Red Bull Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Red Bull - Essay Example Red Bull founded after an Asian locally-brewed tonic in Thailand now markets its eponymous functional energy drink in more than 100 countries. (Wikipedia) Red Bull is a non-alcoholic drink contains the amino acid taurine, B-complex vitamins, caffeine and carbohydrates. Red Bull claims that the body needs more taurine, an amino acid than is produced normally during the physical exertion of the human body. The drink has grown quickly worldwide capturing about 80 percent of the world's energy drink market. Although the company is of Austrian origin, the recipe for the drink Red Bull is said to come from Thailand. (Red Bull Company Profile- Yahoo Finance) The berry-flavored beverage is spiked with additives like taurine and glucuronolactone. And at $2 for an 8.3-ounce can, Red Bull's retail price is at least double what you'd pay for a 12-ounce can of Coke. But it does pack some energy. Red Bull, with 80 milligrams of caffeine, has more than double the dose found in the larger Coke serving, and it has 110 calories per serving versus Coke's 140.The consumption of Red Bull was 1.9 billion cans of in the year 2004, generating just about $2 billion in revenue. In some countries Red Bull commands an 80% market share. In the U.S., where Red Bull enjoys a 47% share of the energy drink market, sales are growing annually at a 40% clip. In the year 2004 it sold 700 million cans in the U.S.; and in 2005 it hoped to sell 1 billion. (Kerry A. Dolan 2005) Customers: Red Bull is popular with college student and nightclubbers, whom the company aggressively targets. But its most public tactic has been to wrap the drink in the sweaty mantle of extreme sports. To that end, Red Bull sponsors its own stunts and competitions in relatively obscure disciplines like street luge, waterfall kayaking, and freeskiing. (Rob Walker 2002) Marketing: Since introducing Red Bull in 1987, Red Bull has invested heavily in building the brand. In 2004 the company spent $600 million, or 30% of revenue, on marketing. (Coca-Cola spends 9%.) But unlike rivals who pay millions of dollars for superstars like Britney Spears, Red Bull relies on cheaper talent: hip youngsters, students and a legion of fringe athletes. Red Bull sponsors some 500 athletes around the world, the type who will surf in Nova Scotia in January or jump out of a plane to "fly" across the English Channel. Every year the company stages dozens of extreme sporting events, like the climbing of iced-down silos in Iowa or kite sailing in Hawaii, as well as cultural events like break-dancing contests and rock music jam sessions. Then there is Hangar-7, an eye-popping structure of glass and steel that the company Red Bull erected next to the airport in Salzburg, Austria. The building serves as a chic eatery for club crawlers and provides shelter for the Flying Bulls, a fleet of 1 5 show planes that appear at air shows around the world. Red Bull has purchased a Formula One racing team, an extravagance that will absorb $100 million a year to keep on the track while generating only $70 million in revenue. All these activities are geared to achieve the objective of expanding Red Bull's presence amid a deluge of new energy drinks being introduced by upstarts and beverage behemoths like Pepsi and Coke. (Kerry A. Dolan