #livejump and #stratos, the brand ensured prolonged engagement, turning a one-time event into a lasting conversation. The campaign’s success also underscores the importance of proactively driving engagement, not merely waiting for it to happen organically. Red Bull took charge of the narrative, providing a platform for the public to discuss and share their experiences.

At the heart of it all was the content. Red Bull Stratos demonstrated the essence of effective social media campaigns — diverse, shareable, and creatively presented content. This campaign didn’t just reach for the stars; it went to the moon and back, leaving an enduring legacy that future marketers can draw inspiration from. In the intersection of daring feats, scientific breakthroughs, and digital dominance, Red Bull Stratos emerged not just as a campaign but as a cultural phenomenon, transcending expectations and setting a new benchmark for excellence in marketing and engagement.

Also Read: A Case Study on Budweiser: “Wassup?” Brand Campaign

To read more content like this, subscribe to our newsletter

The Rise and Fall of the Apple iCar: A $10 Billion Failure

A case study on the “got milk” campaign, a case study of doritos locos tacos campaign: taco bell & doritos co-branding.

Terms and Conditions

SUGGESTED TOPICS
The Magazine
Newsletters
Managing Yourself
Managing Teams
Work-life Balance
The Big Idea
Data & Visuals
Reading Lists
Case Selections
HBR Learning
Topic Feeds
Account Settings
Email Preferences

How Red Bull Creates Brand Buzz

David Aaker

The value of creative, edgy, and on-brand sponsorships.

On Sunday October 14, Felix Baumgartner rose more than 24 miles above the New Mexico desert in the 55-story ultra-thin helium “ Red Bull Stratos ” balloon, jumped off, and reached 830 mph during a 9 minute fall, setting records for both the height of the jump and the speed of descent. It was a Red Bull event and about 8 million of us watched it as it was happening. The post-event pictures on Facebook got nearly 216,000 likes and 30,000 shares in less than 40 minutes, and another 32 million-plus have seen the YouTube account since.

DA David Aaker is Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley and the vice chairman of Prophet

Partner Center

Sprinklr Service

Sprinklr Social

Works Best With

Sprinklr Insights

Sprinklr Marketing

Marketing Teams

Customer Service Teams

Unified-CXM
Customers Customer Stories Sprinklr Champions Sprinklr Community
Company Our Story Leadership Newsroom Partners Careers Culture & Talent Investor Relations Security & Data Privacy Sustainability
Resources Learn Services Support CX-WISE Podcast Analyst Reports Product Demo Days eBooks & Reports Events & Webinars Blog Unified-CXM Guide Our Services Training For Agencies Help Center Release Notes Contact Us
Platform & Technology
Customer Service
Marketing & Advertising
Research & Insights
Social Media Management
Customer Stories
Announcements
Culture & Talent

7 Social Insights from the Red Bull Stratos Marketing Campaign

January 19, 2021 • 6 min read

Share this Article

To understand Red Bull Stratos we must acknowledge that at its core this whole experiment was a commercial endeavor. The real objective was to make every person in the world love Red Bull. Only time will tell if Red Bull sales increase commensurate to the Red Bull Stratos marketing spectacle, but we can already see the brand impact of this campaign using the big data processing power of our Social Performance and Campaign Performance Monitor tools .

The answer is that this Red Bull marketing campaign was not only unprecedented scientifically, it was also unprecedented from a brand marketing perspective. Red Bull Stratos is the clearest example we’ve ever seen of the new wave of advocacy driven brand marketing that we call Engagement@Scale. Here is what we learned from Red Bull’s marketing campaign:

Download the guide for conquering the sprinklr marketing landscape

There has never been a social marketing campaign like Stratos

Stratos campaign engagement transcends ‘plus 1’ or ‘like’, red bull stratos’ brand impact was priceless, social marketing campaign conclusion.

Our Social Performance and Campaign Monitor tools are built upon the most cutting edge big data technology in the world. They simultaneously track the activity of 30,000 brands and 100,000,000 social accounts across every major social platform every 15 minutes every day, but the level of activity associated with this campaign exceeded anything we’ve ever seen. From a vanity metric perspective alone, the campaign was astounding:

Fact 1: 2,000,000 unique consumer actions

There were more than 2,000,000 specifically identifiable consumer actions associated with Red Bull Stratos. Half of those actions (1,000,000 unique consumer actions!) occurred on the day of the jump.

Fact 2: 1,000,000 distinct Stratos participants

1,000,000 distinct user accounts contributed to the social conversation surrounding Red Bull Stratos. If you subscribe to the traditional model that for every 1 person creating content, there are 90 more lurking around and reading it, that suggests an audience of at least 90,000,000 following the campaign.

Fact 3: 2,000,000 new subscribers acquired

2,000,000 new accounts subscribed for Red Bull updates across all brand presences in the space of 15 days. These are engaged and interested subscribers, not ones acquired through display advertising or by gating a piece of content, and are a high quality audience that Red Bull can now directly interact with for months and years to come.

There were huge amounts of activity associated with Red Bull Stratos, but more importantly that activity indicated a high level of quality engagement that is quite unusual. Frequently, marketing campaigns are dominated by simple ‘likes’ or neutral commentary from the masses, but Red Bull Stratos was unequivocally positive and elicited meaningful interaction from people around the world.

Fact 4: 820,000 pieces of extremely positive content created

82% of the peak consumer activity associated with Red Bull was unequivocally positive (what we call ‘very positive signal’). On a base of 1,000,000 consumer actions that means there were approximately 820,000 pieces of Red Bull related consumer media that were unequivocally positive. To provide some context on this number in the exact same time period the next best performer was Starbucks with approximately 25% very positive signal.

Fact 5: 400% increase over average length of consumer engagement

Consumer posts and updates created throughout Stratos were not only positive, but they increased in length by more than 400% from standard engagement and only got longer over time. Length of a consumer generated post is a proxy for time and interest in a topic, so this kind of increase is a huge indicator for the depth of engagement within the Stratos audience. People were not just hitting the retweet or like button on status updates. They were actively participating in the world’s largest watercooler conversation.

Fact 6: 50,000 distinct links shared

Red Bull’s marketing stunt remained at the heart of the discussion from start to finish. Dachis Group tracked more than 50,000 distinct links shared in the context of the Stratos campaign. But every one of the top 10 pointed to a Red Bull or Red Bull Stratos digital channel. This is a marketers dream. Stratos didn’t just feature Felix Baumgartner and a fall through the sky, it featured Red Bull branding in the context of nearly every comment or interaction at a massive scale.

The most powerful form of brand marketing is trusted consumer generated messaging. By this measure, Red Bull Stratos established new highs for brand marketing in every way.

Fact 7: 61,634,000 trusted impressions generated

Stratos conversation generated more than 61,634,000 likely impressions across social channels. That means Red Bull garnered more than 60 million instances of peer-validated earned media through social as a result of Stratos.

Marketing has transitioned from a world of broadcast marketing to a world of peer to peer interaction. The future of brand marketing in digital and mobile channels is driven by trusted brand-related engagement (advocacy). Advocacy platforms are now the best way to create purchase intent for brand marketers. The challenge has been to generate advocacy in a scalable way since you can’t just throw money at the problem like you can with broadcast advertising.

Through this lens Red Bull has done something remarkable with Stratos. They’ve created a mass advocacy campaign built on top of more than 60 million trusted consumer impressions – 82% of which were unequivocally positive. It is impossible to achieve this goal with a television advertisement or any other broadcast medium. You can buy impressions, but you can’t buy trust. No company has ever triggered brand advocacy at this scale and short of a similar flawlessly executed spectacle on this scale, it’s unclear that it will ever happen again. In that sense, Red Bull Stratos was a priceless brand experience that will almost certainly impact Red Bull’s business performance in a significant way.

Campaign and Case Study Methodology:

At Dachis Group, we focus on brand outcomes because we know that earned media generated online has a real impact on purchase intent and purchase incidence. Our Social Business Index tracks 30,0000 of the worlds largest brands across more than 100,000,000 social accounts and captures all consumer activity associated with those accounts. In addition, our campaign performance and media monitoring tool can identify interactions that occur around brand generated content or brand-related topics. As a result we have access to a clean, brand-oriented data set that tells us the real brand impact of social marketing campaigns.

This post was authored using data provided by Ray Renteria from Dachis Group’s Social Business Intelligence platform.

Get the Sprinklr Marketing Strategic Handbook

Uncovering The Red Bull Marketing Strategy – A Case Study

Supti Nandi

January 17, 2024

In the world of energy drinks, the first name that pops into your head is “Red Bull”! Isn’t it? Why? Due to the tagline- “Red Bull gives you wings.” That’s where Red Bull marketing strategy comes into play.

By the way, don’t you wonder how Red Bull became synonymous with energy drinks? Afterall, the formula of energy drinks of all brands is more or less the same.

Just like I wrote above- effective brains of Red Bull marketing strategy includes revolutionary ad campaigns, it successfully created a strong brand identity.

So strong the brand’s name has become that it won over millions of admirers and maintained a loyal customer base!

Now here comes the intriguing part- What exactly did Red Bull do in marketing that it became a rising star straight away from Austria?

That’s what we will uncover in this write-up. Stay tuned!

(A) Red Bull Marketing Strategy: A Brief Overview

As you all know, Red Bull is a multinational energy drink company that has been able to dominate the energy drink industry with its unique marketing strategies.

Before diving into the details, let me give you a summary of the key aspects of Red Bull Marketing Strategy-

In the next sections, we will dive into some crucial facts on Red Bull Marketing Strategy.

(B) What is the unique selling point (USP) of Red Bull?

The unique selling point of Red Bull is its powerful and swaying slogan- “Red Bull gives you wings.” This slogan represents the idea of the energy drink brand that once you consume it, your performance will drastically improve with the energy provided in the drink. Thereby, you can achieve your goals.

Sounds interesting! Isn’t it?

This is quite similar to the motivation factor. As it is said you act the way you feel. So, irrespective of the secret formula of the drink, if you strongly believe that an energy drink will improve your performance, then by consuming it your performance will automatically improve. And the caffeine content plays its part as well to increase your metabolism that’s crucial for any physical activity or thrilling adventure.

The secret lies in your hormones i.e. Adrenaline (Fight or Flight hormone). So yes, apart from the caffeine and other nutritional content of the drink, the tagline is equally important to win the heart of the consumers.

That’s how the tagline as well as its formula (Caffeine, vitamins, etc.) are the unique selling point of Red Bull.

(C) Who is Red Bull’s target audience?

If you randomly or carefully observe the ad campaigns of Red Bull, then you will see that the brand mostly associates itself with sports activities and thrillers.

Red Bull’s target audience is predominantly young and adventure-seeking individuals in the age group of 18-34 years old. It ecompasses both male and female demographics. Hence, it tailors its events and marketing strategies specifically with this target audience in mind.

In short, Red Bull aims to appeal to consumers with a strong appetite for high-risk activities and experiences.

(D) What/Who is Red Bull’s Biggest Sponsor?

Red Bull’s biggest sponsor is Oracle. Recently, they announced a new deal. Guess what? This is reportedly the biggest sponsorship deal ever in Formula 1.

This partnership represents a significant investment, showcasing the value that brands see in connecting with high-profile sports teams such as Red Bull Racing.

To the uninitiated, let me tell you, Oracle is an American multinational computer technology corporation that had already sponsored in 2021. Later, it increased its involvement to become the primary partner of Red Bull.

The fact that was more surprising to folks was- Oracle not only provided financial support but also contributed significantly to Red Bull.

Additionally, according to GlobalData’s report, the highest-spending sponsor brands for Red Bull Racing include Oracle, Bybit, Honda, ExxonMobil, and Tag Heuer.

(E) Who is Red Bull’s Biggest Competitor?

Red Bull faces competition from several major players in the energy drink and beverage industry. Some of its key competitors are-

Monster Drink
Rockstar Energy

So, the biggest competitor of Red Bull is Monster Drink. Let me give you another surprise! We have thrown a detailed comparison analysis on Red Bull vs Monster Drink . We have compared various aspects of both the energy drinks like content formula, business perspective, market dominance, etc.

So quickly check out the article “ Red Bull vs Monster Drink .”

Some other players competing with Red Bull in the beverage industry are-

As per some reports , Monster drink is expected to dominate the energy drinks sector, but it continues to face competition from Red Bull.

(F) 4Ps of Red Bull Marketing Strategy

Red Bull marketing strategy is all about creating exciting experiences that connect with its target audience, even if they’re not into energy drinks. They’ve done some eye-catchy things like sponsoring extreme sports, making viral videos, and even starting a record label.

All of this is to bring their slogan, “RedBull Gives You Wings,” to life and make a strong emotional bond with their customers.

Now, let’s break down their marketing mix strategy involving 4 Ps-

(F.1) Product

Unique Features: Red Bull stands out for its unique flavor, high caffeine content, and energizing effects.
Ingredients: In addition to the typical nutritional information, Red Bull contains taurine, an amino acid known for boosting antioxidant activity in the body.
Packaging: The distinctive packaging, featuring two bulls facing each other with red and orange colors, aims to evoke passion, aggression, and action, contributing to the brand’s image.

(F.2) Price

Target Audience: Red Bull aims at young individuals aged 15 to 35, focusing on values like energy, power, and fun. This age group is ready to pay the price for anything that offers the best value of money. Hence, Red Bull effectively utilized this golden opportunity.
Quality Perception: the pricing strategy implies that Red Bull customers prioritize the quality of the product over its cost.
Premium Reputation: The cost aligns with the premium reputation of the beveragem reinforcing the idea that the product is worth its price.

(F.3) Place

Distribution Channels: Red Bull is available in various places, including supermarkets, bars, online, cafeterias, hotels, etc.
Global Presence: The product is sold in 171 different countries, showcasing a broad international presence.
Sponsorship and Universe Creation: Beyond distribution, Red Bull has created a universe of sponsorship, participating in events and activities that align with its brand image.

(F.4) Promotion

Unique Marketing Approaches: Red Bull is known for its unconventional marketing strategies, such as sponsoring extreme sports events, creating viral videos, and even establishing a record label.
Iconic Slogan: The slogan “Red Bull Gives You Wings” has been a consistent and iconic part of their promotional efforts since 1987, symbolizing the energy and confidence the brand provides.
Versatility of Slogan Usage: The slogan is used across various promotional mediums, from advertisements to merchandise, making it instantly recognizable and closely associated with the brand.

In short, Red Bull’s marketing mix strategy combines a unique product offering with strategic pricing, extensive distribution, and innovative promotion to create a strong and distinctive brand identity in the energy drink market.

(G) Unlocking Red Bull’s Advertising Strategies

Red Bull goes big when it comes to advertising, pouring in millions to ensure their products stay in the minds of consumers. Let’s explore the key elements that make their advertising strategy a soaring success.

(G.1) Maximizing the Potential of their Slogan

At the heart of Red Bull’s messaging is their powerful tagline, “Red Bull Gives You Wiiings.” This slogan isn’t just catchy; it’s a declaration that their drink provides the energy and power needed to chase dreams. It’s more than a tagline; it’s a promise. Do you know they had to change the spelling of “wings” to “wiiings” due to a controversy?

(G.2) Maintaining Consistent Visual Branding

Red Bull’s success isn’t just about words; it’s also about visuals. Their vibrant colors, distinctive logo, and visually striking content convey the message: “We give people the energy to do anything.” From warm hues to fascinating experiments, their visual identity is as energetic as their product.

(G.3) Developing a Strong Core of Content

Red Bull’s content is a powerhouse covering extreme sports, festivals, and the fast-paced lifestyle their product embodies. From heart-pounding sports to music, art, dance, and nightlife, Red Bull’s content is a dynamic mix that appeals to a diverse audience, making it accessible to everyone.

(G.4) Social Media Mastery

Red Bull dominates on social media, especially on platforms like Facebook. Their page is a visual feast, featuring artistic videos with stunning visuals, music from their record label, and coverage of sports and events that resonate with their audience. It’s not just marketing; it’s an experience.

(G.5) Sponsorships and Events

Key to Red Bull’s strategy is their dynamic sponsorship and event initiatives. Whether it’s jaw-dropping publicity stunts, events they create, or sponsorship of other high-energy experiences, Red Bull doesn’t just advertise; they immerse themselves in the scenes their audience loves.

(G.6) Student Marketer Program

Red Bull stands out with its Wings Team, a unique student marketeer program. Instead of just using students as ambassadors, Red Bull lets them actively contribute to their marketing efforts. It’s a dynamic approach that sets them apart from the crowd.

(G.7) Advertising Budget Soars to New Heights

In 2020, Red Bull flexed its financial muscle with a sponsoring and advertising budget of around 1.6 billion euros. This hefty investment primarily fueled their involvement in extreme sports events globally. From premium ad units to a multi-format approach (digital, print, and national TV), Red Bull strategically allocates its budget for maximum impact.

In a world where energy is everything, Red Bull doesn’t just sell a drink; it sells a lifestyle, and their advertising strategy is the wind beneath their wings.

(H) Uncovering the secrets of Red Bull Marketing Strategy

Red Bull has soared to new heights not just with its energy drinks but also through groundbreaking campaigns that have left an indelible mark on marketing history.

(H.1) Stratos Campaign: Touching the Skies, Inspiring the Masses

Stratos Campaign of Red Bull Marketing Strategy

The “Red Bull Stratos” campaign wasn’t just iconic; it was a historic leap. Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner’s dive from near-space, 23 miles above the Earth, captivated the world. This extraordinary display of human achievement, funded and orchestrated by Red Bull, generated massive media attention and estimated coverage worth millions of dollars.

(H.2) Red Bull Racing: Racing into New Horizons

The success of the “Red Bull Racing” campaign not only thrilled fans but also propelled the brand into new markets. This venture showcased Red Bull’s ability to combine adrenaline-pumping content with effective marketing, expanding its reach and fan base.

(H.3) Social Media Marvels: Building Bridges with Fans

In the digital realm, Red Bull has crafted effective social media campaigns, leveraging the power of influencers to create emotional connections with their audience. This modern approach has played a pivotal role in keeping the brand relevant and engaging with its customers.

(H.4) Red Bull Gives You Wings: A Slogan That Soars

The iconic slogan, “Red Bull Gives You Wings,” has been more than just words; it’s become synonymous with the brand. From advertisements to merchandise and even on the can itself, the slogan has become a powerful tool, instantly recognizable to millions globally, contributing significantly to the brand’s success.

(H.5) Extreme Sports Fusion: Beyond the Drink

While Red Bull may sell energy drinks, its marketing strategy extends far beyond mere beverage sales. The founder strategically associated the brand with extreme sports events, creating a unique identity that sets Red Bull apart in the market.

(H.6) Diverse Event Engagement: Sports, Music, and More

Red Bull’s involvement in various sports like soccer and ice hockey is diverse, but the spotlight remains on extreme sports. The company strategically places emphasis on events that align with its high-energy brand image.

(H.7) Guerrilla Marketing: Creating a Buzz

Understanding the power of popularity, Red Bull implemented guerrilla marketing, strategically placing empty cans to create the impression that everyone was consuming their drink. This unconventional approach proved successful, adding another layer to Red Bull’s innovative marketing strategies.

That’s how, Red Bull’s global marketing strategy doesn’t just sell a drink; it taps into the emotions that move people. With a blend of groundbreaking campaigns, iconic slogans, and a strategic presence in various realms, Red Bull has established itself as a dynamic force in the world of marketing.

(I) Unveiling the Experimental Marketing Strategy of Red Bull

Red Bull has not only conquered the energy drink market but has also soared high in the realm of experiential marketing. Let’s unravel the unique strategies that have allowed Red Bull to connect deeply with its audience through events.

(I.1) Flugtag Race: Soaring Beyond Limits

Participating in events like the Flugtag Race, Red Bull demonstrates its prowess in connecting storytelling, brand building, and customer experiences. The company seamlessly engages consumers while promoting its brand identity, fostering a connection that goes beyond just selling a product.

Events like these contribute to Red Bull’s loyal customer base and position it as a leader in the competitive energy drink market.

(J) Red Bull’s Digital Symphony: Crafting Immersive Journeys Online

Red Bull doesn’t just stop at physical events; it extends its reach through a dynamic digital marketing strategy, creating engaging experiences for its audience across various online platforms.

(J.1) Targeting the Right Crowd: Young, Active, and Adventurous

The key to Red Bull’s digital success lies in understanding its audience. The brand focuses on young, active individuals with a penchant for extreme sports and adventure. By tailoring their digital content to this demographic, Red Bull ensures that it resonates deeply with the very consumers it aims to capture.

(J.2) Soaring and Eye-Catchy Content: Videos, Articles, and Social Media Adventures

Red Bull’s digital content is not just about pushing products; it’s about creating an immersive experience. From thrilling videos to insightful articles and engaging social media posts, the content features extreme sports athletes and events sponsored by Red Bull. This strategic blend ensures that the brand remains not just a beverage but a lifestyle choice for its audience.

(K) What Red Bull Marketing Strategy Teaches Us?

Red Bull’s marketing plan sparks debates globally, even among those who may not sip their energy drinks. The brand’s omnipresence, from our refrigerators to outer space, demonstrates that an unconventional approach to marketing can create a universal impact.

In essence, Red Bull teaches us that marketing isn’t just about selling a product; it’s about crafting experiences that resonate with the audience, be it through heart-pounding events or immersive digital journeys. The brand has truly mastered the art of not just being a drink but a lifestyle choice for its diverse and devoted consumer base.

(L) Why is Red Bull so successful?

Red Bull’s unparalleled success can be attributed to its masterful blend of experiential marketing, digital prowess, and a brand identity that transcends mere energy drinks. The brand’s commitment to crafting unforgettable experiences through events like the Flugtag Race establishes a genuine connection with consumers, fostering brand loyalty.

In the digital realm, Red Bull goes beyond conventional marketing, engaging its target audience of young, adventurous individuals through captivating content on social media, websites, and mobile apps. The iconic slogan, “Red Bull Gives You Wings,” isn’t just a tagline – it’s a symbol of empowerment and a key factor in the brand’s global recognition. Red Bull’s diverse involvement in extreme sports, music, and various events ensures a broad appeal, making it more than just a beverage but a lifestyle.

In essence, Red Bull’s success lies in its ability to create a brand experience that extends far beyond the confines of a can, resonating with a diverse and enthusiastic audience worldwide!

(M) Wrapping Up Red Bull Marketing Strategy

Red Bull marketing strategy is a case study in successful brand promotion. The company maintains a strong focus on interpreting the products’ relevance to the target customers at a local level, allowing room for growth and adaptability. Red Bull also prioritizes raising brand awareness through various channels and ensuring that all content accurately reflects the brand’s identity. Their marketing efforts have been found to be highly effective in influencing young consumers’ behaviors, as highlighted by a study conducted by the University of Leeds.

Ultimately, Red Bull’s success story demonstrates how an effective marketing strategy can propel a brand to international recognition!

Contact Info: Axponent Media Pvt Ltd, 706-707 , 7th Floor Tower A , Iris Tech Park, Sector 48, Sohna Road, Gurugram, India, Pin - 122018

Never-before-seen images and perspectives commemorate the legacy of Red Bull Stratos and Felix Baumgartner.

Stratos by the numbers: the key stats behind Felix Baumgartner’s space jump

Felix Baumgartner

Red Bull Stratos (2012) Campaign Case Study

Maximum Impact
September 28, 2023

The Red Bull Stratos project, which took place in 2012, was a groundbreaking and widely publicized mission that featured Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner attempting a record-breaking freefall from the stratosphere. This case study examines the key elements of the Red Bull Stratos project and its impact on the Red Bull brand.

The primary objective of the Red Bull Stratos project was to break multiple records, including the highest freefall jump, the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall, and the highest manned balloon flight.

Key Elements of the Campaign:

Partnership with Felix Baumgartner : Red Bull collaborated with Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, known for his daring feats, to undertake the mission. This partnership added credibility and excitement to the project.

High-Quality Content Creation : The entire mission, from preparation to the jump itself, was documented with high-quality video and photography. This content was used for promotional purposes and played a crucial role in engaging the audience.

Live Streaming : The jump was live-streamed on the internet, allowing millions of people around the world to witness the event in real-time. The live stream was made available on YouTube, Red Bull’s website, and various media outlets.

Social Media Engagement : Red Bull engaged with its audience through various social media platforms, providing updates, behind-the-scenes content, and opportunities for interaction. This helped build excitement and anticipation.

Public Relations : Red Bull employed a strategic public relations campaign to generate media coverage and interest in the event. Major news outlets covered the story extensively.

Branding Integration : Red Bull’s branding was prominently featured on Baumgartner’s suit, the capsule, and the balloon. This ensured that the Red Bull logo was visible throughout the event.

Results and Impact:

1. Live Streaming Audience :

Over 8 million concurrent viewers on YouTube during the live stream.
This made it one of the most-watched live events in YouTube’s history.

2. Online Engagement :

The live stream generated more than 52 million views on YouTube within the first 24 hours.
Red Bull’s website also received millions of visits, with viewers accessing additional content and information about the mission.

3. Social Media Impact :

The mission generated massive engagement on social media platforms, with millions of mentions and discussions.
Red Bull’s social media channels experienced significant growth in followers and engagement during the campaign.

4. PR and Media Coverage :

The event received extensive coverage in major news outlets and media worldwide.
It was featured in newspapers, magazines, television news, and online media, resulting in millions of media impressions.

5. Brand Visibility :

Red Bull’s branding was prominently featured on Felix Baumgartner’s suit, the capsule, and the balloon.
This ensured that the Red Bull logo was visible throughout the event, reinforcing brand association with extreme sports and adventure.

6. Cultural Impact :

The Red Bull Stratos project became a cultural sensation, sparking discussions about human achievement, science, and exploration.
It was referenced in various forms of media and became a topic of conversation globally.

7. YouTube Records :

The live stream set a record for the highest concurrent views on YouTube.
The jump also led to increased subscriptions and viewership on Red Bull’s YouTube channel.

8. Long-Term Branding :

The project strengthened Red Bull’s position as a brand associated with extreme sports and pushing the limits of human potential.
It solidified Red Bull’s reputation as a company that supports daring and adventurous endeavors.

In conclusion, the Red Bull Stratos project was a remarkable example of experiential marketing and content-driven digital marketing. It showcased how a brand could leverage a daring and record-breaking event to engage a massive global audience, strengthen brand identity, and create a lasting cultural impact. It remains a benchmark for successful brand activation and marketing through extraordinary feats.

Blog Categories

Digital Marketing
Business Development
Artificial Intelligence
Digital Reputation
Content Marketing
Digital Trends

Pepsi Challenge Marketing Case Study

Nike’s “Just Do It” (1988) Marketing Campaign Case Study

Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign Case Study

A Deep Dive into Red Bull Marketing Strategy and How it Dominates the Energy Drink Industry

Learn how the red bull marketing strategy helps the brand in selling billions of drinks annually and dominate the energy drink industry.

overview#goto" data-overview-topic-param="title">Redbull Marketing Strategy
overview#goto" data-overview-topic-param="how">How does Redbull do it?
overview#goto" data-overview-topic-param="what">What’s it worth?
overview#goto" data-overview-topic-param="lesson">Lessons from redbull

People think of extreme sports when they hear of Red Bull, a multinational energy drink company. This idea also flows seamlessly with its famous tagline, "Red Bull gives you wings."

Although you won’t actually fly after sipping Red Bull, the brand positions its products to help consumers push beyond their limits. And Red Bull itself goes above and beyond in its business processes, especially marketing. The Red Bull marketing strategy incorporates extreme sports sponsorship, advertising, Guerrilla marketing, and more.

We have witnessed the result of this power-packed strategy as the company has the largest market share in the energy drink industry. Additionally, the company secured over $1.5 billion in sales revenue in the US alone.

Want to know how Red Bull Marketing Strategy contributed to this sales success? Tag along to find out!

An Intro to Red Bull Marketing Strategy

Red Bull, the brainchild of Dietrich Mateschitz, came to life in 1987. This invention created a whole new product category–energy drinks. This fell in line with the brand's first product launch in Austria.

Since then the energy drink powerhouse has promoted several events and commercials, which have been received with ground-breaking publicity. This has brought in millions of loyal fans. And the world continues to get more awe-inspiring moments via the Red Bull marketing strategy.

Now, anyone with an internet connection can catch the next Red Bull-sponsored event virtually. However, it wasn’t so easy in its early days. There was no social media, engaging customers was definitely a challenge

Despite these obstacles, Red Bull powered through and deployed traditional marketing methods. For instance, the company had its first cartoon commercial in 1992. Red Bull has since gone past this, expanding brand awareness via a full-fledged marketing strategy.

Red Bull Marketing: Going the Unconventional Route

"Red Bull gives you wings," the company’s brand message is at the core of its marketing strategy. This propagates a high-energy philosophy. The caffeine powerhouse delivers this via extreme sports sponsorship, influencer marketing, and publicity from the press. But first, it needs a target audience.

Red Bull focuses on adrenaline enthusiasts – particularly college students and bee-busy employees. The age range for this focused demographic is 18-34 years. However, all in all, Red Bull's primary target audience are consumers with a large appetite for high-risk events.

Building Brand Awareness in the Target Market.

Brand awareness refers to the degree of familiarity a brand's target audience has with its product, name, or service. Red Bull propagates brand awareness via:

Event sponsorship

Red Bull reaches its target audience at strategic locations and avenues. This includes film events, music festivals, and sport meets. For instance, it is famous for driving publicity in extreme sports like Formula One and cliff diving.

Many young people enjoy these action sports; serving as an opportunity for Red Bull to promote its products. For example, during the Red Bull Air Race in Detroit, the caffeine powerhouse flooded the event with its logo. Models also handed out its energy drinks to fans, to refuel for the intense flight action.

Red Bull has sponsored over 500 high-risk sports, enshrining it as a world-class brand in the extreme sports niche. Additionally, Red Bull also has its own sports teams in football, auto racing, ice hockey, and several other sports.

A Unique Company Project.

Brands often utilize marketing solely as a tool for boosting product sales. However, Red Bull deploys marketing to set records in other avenues apart from sales. A notable example would be its 'Red Bull Startos' mission.

Felix Baumgartner, a famous skydiver, was thrust to the edge of space, to prepare for a jump- from a height of 38,600 km. Felix had the world glued on him as millions watched the event live on YouTube.

Although deemed impossible, the successful space jump landed three official world records- proving that a human in free fall can beat the speed of sound.

Furthermore, the daredevil stunt required advanced tech equipment, contributing to innovations in future aerospace programs. The project cost $30 million. However, this huge investment paid off, as it pushed in over $500 million in product sales for the energy drink giant.

Consistent Branding.

A key feature in the Red Bull marketing strategy is its consistent and powerful branding. Since 1997, the company has maintained its famous household slogan, "Red Bull gives you wings."

Although it faced a $13 million lawsuit as a consequence, Red Bull still stuck true to its unique tagline. The company logo consists of two red bulls ready to lock horns and a yellow sun in the background. This embodies their brand identity- presenting power, fearlessness, and perseverance.

Another contributing factor to Red Bull’s consistent brand success is its viral and highly shareable content. It focuses heavily on video and blog content displayed on its website homepage. This engaging content keeps the audience in the loop of its recent activities.

Marketing Mix

Red Bull marketing strategy contains the marketing mix (product, pricing, place, and promotion). This helps the energy drink giant gain a competitive advantage in the market while improving brand growth.

Here’s a breakdown of the marketing mix:

Red Bull energy drinks mix a fine blend of ingredients to revitalize the body and mind. For instance, its primary energy drink product contains caffeine, taurine, vitamins, sugar, and water. The company also rolls out edition flavors and sugar-free drinks.

Consumers can soothe their taste with watermelon, dragon fruit, coconut, and blueberry flavors. Additionally, it also has drink that contains zero sugar. This is suitable for customers that are dieting or who don’t have a sweet tooth but want to keep an athletic performance.

Another unique feature of the Red Bull product message is its sustainability mantra. The brand dedicates a special edition to promote awareness about maintaining a sustainable environment.

Red Bull marketing strategy also factors in premium pricing for its products. It charges extra compared to the price of competitors like Rockstar and Monster. This premium approach originates from its dominant position in the energy drink market. And its ability to consistently serve high-quality products.

Red Bull’s premium pricing pours in financial benefits for the company- as it can secure a higher profit margin on product sales. It improves brand perception, as customers begin classifying Red Bull energy drinks as prestigious products.

Red Bull marketing strategy also taps into pricing to gain a competitive advantage. This naturally occurs as consumers evaluate product quality based on price, and tend to pay more for high-value products.

This marketing mix is effective for helping brands bring their merchandise to consumers. It utilizes distribution and location to ensure products are available where and when needed.

The brand utilizes the intensive place strategy, making its energy drinks within an arms reach in many locations. An effective location strategy helps Red Bull reach existing and potential customers via diverse distribution channels.

Red Bull stampedes the location of its target audience, such as restaurants, supermarkets, and nightclubs. This allows consumers to refuel their energy with a powered-packed can of caffeine. The energy drink giant has its products available in over 171 countries worldwide.

Red Bull advertising and promotional efforts focus on extreme sports sponsorship. This includes skating, windsurfing, Formula one, and mountain biking. The company invests heavily in these activities to elevate brand awareness.

For instance, the aforementioned mission 'Red Bull Stratos'. The company poured in $30 million into this successful project and landed $500 million in sales.

Furthermore, the energy drink giant keeps fans in touch with its trendy activities via Red Bull TV app. You can now enjoy Red Bull live events, shows, and films on the go. The app is readily available on different devices, including smartphones and laptops.

Partnerships are also relevant ingredients of Red Bull marketing strategy. In 2016, it partnered with GoPro, a tech company. This was to put fans on the field of action as they could now experience live events delivered by point-of-viewing imaging technology.

Two Impactful Customer-Centric Marketing Approach

Red Bull marketing utilizes content and Guerilla marketing in addition to its marketing mix and brand-building approach. Here’s how the caffeine powerhouse applies these strategies:

Content marketing

Red Bull consistently serves content that powers engagement with its target audience. The company engages with its social media followers on a personal level. For instance, it hosted a Q&A session with Felix Baumgartner.

This allowed people to connect with the Austrian daredevil on a personal level. Red Bull also shares memes and teasers that young internet users can relate to easily.

YouTube is another valuable content delivery channel for Red Bull. It has about 6,000 videos on the platform, with its space jump video receiving over two million likes and 120 million views.

Red Bull is a multinational brand serving content that resonates with people from different demographics. It does this effectively by promoting music festivals in different regions.

Guerilla marketing

Red Bull marketing strategy centers around its target audience. The brand takes its customer-centric approach further via the student ambassadorship program.

This provides students the opportunity to market Red Bull energy drinks. They would represent the brand during events like college sporting events and collaborate with the sales team.

The iconic 'mini' - the Red Bull advertisement car, is available to student ambassadors. This is another significant brand promotion vehicle as ambassadors use it to travel within and outside campus.

Red Bull Marketing Strategy: Success By the Numbers

In 2021, the energy drink industry had a global market size of approximately $86.35 billion. Considering the US energy drink sector, this figure lands at $28.25 billion. This is more than 25 percent of the global market

Red Bull stands as the world's leading energy drink brand. It holds about 23 percent market share for its primary product alone. Here’s a highlight of the top five energy drink companies by market share:

Red Bull (23.3 percent)
Monster Energy (23.2 percent)
Bang Energy (8.6 percent)
Red Bull Sugar-Free (6.3 percent)
Red Bull Summer Edition (4.3 percent)

Although Red Bull dominates the caffeine industry, Monster Energy is a fierce competitor. In 2021, it only took the lead by 0.01 percent. There are also other brands like Bang Energy, gaining ground in the industry.

But Red Bull marketing strategy has powered it to the top of the list, and the brand doesn’t seem to hit the brakes anytime soon.

Mini Take-away from Red Bull Marketing Strategy

A crucial question that keeps many startup founders or entrepreneurs thinking is "how do I sell my products?" When you consider the over 800 unicorn startups –sales and marketing become top business priorities.

Afterall, they often go all the way to buildd fantastic products and communities. Understanding how to implement a result-driven marketing strategy can significantly improve product sales.

Here are five valuable lessons from Red Bull marketing strategy for your startup/business growth:

Impactful marketing delivers "help" while "selling."

Red Bull positions its product to empower consumers to push beyond their limits. To naturally improve sales, buildd products or services that are solutions to a consumer pain point.

Buildd a distribution engine.

Having a great solution that is not readily accessible can impact sales. Fix this with a well-structured channel for delivering their solutions to customers.

Deploy marketing before launching products.

This helps buildd awareness and raises anticipation about your product-in-development. Also, you would generate leads that can convert to paying customers.

Communities drive a successful product launch.

Building a flourishing community is a valuable avenue to promote your products. Members can relate to your brand and would actively advocate for new products you roll out.

Buildd human connections on social media.

People want to engage with humans, not ads. Create avenues like Q&A sessions where your audience can interact with you directly. This way, you can better understand their needs and align your products to meet them.

Customers do powerful marketing.

Having customers promote your brand naturally fetches your business more leads. They deploy word-of-mouth marketing, which naturally drives product awareness, saving you marketing or advertising costs.

Red Bull marketing strategy undoubtedly delivers impressive results. You should consider incorporating it into your business and other marketing tools like SEO. Begin with the simplest introduction to SEO on the internet.

popover#mouseOver mouseout->popover#mouseOut" data-popover-translate-x="-25%" , data-popover-translate-y="-220%"> Copy link
bottom-bar#toggleTagsSection"> popover#mouseOver mouseout->popover#mouseOut" data-popover-translate-x="-25%" , data-popover-translate-y="-220%"> Copy Link
bottom-bar#toggleTagsSection">

Test your knowledge through a fun quiz!

"Must read for every entrepreneur"

"The best part is it's written by real entrepreneurs"

"My favorite newsletter on the web"

You'll love these articles too!

Co-founder at Flexiple, buildd & Remote Tools ($3 million revenue, bootstrapped)

Airbnb Marketing Strategy: How Airbnb grew from 0 to 1 billion bookings!

Let's learn about the marketing strategies that Airbnb used to acquire users and pull off a $100 billion IPO.

Dunkin Donut Marketing Strategy: A Recipe for Attracting Over 3 Million Customers Daily

Learn how Dunkin Donut Marketing Strategy helps the brand effectively serve millions of customers globally

Co-founder & CEO at Flexiple ($3mn+ revenue, bootstrapped) & buildd.co | Helping Startup...

Tesla marketing strategy - How Tesla advertising runs on a $0 budget

Tesla holds the flag high regarding customer-centric marketing. Learn how the EV giant does this with a $0 budget

Check out these founder stories!

James Jebbia is the Founder of Supreme, a popular skateboarding and clothing store.

James Jebbia

The Ultimate Red Bull Marketing Strategy Study

Table of contents.

Red Bull has grown from a simple energy drink manufacturer to one of the most recognized brands in the world. It has become synonymous with sports, extreme performance, and victory. Red Bull is the extreme athlete of marketing, literally and figuratively.

A few key statistics and facts about Red Bull:

Number of Red Bull cans sold worldwide in 2022: 11.582 billion
Revenue of €9.68 billion
Red Bull's marketing budget for 2022 is estimated to be €2,9 billion (it is rumored to be around 25-30% of the yearly revenue)
Red Bull sponsors athletes in 73 countries around the world .
Number of employees in 2022: 15,779
The logo is a breed of cattle called gaur.

Red Bull History

Styrian success-makers.

The reasons for Mateschitz's conservatism lie in his family background. He grew up in modest circumstances in the upper Murgtal in Styria. His outstanding success is not an isolated case in this province. Arnold Schwar is a compatriot, as is the tennis player Thomas Muster, who for a time topped the world rankings ahead of Boris Becker, André Agassi, and Pete Sampras.

He is also a compatriot of Frank Stronach, who emigrated to Canada as a worker and returned to his homeland as a co-owner of the global auto parts manufacturer Magna. Styrians are said to have always been a bit their boss. Stubborn but not rebellious, strong, and persevering. Dietrich Mateschitz, who has been friends with half of Austria since his success and is nicknamed "Didi," has needed perseverance for his story to become a real success.

From jetlag to energy drinks

In 1976, Chaleo Yoovidhya introduced his Krating Daeng drink in Thailand. The name means "red gaur" in English. The maker was inspired by the energy drink Lipovitan, in which the main ingredient is taurine, and was popular with Thai truck drivers and blue-collar manual laborers.

When he visited Thailand in 1982, the Austrian-born Dietrich Mateschitz discovered that by consuming Krating Daeng, he was able to overcome the effects of jet lag, caused by the rapid change of time zones, much more quickly during the trip. Since the energy drink phenomenon was still unknown on the Old Continent, he was astonished at how many people consume the product, and almost immediately approached the owners of the company with the idea of bringing it there.

Mateschitz had been the international marketing manager for Blendax (now part of the Procter & Gamble Group) toothpaste at the time. The Yoovidhya family, which had already become rich through the pharmaceutical industry, welcomed the idea and began to develop a European business policy and strategy with the Austrian marketing expert.

Mateschitz founded Red Bull GmbH with Yoovidhya in 1984 intending to develop it into a global brand. Both parties invested $500,000, however, Yoovidhya and Mateschitz owned only 49-49% of the shares in the new company. The remaining 2 percent of the shares went to Yoovidhya's son Chalerm, but the agreement left Mateschitz as the de facto head of the company.

Product launch in Austria

The product was first launched in Austria in 1987. Mateschitz, still a bachelor at 39, has quit his lucrative multinational job and has been trying to introduce the Asian recipe to Austria for two or three years. The new product, the unusual flavors, the colors, the advertising are not the resounding success he had hoped for. After the initial setbacks, Dietrich Mateschitz does what he has never done before - he takes out a loan. The reason for his reluctance is simple: he was raised at home to believe that "a decent person does not have debts," and like many entrepreneurs, he still does not like financial institutions.

The startup’s growth has almost immediately slowed down because several well-known Austrian beverage companies considered the revolutionary idea too risky and refused to partner with Red Bull. The food authority was also not a fan of Red Bull, considered it dangerous, and banned its marketing in many places - but Mateschitz was not discouraged. Dietrich Mateschitz cites the three most difficult years of his life as the early days of Red Bull.

Being an experienced manager, he refused to lower the price of the not exactly cheap beverage. He is vigilant about consumer behavior. The highly stimulating product was finally a hit in Austrian discotheques. It was tempting to dance the night away. Word of the new wonder “drug” spread quickly across the border. However, on the German side, Red Bull was still not allowed to be marketed. It was banned for a time in Hungary, France, and Denmark because of what they consider to be its high caffeine and taurine content. It is the desire for the forbidden fruit that has brought the real breakthrough. Consumers "smuggle" a bootleg number of Red Bulls across the then non-EU Salzburg border crossing into Bavaria, where it is sold in nightclubs in violation of the law. From then on, the triumphal procession is unstoppable. And during this time, the custom of mixing it with vodka also arises.

Germany and the United Kingdom were introduced to Red Bull in 1994 after the company’s expansion in Eastern and Central Europe. It was able to win a 75 percent market share on the American energy drinks market despite the slow start and late expansion to the US in 1997.

In the process, Red Bull has also garnered some criticism for its use of extreme sports marketing and its impact on health. Due to this, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and other food regulatory agencies have limited the levels of caffeine, taurine, and glucuronolactone in Red Bull and other energy drinks.

Key takeaways:

A serendipitous meeting between the Austrian and Thai founders of Red Bull was quickly followed by the realization of an excellent business opportunity and action. The recipe was ready - even if it still needed to be refined for European tastes - and the parties focused on market development strategies, sales, and marketing activities.

Still, launching the product in Austria was not a success, and many founders would have given up at this point. But Mateschitz kept his eyes open and recognized what the sales drivers would be in the early days.

Word-of-mouth marketing,
The feeling of uniqueness (energy drinks were not yet known to the European public),
A stronger effect than coffee, which, mixed with alcohol, stimulated parties in Eastern Europe as a non-addictive and non-consciousness-altering substance,
The progressive association of the brand with sports, in addition to nightlife.

Together, these elements have served to build Red Bull's success on an increasingly efficient and planned business foundation.

The Products

The product portfolio of the company.

Three of Red Bull's products are core products that are sold in all relevant markets, regardless of culture or target group:

Red Bull energy drink: the familiar gray-blue metal can that comes in a 250 ml edition. In some countries, it is also available in a 350 ml and a 500 ml version.
Sugar-free Red Bull: Instead of sugar from sugar beets, the company uses aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame K to sweeten the product. The product's other ingredients and packaging are the same as the original energy drink.
Red Bull Zero Sugar. The Zero and sugar-free variants differ little in terms of content. According to the company, the only difference is the taste.

However, there have also been numerous drinks that have been launched in limited quantities or connected with specific sporting events. These include The Tropical Edition, The Coconut Edition, The Red Edition, and The Summer Edition, currently available in four flavors. However, Red Bull not only limits the time of availability but also sells specific, localized products for the largest markets. For example, ORGANICS by Red Bull, which is only available in German, is not an energy drink but a soft drink that comes in six flavors. These include cola, tonic, and ginger drinks.

Red Bull cans are 100% recyclable. In addition, with only one manufacturing location, 80% of renewable resources are saved rather than using multiple ones.

Product localization

Almost all of the markets in APAC are served by Red Bull, and the company uses local development strategies to cater to consumer tastes in each market. Red Bull markets in the APAC region curate their product portfolios, and it takes a lot of time for each market to develop the most appropriate product selections. Local and center teams are continuously reviewing the portfolio of products to ensure that the energy, taste, and size requirements are met. Though the original blue and silver Red Bull Energy Drink is still a popular beverage, Red Bull is also interested in creating new products to match the changing tastes of the market.

Red Bull Editions are a seasonal range of localized products. To give an example, Red Bull has a Coconut edition in Singapore that includes coconut and blueberry flavors; in Australia, there are Orange editions (orange flavors), Tropical editions (tropical fruit flavors), and Red editions (watermelon flavors).

Each Red Bull market has a local team that interprets the meaning of the products to ensure they are relevant to the target customers. There is room for growth in the energy drink market through premiumization, even though the market is well established.

Manufacturing

A new Red Bull production facility is being built in Glendale, Arizona. A joint venture between Red Bull, Rauch Fruit Juices, and Ball Corporation, RRB Beverage Operating, is investing USD 250 million in the next few years to build a new 700,000 sq ft-sized facility. Originally, the company planned to start manufacturing in 2021, employing 140 people in the process. There is no news available on how COVID-19 has modified the plans.

Instead of keeping the production process in-house, RB outsourced it to Rauch. Among other beverages, it produces Red Bull's drinks in Nüziders, Austria, and Wildenau, Switzerland. It is only 40 kilometers between the two production facilities despite being in different countries.

It was previously made at a Swiss plant and imported to the U.S., but the company's growing popularity in North America and a threat to taxing cans and products imported from Europe, in general, led to the investment.

One of the joint venture partners, the Ball Corporation, which specializes in the production of aluminum and steel packaging for the food and beverage industry, opened an aluminum can manufacturing plant in Goodyear, Arizona in 2019, not far from the new project site in Glendale.

Sales channels

As a manufacturer of soft drinks, Red Bull does not market its products itself but distributes them to restaurants and stores via Red Bull-owned distribution companies. One such company is Red Bull Distribution Company , which is responsible for distribution in North America. The Group currently employs around 6,000 sales staff who distribute its products in 170 countries around the world.

The sales employees directly involved in the sales process are usually field sales representatives. They cover a predetermined territory by driving around and replenishing products from Red Bull in restaurants and convenience stores. They are also responsible for ensuring that the energy drinks are in the right, highly visible places on the shelves and that the company logos get the attention they deserve.

Of course, the larger chains and online beverage stores are already negotiating directly with distributors. The company's sales activities are rounded off by various corporate purchases.

Beverage retailers in particular tend to offer their customers a diversified product portfolio to generate more sales so that they can not only order a specific beverage but also upsell it. This involves offering additional options (both products and services) to a customer who has already been won over, which can then be sold at a much higher profit because there is no need to advertise and approach the customer again. In contrast, Red Bull has opted for a narrow product range - for a long time, there was only one type of energy drink and one flavor. Today, that range has broadened, but there are still many subsectors (e.g., alcohols, premium products) where there is room for further expansion.

Red Bull works with several international and local distributors, typically owned by RB. Sales are always B2B, with restaurants, small and large grocery stores, and corporate customers on the other side.

The Red Bull Brand

The Red bull brand stands out as a category dominating queen holding 42% of the global energy drink market in 2020. Second comes Monster with a 39% market share.

Company culture

The vision statement of Red Bull is “(The company) is dedicated to upholding Red Bull standards while maintaining the leadership position in the energy drinks category when delivering superior customer service in a highly efficient and profitable manner. We create a culture where employees share best practices, dedicated to coaching and developing our organization as an employer of choice.” (Source: redbull.com)

According to reviews on Indeed and Comparably , Red Bull is successful not only in building an outward-facing brand but also in creating a high-quality corporate culture. Typical feedback praises the internal social life, work environment, and highlights internal development opportunities. However, as in any other organization, those who work under a poorly performing manager are understandably dissatisfied with management skills, work-life balance, and supervisor availability.

Can of innovation: a branding move

The can became the symbol for Red Bull, even though it has been commonly used among beverage manufacturers. There is, however, a significant difference: instead of the usual 330 ml can, which is a bit chunkier, Red Bull has introduced the 250 ml sized container, which is thinner and taller than usual. There are two reasons for this: the unique appearance makes the product stand out from the competition, and it explains why Red Bull is much more expensive than the usual packaged drinks.

Red Bull’s target market: for those who need energy

Red Bull’s target market is young people between the age of 15 and 45 with high income. The company segments its target market even further offering as the main benefit a sense of belonging and enhanced physical and mental performance.

Matschitz explained the failure of Red Bull's first consumer test by claiming that such products only succeed in their intended environment. In sterile laboratories, no one needs extra energy, so Red Bull could not be treated at its true value. The moment the drink was introduced into gyms, parties, and bars, or even boardrooms, the rejection stopped, because the product found its right target audience.

Red Bull’s logo and design over the years

The energy drink was originally created for Muay Thai fighters and blue-collar workers in Thailand. A logo where two red bulls were readying to fight and the bright yellow sun rising behind them is typical for the APAC region. The only direct change was the “Red Bull” inscription written in bold, English font.

The Red Bull logo did not change significantly over the years. What makes the story special is that Mateschitz's marketing background allowed the team to spend extra time finding the right design. However, both the logo and the name and colors scored poorly on focus-group questionnaires. Nevertheless, the owners stuck to their original vision and did not change the design "rescued" from Thailand. Time has proven them right.

Red Bull brands and subsidiaries

Red Bull Racing

AKA Red Bull AKA RBR AKA Oracle Red Bull Racing is a Formula 1 racing team. The team won the 2021 championship with its driver Max Verstappen.

Scuderia AlphaTauri

AKA AlphaTauri is the second Formula One racing team of Red Bull. Originally the company’s junior team, today its considered to be the sister team of Oracle Red Bull Racing.

New York Red Bulls & New York Red Bulls II

The company’s two American professional soccer teams. The first participates in the Major league and the second in the second tier league.

FC Red Bull Salzburg

AKA FC Salzburg, the company’s Austrian professional football club. Red Bull bought the club in 2015 and changed its colors, a move that its fans found controversial.

FC Liefering

Red Bull's second league Austrian football club.

The German professional football club nicknamed Die Roten Bullen. The company bought the team in 2009 and in less than 9 years took it from the fifth tier league to the top-flight Bundesliga.

Red Bull Brasil & Red Bull Bragantino

The two Brazilian football clubs whose teams compete in the second and top tier of São Paulo state football league respectively.

EHC München & EC Red Bull Salzburg

Red bull’s ice hockey teams. The first competes at the highest level of professional German ice hockey. And the second competes in Austria’s top-tier ice hockey league.

Red Bull Records

It’s Red Bull’s global record label focusing on more niche genres like rock, alternative rock, punk rock and hip hop with bands like Awolnation, Twin Atlantic, and Beartooth.

The example of Mateschitz is rather the exception that proves the rule because his decisions - especially in the early years - were always at odds with business logic and common sense. The launch of the energy drink Red Bull in Europe was prepared through a series of processes: Testing the product, obtaining food safety and market approvals, market research as part of the launch. In the end, there were almost no areas left to support the owners' ideas, as neither the food authority nor market research considered energy drinks to be a good product.

Mateschitz, however, stubbornly stuck to his original ideas and, adapting some of the intellectual property brought from Thailand to European tastes, practically single-handedly created a youthful, trendy and energetic brand Red Bull.

Red Bull Marketing Strategy - Sponsoring Sports, Athletes And Events

Red Bull global marketing strategy focuses, but it’s not limited to, sponsorships of extreme sports, athletes and events of every scale, from local to global.

The company generates massive awareness with its presence in unique first-ever events like Felix Baumgartner parachute jump and in major regular events like the Volcom Pipe Pro and the Freeride world tour.

Red Bull’s marketing strategy, however, includes more traditional marketing practices and channels like TV commercials and social media with millions of followers across its Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube tens of accounts. It runs ads across every channel, trying to appear in front of its target audience everywhere it goes.

Red Bull marketing budget

A question on a lot of people's minds is how much does red bull spend on marketing? Unfortunately, Red Bull does not share its marketing budget, but it is rumored to be around 25% of the yearly revenue. So whilst we can only guesstimate what it spends, one thing we know is that it's a lot of money and a very important focus for Red Bull.

When the product becomes the means of Red Bull advertising

Sponsored stars are today's flesh-and-blood heroes: athletes, drivers, Formula 1 racers, and extreme athletes who stand for real achievement.

In addition to financial support, the stars receive equipment, clothing, and accessories with the Red Bull logo. And of course their advertised product, energy drinks in the required quantity. Red Bull's branded merchandise is particularly valuable because, unlike many beverage competitors, the company does not mass-produce merchandise - it is available only in the inner circle.

The international marketing activities of Red Bull are aimed primarily at young people who are attracted to and like extreme sports. The range of extreme sports targeted is very broad and includes:

Mountain biking
Snowboarding
Skateboarding
Wakeboarding
Cliff jumping
Ice skating
Freestyle motocross
Break dancing.

Red Bull also uses music and video games for marketing purposes and has brought in celebrities like Eminem (through its support of the Red Bull "EmSee Battle Rap championships").

Red Bull is also known for its events, including music and art conventions. In Hungary, the company launched Red Bull Pilvaker in 2012, one of the country's most unique music and cultural projects, which commemorated the 1848 Revolution and the War of Independence with the help of outstanding contemporary art artists. The popularity of Red Bull Pilvaker is reflected in the fact that in recent years all tickets for performances at Erkel Theater, which seats almost 2,000 people, were sold out within a few days.

Red Bull also maintains soccer teams in Austria, Germany, the United States, and Brazil - these teams also carry the brand name, Red Bull. By associating the energy drink with these activities, the company aims to reinforce the "cool" image of the product and thus the strength of the brand. The energy drink has also created a market for over 150 additional souvenir items.

On the PlayStation 3 community platform PlayStation Home, Red Bull created a dedicated in-game island in 2009 to specifically promote the energy drink Red Bull and the racing series Red Bull Air Race. In January 2012, Red Bull also opened its first personal community area, the " Red Bull House of Skate," which featured an indoor skating rink for visitors.

Red Bull's sports sponsorship activities focus on supporting talented young athletes and helping them achieve their goals. The Red Bull Junior program in motorsports is the most prominent branch of this, but the company follows this philosophy in its support for athletes, regardless of the sport. Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and Danyiil Kvjat are among the most prominent students of the Red Bull Junior program.

Formula One Red Bull Racing

File:Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing F1 Team (43741877491).jpg

Red Bull Racing is the Austrian Formula 1 team owned by the energy drink company Red Bull. The company's other team is Scuderia Toro Rosso (later Scuderia AlphaTauri).

The team's direct predecessor is the Stewart Grand Prix, founded in 1997 by Jackie Stewart. In late 1999, it was sold to the Ford Motor Company, which raced it under the name Jaguar Racing. In 2004, Ford decided to sell the unsuccessful but costly team. It was bought by Dietrich Mateschitz, owner of the energy drink company Red Bull. The team was then able to take to the grid at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix as the successor to Jaguar, now in the blue and silver colors of Red Bull energy drinks.

Red Bull was no stranger to motorsport's premier class, having previously sponsored Sauber, Arrows, and its predecessor Jaguar. Having started its own team, Red Bull naturally terminated its contract with Sauber (the Arrows had already ceased to exist in 2002). The drinks company has also appeared in the Formula 3000 series and its successor, GP2, and has a European talent scouting program called Red Bull Junior Team. Later Formula 1 drivers have also emerged from the program, with Enrique Bernoldi, Christian Klien, Patrick Friesacher, Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Scott Speed all having raced in the premier class.

RBR enjoyed immediate success in its first season in 2005, thanks to two of its drivers, Coulthard and Klien. The 2005 Red Bull RB1 was based on the already papered Jaguar R6. The team used the weakest Cosworth engines and Michelin tyres throughout the season. The team exceeded expectations to finish seventh among constructors with 34 points.

For the 2006 season, Red Bull Racing changed engine suppliers and used Ferrari V8 power units for the season. Adrian Newey, who was signed from McLaren in November 2005, was appointed as chief designer. Newey did not play a major role in the design of the RB2, which was almost complete by then, and instead started work on the 2007 model. By 2007, the Adrian Newey-designed RB3 was finally completed, with the Renault engine replacing Ferrari's. Mid-season saw the arrival of Geoff Willis, who had worked as technical director at Williams and BAR and then at Honda. Following the departure of Michelin, Red Bull Racing naturally started on Bridgestone tyres. On the racing front, David Coulthard remained with the team, while Mark Webber took the other seat. Webber left the predecessor Jaguar after 2004 and joined the energy drinkers after two disappointing seasons at Williams. The team finished 5th in the constructors' championship with McLaren eliminated and 24 points, David Coulthard 10th with 14 points, and Mark Webber 12th with 10 points.

For 2009, the retiring David Coulthard was replaced by Sebastian Vettel from Toro Rosso, while Mark Webber remained with the team. The team ended the year with a double victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Vettel finished second in the individual championship with 84 points, 11 behind world champion Button. The team finished second in the constructors' championship, 18.5 points behind Brawn GP. From 2010-13, RBR enjoyed a truly golden era, its World Championship victories making it unchallenged.

The 2014-20 Formula 1 era brought less success for Red Bull (regularly replaced by Mercedes in first place), but remained a worthy rival to Ferrari. In the 2021 season, with a Honda engine, they continue to pile on the surprises, and their fans are predicting the resurrection of RBR in an ever-strengthening F1 team.

Red Bull Ring ‍

The Red Bull Ring (originally called Österreichring, between 1997 and 2003 A1-Ring) is an Austrian race track in Styria. The circuit itself is located in the territory of the municipality of Spielberg, but its access roads are in the immediate vicinity of the municipality of Zeltweg, which is why it is often referred to as the "Zeltweg circuit". The track was renovated in 2011 with financial support from the energy drink manufacturer Red Bull to make it suitable for Formula 1 again and will be back on the calendar for the 2014 season.

Red Bull Racing has won at its home track four times since its inception.

Red Bull sponsoring other sports

In 2006, Red Bull announced they would sponsor the NASCAR Team Red Bull. Lowe's Motor Speedway was their first stop in the Nextel Cup Series. The team was shut down in December 2011 and its assets were acquired by BK Racing.
A major sponsor of Repsol Honda, Red Bull is the title sponsor of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team.
Football has also been a huge part of the company's activities. The Austrian club SV Austria Salzburg was purchased by Red Bull on 6 April 2005, and it was renamed Red Bull Salzburg, a move that has been heavily criticized by supporters' groups in Austria and across Europe. FC Liefering has also been purchased as Salzburg's feeder club.
Since 2000, the company has owned the Salzburg team in the Austrian Hockey League, now named Red Bull Salzburg. Throughout 2012 and 2013, Red Bull became the team's title sponsor and then bought the club outright.
A new League of Legends team was formed by Red Bull in 2017, Red Bulls, which competed in the European League of Legends Challenger Series from 2017 until it folded in 2018. Several Red Bull sponsored fighting game players to compete in Tekken and Street Fighter games, as well as The International winner OG, who competes in Dota 2.

Felix Baumgartner parachute jump from space

File:Felix Baumgartner, Red Bull Stratos, Hangar 7 (Ank Kumar, Infosys Limited) 01.jpg

Baumgartner and his team saw a mission in the world record attempt, for which the athlete had been preparing since 2005. The jump offered the opportunity to collect data to improve life-saving for astronauts and pilots or potential space tourists and to study the behavior of the human body in the stratosphere. It is critical to make the return from space safe for space crews, as they may have to eject from the aircraft and it is life-threatening to enter the stratosphere in an unprepared space suit in such an emergency.

The first record attempt was scheduled for Oct. 9, 2012, at 11:42 a.m. local time, but a strong wind prevented the 834,497-cubic-meter balloon from inflating safely, as it was twisted by the wind. Wind gusts of up to 40 km/h were measured at the top of the balloon, although the wind speed was not supposed to exceed 5 km/h.

The next attempt was therefore postponed until Sunday, October 14 - a postponement that tested everyone's patience but was the only way to ensure safety. At the press conference after the jump, FAI record holder Brian Utleya announced that Baumgartner had reached a speed of 1342.8 kilometers per hour (Mach 1.24), breaking the speed of sound. The pilot came down from a height of 39,045 meters in 4 minutes and 20 seconds, covering 36,529 meters in freefall.

Red Bull, like Ferrari , has found in sports the marketing platform that best reaches its audience. However, the company has not limited its sponsorship activities to motorsports but supports all sports from ice hockey to extreme sports. The company invests most of its marketing budget in financing the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team and maintaining the racetrack at the Red Bull Ring.

Red Bull also supports music as a nightlife player and various events aimed at partygoers.

Final thoughts and key takeaways of Red Bull’s story

Who owns red bull today.

Red Bull GmbH is a private company with its headquarters in Salzburg, Austria. Two billionaires own Red bull:

Thai businessman Chalerm Yoovidhya, who owns the majority of the company sitting at 51%. His net worth as of 2021 is estimated at $24.5 billion.
Austrian businessman Dietrich Mateschitz, who owns 49% of the rest of the company. His net worth as of 2022 is estimated at $26 billion.

Growth by numbers

According to Forbes , the brand that gives you wings sold 6.8 billion cans in 171 countries in 2018. Among the fastest-growing markets were India (+30%), Brazil (+22%), and Eastern Europe (+22%). Using a marketing strategy built around extreme events, Red Bull has sold a total of 75 billion cans since 1987.

Key takeaways from Red Bull's story:

The founders’ agility: Red Bull would certainly not look the way it does today if the founders - a Thai pharmaceutical entrepreneur and an Austrian marketing manager - had not had a clear vision for the brand right from the start.
Product portfolio: The soft drinks market is characterized by the dominance of aggregators (e.g. Coca Cola, which contrary to popular belief does not only produce Coke). To counter this trend, Red Bull has from the beginning thought in terms of a small product portfolio and focused on the energy drink market rather than a diversified range. It was not an easy task, as it was a pioneer in the field at the time of its launch - no other energy drink existed in Europe. The company invested a lot of energy in educating the market, which at first did not welcome this unique product, but now it has become an integral part of it.
Marketing : Instead of investing millions of dollars in television, radio, and Internet advertising, Red Bull took a different approach from the beginning. Although it was initially forced to do so because many countries did not officially license the energy drink, word of mouth is still the strongest element in the company's marketing. The founders succeeded by identifying the two areas where there was a real need for energy drinks and focusing all marketing activities on them.
Sponsorship : Red Bull quickly found its audience among athletes as well as party-goers, so it's no wonder that the company turned to sports sponsorships. One of Red Bull's main marketing weapons has been its own Formula 1 team, as well as sponsorship of a number of ball and extreme sports.

The companies more than 30-year history is a powerful story of challenges, of working against the wind, of the founders' strong vision, of defying business logic, and of perseverance. Even though the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz has made countless decisions that would not have worked for others and that go against everything that business can teach us, the success of his company is beyond question.

If there is anything we can learn from him, it is surely his belief in his team and his own instinct to put an unknown product on the world map. Red Bull now inspires millions of people a year, its sales are skyrocketing (based on the sales statistics, every person on earth could drink one Red Bull), and its marketing efforts are leading the way for many other companies in the industry.

Product details

Teaching delivery modes

Competitive Analysis
Brand Analysis
Analytics & Reporting
Campaigns Analysis
Social Listening
Data & Studies Social Media Studies What Data Says Social Media Industry Reports Social Media Stats
Platforms Facebook Analytics Instagram Analytics Twitter Analytics LinkedIn Analytics YouTube Analytics
Start 14-Day Free Trial

Socialinsider Blog

[Brand Analysis] Deconstructing Red Bull’s Marketing Strategy and Its TikTok Popularity

Saying you’d be given to portray Red Bull’s brand personality using only three characteristic traits. What would those be?

Throughout the brand’s many years of existence, through all its marketing and communication endeavors, Red Bull tried to position itself as a visionary, fresh and energetic brand. Which is highly desirable for a business in the energy drink industry, right?

From leveraging TikTok , the most popular social media platform of the moment, to ingeniously using influencer marketing, moving forward, we’ll deconstruct and dive into some of Red Bull’s most successful marketing strategies.

Are you ready?

Red Bull's marketing strategy

1. red bull on tiktok.

The brand centered its strategy around storytelling

2. Red Bull on Instagram

Red Bull is not afraid of experimenting with Instagram Reels

3. Red Bull and its YouTube Shorts

The brand creates dedicated content for each short-form video platform leveraged to reach multiple audiences

4. Performance stats for Red Bull’s social media strategy

5. key takeaways from red bull’s marketing strategy.

Red Bull's social media strategy is centered around the brand's core promise
The brand adapts to the newest trends and has heavily shifted toward a video-first approach in its social content

When peeking at Red Bull’s TikTok channel, the wow factor is easily recognizable.

Featuring videos of professional athletes and sports enthusiasts engaged in extreme sports sessions and stunts, Red Bull’s TikTok strategy is entirely centered around the concept of storytelling.

@redbull Replying to @user094488082 no doubt we'd have a 5-star rating 🤘 #redbull #givesyouwiiings #f1 #uber #ride ♬ original sound - Red Bull

Known for its long association with extreme sports - like Formula One, Red Bull has extended the brand’s already contoured story, adding one more chapter to it with the launch of its TikTok account.

As a brand that targets highly energetic persons, adventure lovers, and adrenaline seekers through its TikTok channel - instead of having a hard product and sales approach - Red Bull tries to rather emphasize its connection with such personalities.

@redbull try and find a big wave more insane than Nazaré in Portugal, we *dare* you 🌊 #redbull #givesyouwiiings #wave #nazare #surfing #bigwave #portugal #surftok #facts ♬ original sound - Red Bull

For Red Bull, the key strategy that turned the brand into the huge success it is today was breaking out of the norm with its marketing initiatives.

@redbull only one way to get to the top of this 15m drop #redbull #givesyouwiiings #bike #bikelife #weird #elevator ♬ original sound - Red Bull

With Red Bull being such an unconventional brand (as proved by their past publicity stunts), TikTok seems to be the platform that fits like a glove because of its looking-for-authenticity audience.

On TikTok, Red Bull’s current strategy generates not only incredible view rates and a gigantic number of followers but also an engagement rate of 10.00% on average.

PS: To see what’s the average engagement rate on TikTok for different industries, check out our social media industry benchmarks study !

Understanding how much it matters for the nowadays social audiences to be entertained through video content, besides launching its TikTok channel, Red Bull also decided to adjust its Instagram strategy accordingly.

Fully taking advantage of Instagram’s push on Reels, the brand rapidly embraced this new feature and, sooner rather than later, started creating more and more Reels.

Actually, according to the data dug up using Socialinsider's Instagram analytics tool , it seems that Instagram Reels make up most of Red Bull’s Instagram posts.

This is a screenshot from the Socialinsider app indicating how much does Red Bull integrate Reels in its Instagram marketing strategy.

From a creative concept point of view, Red Bull’s Instagram Reels are pretty similar to its TikTok videos; these also portray athletes performing different extreme sports.

From a glance, it would appear the only differentiator between the brand’s Reels and its TikTok videos lies in the scenes and situations depicted.

Just like with Instagram Reels, Red Bull quickly started integrating YouTube Shorts into its short-video content plan quickly after the feature's launch.

With such a 360 video content strategy, Red Bull is sure to get on the radar of every platform's audience, gaining huge visibility.

Red Bull is in it to win it when it comes to getting the brand's targeted audience's attention by capitalizing on all the major video networks' viewership potential.

As the data pulled from the Socialinsider app has shown, the brand's channel video views have continuously increased since it started incorporating Shorts into its YouTube marketing strategy .

What is fascinating about Red Bull's video marketing strategy is that although the main video concept remains the same for all platforms used, the brand's content is unique on all three channels.

Moreover, every single video posted on a specific platform is very well adapted to that specific network's audience and style.

Judging by the number of views each of Red Bull's YouTube Shorts has recorded and by the brand's overall YouTube performance, integrating this type of content seems to have been a smart move.

According to data, Red Bull registers an average YouTube engagement rate of 0.70%, which is pretty impressive.

While Redbull’s marketing strategy for social media relies heavily on video content, as mentioned earlier, whether or not this was the smartest move is to be determined by looking at data.

And what better way to look at the numbers than comparing them with those of the competitors’, to gain a deeper understanding of the social landscape, right?

Therefore, let’s quickly look at a side-by-side comparison of a couple of Red Bull’s Instagram KPIs against the ones of one of the brand’s main competitors - Monster Energy.

Here is an comparison between Red Bull's Instagram KPIs and Monster Energy's ones, executed using Socialinsider.

From a glance, it would seem that Red Bull's marketing strategy is the more effective one, given that it helped the brand gain both a bigger fanbase and increased engagement.

However, when conducting a competitive analysis, it's equally important to keep in mind that different businesses can have different objectives for the same social media channel.

All in all, the numbers can indicate the more successful social media strategy only up to some extent.

But with social media marketing being so complex, thanks to the many and increasing social platforms that rise every couple of years, it's hard to establish the effectiveness of a brand's social media strategy by looking at only one channel.

That's why we'll take our analysis further and run a performance comparison between Red Bull and Monster Energy for TikTok as well.

Here you can see a performance comparison between Red Bull and Monster Energy's social media strategy for TikTok run with Socialinsider.

Judging by the numbers, it seems that in TikTok's case as well, Red Bull's marketing strategy has the upper hand against Monster Energy's from multiple KPI perspectives, from generating more engagement and plays to a higher following.

If you're curious about how you can equally get your competitor's social media data just as easily, let me walk you through the steps I took when doing this competitive analysis using Socialinsider.

First, I added Red Bull's and Monster Energy's Instagram and TikTok profiles into Socialinsider by clicking the " Add social profiles " button, by inserting the accounts' URLs.
Then I selected Red Bull's Instagram account from the left-sided list of profiles previously added.
After selecting the " Compare " section from the top menu, I chose the second Instagram account that I wanted to include in my comparison by selecting one of the profiles suggested that were added during step 1.

And just like that, I had my competitive analysis ready with just a couple of clicks.

This type of head-to-head comparison is available within multiple competitive analysis tools , enabling different platform comparisons in case you want to spy on your competitors' multiple channels' performance.

Red Bull's social media strategy is inspired by and in sync with the brand's motto - "Red Bull gives you wings".

Through its combined marketing campaigns - some more unconventional than others - Red Bull has succeeded in becoming the top-of-mind brand for its core audience - young adults who are looking for an energy boost.

As for some strategy insights that got Red Bull's nowadays, the main takeaways would be the followings:

Red Bull makes heavy use of storytelling;
The brand puts its audience first - by creating content with which its followers and communities could resonate;
RedBull has a video-oriented content strategy;
the brand quickly adapts to the newest trends.

Final thoughts

Thanks to a clever marketing strategy, Red Bull became the leading brand in its industry and gained a tremendous community on all the major social media platforms.

To see what tactics other popular brands on TikTok have leveraged lately, you can take a look at our brand analysis of Duolingo's TikTok strategy or Ryanair's creative concept for its TikTok account.

Content Manager @ Socialinsider

Content & SEO Manager @ Socialinsider with 8 years of experience in marketing. I like to describe myself as a social butterfly with a curious mind, passionate about dancing and psychology.

Brand Reputation Management: Strategies for Building Trust With Customers

The Super Bowl Social Media Experience: Which Brands Won the Big Game in 2024

[Brand Analysis] Innocent Drinks' Marketing Strategy: How Authenticity Defines Their Social Success

Improve your social media strategy with Socialinsider!

Use in-depth data to measure your social accounts’ performance, analyze competitors, and gain insights to improve your strategy.

IMAGES

Case Study Red Bulls Stratos Campaign Content Marketing Strategy
Red Bull's 'Stratos' campaign was a world first, where Red Bull broke 3
Red Bull Stratos Case Study
A Case Study on Red Bull: "Stratos" Campaign
Red Bull's Marketing Strategy: A Case Study
Red Bull Stratos: Case study

VIDEO

Red Bull Stratos supersonic freefall
World's No. 1 #Marketing Campaign by #Redbull
Red Bull Stratos. Спецрепортаж. (УКР)
Red Bull Subscribers Have Wings
Red Bull. Прыжок из стратосферы. Феликс Баумгартнер
RED Bull बना नंबर 1|guerilla marketing|Red Bull |#shortvideo #shorts

COMMENTS

A Case Study on Red Bull: "Stratos" Campaign
Results of the campaign. The Red Bull Stratos campaign stands as a testament to the power of strategic social media engagement, with success concentrated in a condensed timeframe that encapsulated the days leading up to the jump, the jump itself, and the aftermath. YouTube served as a significant battleground for Red Bull's social media triumph.
Red Bull's Marketing Strategy: A Case Study
One such marketing powerhouse is the Austrian beverage giant, Red Bull - known almost as well for their daring and widespread campaigns as for their actual core product. This out-of-the-box approach hasn't deviated attention from its drinks range, though; in fact, it helped it gain a leading 24.9% share of the US energy drink market in 2019 ...
By Corinne Blair
2. Description Red Bull created an entertainment event documenting Felix Baumgartner journey and ultimate record-breaking free-fall jump On October 14, 2012, from more than 23 miles above the earth. The event, called Red Bull Stratos, became the biggest digital live event on record. Took seven years to develop.
How Red Bull Creates Brand Buzz
How Red Bull Creates Brand Buzz. On Sunday October 14, Felix Baumgartner rose more than 24 miles above the New Mexico desert in the 55-story ultra-thin helium " Red Bull Stratos " balloon ...
Red Bull Stratos: Case study
The Stratos campaign by Red Bull is a perfect example of participative advertising and marketing. The aim of the campaign was to allow the first human to break the sound barrier without engine power.
7 Social Marketing Campaign Insights from Red Bull Stratos
Fact 7: 61,634,000 trusted impressions generated. Stratos conversation generated more than 61,634,000 likely impressions across social channels. That means Red Bull garnered more than 60 million instances of peer-validated earned media through social as a result of Stratos.
Uncovering The Red Bull Marketing Strategy
The "Red Bull Stratos" campaign wasn't just iconic; it was a historic leap. Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner's dive from near-space, 23 miles above the Earth, captivated the world. This extraordinary display of human achievement, funded and orchestrated by Red Bull, generated massive media attention and estimated coverage worth ...
Red Bull case study
At the heart of our Red Bull case study is how the brand has become synonymous with extreme sports. Essentially, its involvement in the world of sports has been a key factor in the company's success as a global brand. From sponsoring athletes to hosting extreme sports competitions, Red Bull has established itself as a leading player in the ...
Lessons in Digital Marketing from Red Bull's Stratos Jump
4. Long-Term Impact: The success of the Stratos Jump had a lasting impact on Red Bull's brand perception and marketing strategy. The company continued to sponsor high-profile events and athletes ...
Red Bull Stratos
Here are the key numbers - and the stories behind them - from Red Bull Stratos, the free-fall from space that held millions enthralled 10 years ago. Read Story 4 min read.
Red Bull: The Stratosphere Campaign|Marketing Case Studies
The case discusses the Stratosphere campaign of Austria-based energy drink manufacturer Red Bull GmbH. Red Bull was launched in 1987, and as of 2012, it was available in more than 165 countries and sold around 5.2 billion cans. Since its inception, the company followed guerrilla marketing tactics to popularize Red Bull.
Red Bull Stratos (2012) Campaign Case Study
Maximum Impact. September 28, 2023. The Red Bull Stratos project, which took place in 2012, was a groundbreaking and widely publicized mission that featured Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner attempting a record-breaking freefall from the stratosphere. This case study examines the key elements of the Red Bull Stratos project and its impact on ...
Red Bull: The Stratosphere Campaign|Marketing Case Studies
In April 2013, US-based Brand Activation Association (BAA) announced the first Brand Brilliance Awards to recognize the most influential and dynamic marketers in the US. The awards were presented in four categories . And in the Game changer category which honored the marketer who changed the industry through a unique approach in marketing, the Red Bull Stratos event by Red Bull Energy Drink ...
A Deep Dive into Red Bull Marketing Strategy and How it ...
The Red Bull marketing strategy incorporates extreme sports sponsorship, advertising, Guerrilla marketing, and more. We have witnessed the result of this power-packed strategy as the company has the largest market share in the energy drink industry. Additionally, the company secured over $1.5 billion in sales revenue in the US alone.
The Ultimate Red Bull Marketing Strategy Study
Number of Red Bull cans sold worldwide in 2022: 11.582 billion. Revenue of €9.68 billion. Red Bull's marketing budget for 2022 is estimated to be €2,9 billion (it is rumored to be around 25-30% of the yearly revenue) Red Bull sponsors athletes in 73 countries around the world. Number of employees in 2022: 15,779.
Case Study Analysis: Top Experiential Marketing Campaigns of the Last
This article delves into some of the most successful experiential marketing campaigns, analyzing their strategies, execution, and outcomes. 1. Red Bull Stratos: Touching the Edge of Space (2012) Perhaps one of the most daring experiential marketing stunts of the past decade was Red Bull's Stratos project.
Case Study: Red Bull's Content Marketing Success
Red Bull's success in digital marketing showcases the power of creating compelling, shareable content that resonates with a target audience. By aligning their brand with extreme sports and ...
Red Bull: The Stratosphere Campaign
The case discusses the Stratosphere campaign of Austria-based energy drink manufacturer Red Bull GmbH. Red Bull was launched in 1987, and as of 2012, it was available in more than 165 countries and sold around 5.2 billion cans. Since its inception, the company followed very different marketing tactics to popularise Red Bull. In 1998, it ...
Red Bull Stratos: Mission to the Edge of Space
Authors: Bodo Schlegelmilch (WU Wien-Institute for International Marketing Management); Sara Simon Leon (WU-Executive Academy) Published in: 2014 Length: 15 pages ... Red Bull Stratos: Mission to the Edge of Space. Case -Reference no. 514-075-1 Subject category: ... The Case Centre is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, registered in ...
Red Bull: The Stratosphere Campaign|Marketing Case Studies
Marketing Red Bull. Red Bull was generally acknowledged by marketing experts as a good example of an ordinary product being transformed into a powerful brand through innovative marketing. The emphasis Red Bull placed on marketing was evident from the fact that the company spent around 30 percent of its annual turnover on marketing - much ...
Red Bull's International Marketing Strategy: Cracking the Code
Red Bull's international marketing strategy isn't just theory—it translates to impactful campaigns that resonate across cultures. Let's explore two successful case studies that showcase how they adapt their approach for international success: 1. Red Bull Stratos: Pushing Boundaries in the Name of Energy.
Red Bull's Marketing Strategy Analysis
Red Bull's social media strategy is centered around the brand's core promise. The brand adapts to the newest trends and has heavily shifted toward a video-first approach in its social content. 1. Red Bull on TikTok. When peeking at Red Bull's TikTok channel, the wow factor is easily recognizable.
Red Bull Marketing Strategy: The Case Study
The ability of Red Bull to adhere to its brand and values makes them successful. 1. Maximize the idea behind their slogan. Red Bull's message strategy revolves around its motto, "Red Bull Gives You Wings". It focuses on the idea that its product gives people the "wings" or the energy they need to do what they want.