Red Bull is an energy drink developed in Thailand to combat fatigue in workers. It contains caffeine and other stimulants. Red Bull became the leading energy drink by marketing to university students and athletes through free samples and humorous ads associating the drink with sports and extreme lifestyles. This emotional marketing strategy placed Red Bull in consumers' consideration sets by linking the brand to exciting experiences. Red Bull has maintained loyalty through its positive image as a supportive company and by delivering consistent quality and perceived value, though health concerns and lack of product diversity could influence consumers to choose alternatives.

1. Case Study 14.1
Building the Buzz with Red Bull
By Daniel Rigby

2. What is Red Bull?
• Red Bull is an energy drink developed from a tonic sold in Thailand called Krating
Daeng (Which translates to Red Bull in Thai) that was made to combat tiredness
and loss of focus in blue collar workers
• Red Bull contains Taurine, glucuronolactone and caffeine, core ingredients that
give the consumer ‘energy’
• Red Bull is the leading product in the functional drinks market and competes with
products like Monster energy, Rockstar and Gatorade
• After Launching in Austria in 1987, Red Bull has become one of the most globally
recognised brands

3. Explain how Red Bull has been able to arouse and
activate the consumer decision-making process
• When Red Bull entered the market, they began marketing their product by giving
out free samples to university students, gym users and bars as a form of viral
marketing.
• They then followed this successful method of advertisement by creating TV
advertisements that were relevant and humorous to males 18-34 that introduced
the slogan “Red Bull gives you wings”.
• Red Bull now uses marketing techniques that attempts to associate its product
with events, sports and teams that are viewed and enjoyed by many consumers
of their target market

4. Explain how Red Bull has been able to arouse and
activate the consumer decision-making process
• This method of marketing falls within the emotional model of decision
making. The emotional model of decision making poses the idea that
consumers associate feelings or emotions with purchases.
• “The content marketing strategy of Red Bull is focused around and about
the product; however it is not directly correlated to the drink itself, in order
to emotionally engage with consumer’s over a sustained period of time”
• This is how Red Bull are able to arouse and activate the consumer decision-making
process, by associating its product and brand with events, sports,
teams, and individuals

5. Why do you think Red Bull has been able to be
successful in entering the evoked set of
consumers?
• During the decision making process, when consumers are evaluating their
alternatives they rely on two types of information; their own evoked set and
criteria they are looking for to satisfy their needs
• The term ‘evoked set’, refers to a subset of known brands that the consumer
considers acceptable.
• There are two key reasons why Red Bull exists in the evoked set of functional
drink products of consumers: brand image and consistent quality of product.

6. Why do you think Red Bull has been able to be
successful in entering the evoked set of
consumers?
• Red Bull’s brand image of a friendly and supportive company that
produces tasty performance enhancing drinks, is portrayed by Red
Bull’s marketing strategies and is the main reason they have
successfully entered consumer’s evoked set
• The consistent quality of products provided by Red Bull is a reason
that Red Bull has successfully entered the evoked set of consumers
and is what allows them to charge a premium price for their product.

7. What could influence a consumer to stop
purchasing Red Bull?
• There are 4 factors that could influence a consumer to stop purchasing Red Bull;
Increase in consumer health and wellbeing, lack of diversity in their product line,
distrust from consumers due to false advertising, and lack of diversification in
marketing channels.
• With the increase in awareness from consumers, the rise of healthy and clean
eating in society has become very popular and many consumers are being
influenced to not only give up Red Bull but artificial and unhealthy drinks
altogether
• Red Bull has been successful in the functional drinks industry thus far but, a
consumer may consider switching to other products that offer more innovative or
exciting products than Red Bull’s current offerings

8. What could influence a consumer to stop
purchasing Red Bull?
• Recently Red Bull has settled a law suit in which they were accused of false
advertising. Consumer’s may see this and feel betrayed, creating distrust and
resulting in consumers not purchasing Red Bull
• Lastly, Red Bull’s success is largely thanks to it’s innovative brand recognition
marketing strategies, however,
• In this digital age the interests of 18-34 year old males is moving away from
extreme sports and into more technology based entertainments, if Red Bull does
not diversify to where there target audiences attention is, these consumers may
not choose Red Bull

9. From a consumer decision-making perspective,
how has Red Bull been successful in maintaining
brand loyalty in the energy drink market?
• Brand loyalty involves consumer’s perceived value, brand trust and consumer satisfaction
• Perceived value is the worth of a product in the mind of a consumer which affects the price the consumer is
willing to pay for it
• Brand trust is the intrinsic believability that an entity evokes in the mind of consumers
• Consumer satisfaction comes from the post-purchase stage of the decision making process and occurs when
prior expectations are exceeded
• Brand loyalty is particularly important in the functional drinks industry as there are several alternatives that are
able to match or outperform Red Bull as a product.

10. From a consumer decision-making perspective,
how has Red Bull been successful in maintaining
brand loyalty in the energy drink market?
• Co-founder of the Red Bull company Dietrich Mateschitz said that “We don’t bring
the product to the people. We make it available to and those who love our style
come to us”
• Red Bull’s brand loyalty comes from their positive brand image of being a friendly,
supportive company
• It also comes from the product image of a drink that will consistently give you the
energy boost needed to accomplish your goals.

11. Any questions?