1. AN INTERGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PLAN Rachel Donohue | Kerry Burnett| Lauren Temple | Andrea Pompili
2. Three IMC Campaigns Energy drinks are soft drinks advertised as boosting energy. Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar are all well known products in the energy drink market.
3. Red Bull is an adaptation of the Thai energy drink KratingDaeng, which means 'Red Bull'. The company was founded by Thai national ChaleoYoovidhya and Austrian national Dietrich Mateschitz. Red Bull entered its first foreign market (Hungary) in 1992, and the United States (via California) in 1997. In 2008, Forbes magazine listed both Chaleo and Mateschitz as being the 260th richest persons in the world with an estimated net worth of $4.0 billion Mission Statement "We are 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."
4. Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world. The brand can be called a pioneer in the energy drink category worldwide. It has market leadership, within the energy drink market Red Bull is the industry leader throughout the world. The target market consists of men between the ages of 18 and 25. Red bull advertises directly to Generation Y, the “Millennials” born after 1981. They also use “student brand managers” who are used to promote the product on university campuses. Red bull holds approximately 50% of the market share. Red Bull’s slogan is “it gives you wings” and the brand is aggressively marketed through advertising, tournament sponsorship (Red Bull Air Race, Red Bull Crashed Ice), sports team ownerships (Red Bull Racing, Red Bull New York) and celebrity endorsements. Red bull has an aggressive international marketing campaign. The brand uses all the available media channels including TV, radio, print advertisements and the internet. They have numerous sponsored activities that range from extreme sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, kayaking, cliff-diving, surfing and freestyle motocross and art shows, music and video games. Red Bull also hosts events like “Red Bull Flugtag” (flying day) and other contests. The brand also sponsors soccer teams across the globe, including USA, Brazil and Germany. Red Bull follows their life style image by supporting a diverse amount of life including night life, sports, movie premieres, fashion, music, culture, dance and much more. Red bull does directly support one kind of life style. They also sponsor from the classy Cannes Film Festival to the extreme dirty Motor Cross. Sales promotion is a large IMC objective for Red Bull. By creating new target markets, using large displays in department stores and expanding brand awareness uses sales promotion. Red Bull also uses personal selling by finding its exact target market at the right place at the right time, and hands out samples. Social media is also an outlet used by Red Bull, includingBlogssuch as Twitter andFacebookto reach their target market. Red Bull uses intensive distribution which is used to provide full coverage of the market by using all available outlets such as supermarkets, gyms, convenience stores, etc. Red Bull seeks to promote a “cool” public image and raise brand awareness by associating the drink’s image with these activities. Also, the shape of the bottle being very slender is used to suggest a “sexier” image than some other color brands. In 2009, Red Bull added mainstream sport athletes to their roster of sports endorsements. Reggie Bush was the first NFL athlete to endorse the product. The announcement was made at the Super Bowl.
5. Monster Energy is an energy drink launched by Hansen Natural in 2002. Monster Energy is not widely advertised in the media but it receives a large amount of recognition from its sponsorship of various sporting events. Monster holds approximately 18% of the market share. The company has seen its sales more than double since it introduced the brand in April, 2002. Last year, Hansen earned $20 million on sales of $180 million, up from just $3 million of profits on sales of $80 million in 2001. Sales nearly doubled, while profits quadrupled, in this year's first quarter. Those results helped Hansen earn the No. 26 spot on Business Week’s annual ranking of Hot Growth Companies. Hansen Natural Corporation announced a distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch in the United States and GrupoJumex in Mexico. Hansen Natural Corporation has a distribution deal with PepsiCo Canada and on November 10, 2008, the distribution of Monster turned over to Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola United, and other Coca-Cola bottlers in many markets. Contracts with existing distributors were bought out in these markets. In late 2009 or early 2010 Monster Energy will expand their market and release their products to other countries including Germany. Mission Statement “To provide the best energy supplement to our consumers and fuel them with MONSTER energy. “
6. Hansen Natural Corporation announced a distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch in the United States and GrupoJumex in Mexico. Hansen Natural Corporation has a distribution deal with PepsiCo Canada and on November 10, 2008, the distribution of Monster turned over to Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola United, and other Coca-Cola bottlers in many markets. Contracts with existing distributors were bought out in these markets. In late 2009 or early 2010 Monster Energy will expand their market and release their products to other countries including Germany. Hansen has jolted the Monster brand with a dose of guerrilla marketing. Teams of Monster ``ambassadors'' give out samples of the product at concerts, beach parties, and other events. The company also sponsors motocross, surfing, and skateboarding competitions. Hansen representatives in black Monster vans supplement the company's network of 300 independent distributors by assembling store displays and restocking specially designed racks in convenience store coolers. Hansen now owns an 18% share of the energy-drink category, according to the trade publication Beverage Digest. While Red Bull remains the leader with nearly half of the market, Hansen's energy-drink sales increased 162% last year -- more than three times Red Bull's growth rate. Monster follows their image of youthful dangerous and edgy. They fully sponsor and run the “super cross” every year. They have promotional models called, “monster girls” who are party girls and love their monster energy drinks. Monster does a number of endorsements including many sports people. Ricky Carmichael wore a Monster Energy helmet when he raced motocross and now that he is into racing cars and trucks, he has his car (or truck) painted black with a large "M" Monster logo on the hood; Robby Gordon is sponsored by Monster on his NASCAR Sprint Cup cars and his off road racing trucks. In September 2009, Monster Energy teamed up with Activision to bring special redeemable codes on the Monster Energy website where people can submit codes included in Monster Energy packs to redeem things such as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Premium Themes and a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack code.
7. Rockstar is another energy drink created in 2001 by Russell Weiner. As of 2009 it was one of the leading energy drinks by sales, with 14% of the US market in 2008. Rockstar sought to differentiate itself from the market leader Red Bull by using a 16 oz can size (against Red Bull's 8 oz can) and marketing itself as "twice the size of Red Bull for the same price." As of 2009 was available in over 20 countries, in addition to the United States. Rockstar announced it would be switching distributors from Coca-Cola to PepsiCo in spring or summer 2009. Like its competitor Red Bull, Rockstar sponsors a range of events and do extensive promotional events. They include the Mayhem Festival, a metal and rock festival touring the United States in July and August; the Taste of Chaos, a hardcore tour now called the "Winter Warped Tour"; and the "Alternative Press Tour," an annual United States/Canada tour. Starting in 2010 Rockstar also sponsors the Uproar Festival, which runs August through October in the US and Canada. Rockstar follows their image of being the ultimate rock star. They sponsor bands and concerts. The Rockstar Uproar and Mayhem Festival which rock bands come and play is some of their biggest events. Rockstar also sponsors a lot of extreme sports like BMX racing, motocross, paintball, FMX, and much more.
8. In – Store Displays After visiting a few local grocery stores one can see that Red Bull’s and Monster energy drink have elaborate displays. Rockstar energy drinks had no large display. Being that Red bull is the leader one can see at more times Red Bull had more product display and visual than all the others. Red Bull was highly offered in smaller retailers with great selections as cases and size of the drinks.
9. Events All three drinks do extensive promotional events and sponsor organizations. Rockstar follows their image of being the ultimate rockstar. They sponsor bands and concerts. The Rockstar Uproar and Mayhem Festival which rock bands come and play are some of their biggest events. Rockstar also sponsors a lot of extreme sports like BMX racing, motocross, paintball, FMX, and much more. Monster follows their image of youthful dangerous and edgy. They fully sponsor and run the “ supercross every year. They have promotional models called, “ monster girls” who are party girls and love their monster energy drinks. Red Bull follows their life style image by supporting a diverse amount of life including night life, sports, movie premieres, fashion , music, culture, dance and much more. Red bull does directly support one kind of life style. They sponsor from the classy Cannes Film Festival to the extreme dirty Motor Cross. They also support and execute huge music and dance events. Both Monster and Rockstar promote their products at appropriate trade shows like; adult, automotive, and gaming industry conventions.
11. Rockstar Energy Drink Website The Rockstar Energy Drink website is intriguing for anyone interested in extreme sports, with videos from sponsored events like volleyball tournaments, surfing competitions, and skate boarding footage. The headline links include products, galleries, events, sports, music, models, company, and countries. Directly below are small icons with Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook logos that bring you to their pages for those websites. There is also a link to shop online, which brings you to “rockstarenergyshop.com.” The online store has everything from their drink products, jackets, hats, luggage, and even car accessories. The main page of the website has a flash advertisement of all the different flavors of Rockstar Energy Drinks including original, sugar free, energy cola, a coffee based drink, and the “juiced” varieties. Also included in the flash ad are Rockstar Energy Shots, and the new Rockstar Energy Gum. The remainder of the main web-page has boxed off sections with Rockstar TV which has videos and interviews from sports events, a section on their featured athletes, galleries with pictures of past sponsored events, and a calender of upcoming events. In the music section of the website there are several tours and festivals that they are presenting and sponsorin in 2010. Some include AP Tour, Mayham Festival, and Country Throwdown. All of these events have listed dates in several cities all over the United States, all access videos by Rockstar Energy, and a link for each event where tickets may be purchased. There are 26 different sports in the Sports section, each of them have their own page with a description of the activity, videos, a featured athlete, and galleries. The Rockstar Energy Drink website has contests, and sweepstakes in which you can win “Rockstar Gear”, tour passes, and there is even a section where model hopefuls can send in their photos to become a “Rockstar Model” to promote the company. The Company section of the website has information about the brand, where you can buy their products, links to their international websites and press releases. The website and print ads work together in that they both promote “Rockstar” lifestyles. Their slogan is “Party Like a Rockstar” and their message is that you can live like a rockstar whether it is through music, sports, or whatever you like to do. The Rockstar Energy products will give users the energy and ability to live a “Rockstar” life.
12. Rockstar Energy Drink Print Advertisement With eleven different drink products, energy shots, and even an energy gum, Rockstar Energy has you covered when you want to “Party Like a Rockstar.” The Rockstar Energy brand wants to inform consumers that there is a Rockstar Energy Drink for everyone. Whether you want your energy low sugar, low carb, fruity, or coffee flavored they have you covered. The target audience is both males and females, ages 16-35. The print ads are all about letting the audience know that they can party like rocktars when they use Rockstar Energy products. Some of the ads feature just one of the varieties, while others have a spectrum of each of the different flavors. For example, the “juiced” varities had an ad that said “GET JUICED” with the orange colored drink being poured over the man drinking it, it gave the two new flavors of the “juiced” drinks and provided cleverly thought out information about it being 50% Juice, and 100% Energy. Another one of their ads is very colorful featuring Rockstar Energy cans in several varieties in a rainbow-like lay out. The ad has illustrated silhouettes of men and women who are dancing and partying. The ad has the Rockstar logo and a headline saying “Party Like a Rockstar” which is one of their campaigns. Rockstar Energy ads have been placed in magazines such as People, Spin, Rolling Stone, BMX, Heavy Metal, Nylon, and several other sports and music magazines. The brand image is about being a “Rockstar” in your own life, it does not have to be through music but through anything that you enjoy doing. Rockstar recognizes that their audiences have different tastes, and by providing a wide selection of different flavors it makes it easier for the consumer to individually choose the right drink for them.
13. Red Bull Energy Drink Print Advertisement Red Bull's website is filled with everything from extreme sports video clips to “Red Bull Radio.” There are 5 link titles on the main web page, Athletes & Teams, Sports, Events, World Series, and Music & Culture. Below these titles are links that include products, videos, photos, games, red bulletin, and red bull web TV. The Red Bull website seems to focus mostly on their sponsored events, including Red Bull Cliff Diving 2010, Red Bull Surfing Project Air, Red Bull Fighters Free Style Motocross 2010, among many others. Most of their sponsored events are also available to watch via the internet on Red Bull Web TV through live web cast. You can watch previous events also through the sports section, or videos section of the site. When you click to view the video there is a sidebar playlist which allows you to watch other videos related to the one you are already viewing. The events section of the Red Bull website is set up like a calender, in date order and it lists when and where all the Red Bull sponsored events are. The events are in all different countries, showing that Red Bull is a worldwide sponsor. Some of the upcoming events are WRC in Portugal, which is a car racing event, Flugtag in Istanbul, which is an extreme water sport, and Motocross in Spain. In the events section, there is a link that says “Go to Event” which gives a description about the event, greater details about where and when, several links including Facebook fan pages for the event, YouTube channels, Twitter, and Red Bull Air's Flickr page which has photos of similar events. The positioning of the website is different from the print ads, the website is mainly focused on entertainment such as video, music, pictures, and games. The website has only one section for the actual products, which lists ingredients, nutrition facts, and flavors. The print ads consist of a picture of the product and Red Bull's popular saying “Red Bull Gives You Wings.” The print advertisements are more simplistic and target a wide range of consumers. The brand message via web is definitely that Red Bull supports sports all over the world, and they want to show web visitors how involved they are when it comes to an active lifestyle. At all the events they sponsor it is clear to see that it is a Red Bull event because of the great amount of signage they use. In the videos of the events you can see Red Bull banners, signs, clothing, cars, coolers, flags, etc,. The website has a more narrow target market which is sports fans, athletes, youth, and web savvy action lovers.
14. Red Bull Energy Drink Print Advertisement Red Bull energy drink has had a long running campaign in both print, television, and radio “Red Bull Gives You Wings.” The message is short, and simple and targeted to a wide range of consumers. In identifying the target market according to Red Bull print advertisements; it is men and women, ages 16-45. The brand's mission is to inform customers about how Red Bull will give you energy. The campaign is targeted at those who live a busy life, for people who need to be energized at any given moment. Using the phrase “Red Bull Gives You Wings” is simple enough so that it reaches all of their target audience whether it is students, business men and women, people who do manual labor, party goers, musicians, athletes, or just someone who didn't get enough sleep. The print ads seen in magazines and billboards all have the catchphrase “Red Bull Gives You Wings.” The print ads have been in magazines like People, OK!, Maxim, Details, Rolling Stone, Spin, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and several others. The television ads consist of cartoon animations of different situations in which the character drinks the Red Bull and physically grows a pair of wings, where in the print ads the product itself, a can of Red Bull is illustrated with wings on it. The ads are in Red Bull colors, silver and blue, and they have the logo which is two red bulls illustrated against a yellow sun. The logo itself has become a recognizable part of their brand, it is featured on all of their advertisements, packaging, Red Bull trucks and cars, and any type of in-store displays. The goal of the print ads is to show that Red Bull it does more than just provide energy, but it “gives you wings.” The brand wants consumers to not view it as just an energy drink, but as something that will enhance your life, as well as bring you energy.
15. Most and Least Affective Red Bull, Rockstar and Monster all have extensive promotional events and sponsor organizations. They all go to great extents to get to their target market and be known. Being the market leader, Red Bull obviously has a big advantage and will be mostly seen as the most effective. They are the most known and always dominates their competition. There may be many other energy drinks on a shelf but many people will gravitate to Red Bull because it is known to be the best and most known energy drink. Monster and Rockstar are all growing fan bases and have grown significantly from when they first started a few years back. But they probably will not get the buzz that Red Bull has and continues to get. The least effective campaign out of the three would have to be Rockstar. Monster and Red Bull seem to have more of a following and have used their buzz to create a larger range of distribution and attention. Rockstar does have potential to become more very soon, if Red Bull doesn’t spice up their campaign soon people will soon become bored and want something new to have. Rockstar seems to need more of a way to get into the mass market maybe people see don’t know what Rockstar is and isn’t as familiar with it as Red Bull or even Monster.
