Red Bull: Brand Positioning Case Study
Dec 13, 2022
💼 The brand: Red Bull
💛 The empathy: Customers want a drink that will make them feel awake and energized
☀️ The emotion: Energy and adventure
♟️ The positioning:
- Tagline "Red Bull gives you wiiiings" speaks to desired emotions
- Distinctive flavor and premium pricing
- Extreme sports sponsorships and stunts
An 8oz Red Bull actually has 3X less caffeine than a 12oz Starbucks coffee.
That’s surprising for most people. Because when you see a can of Red Bull you instantly think of energy and adventure.
How could you not? Red Bull has poured billions into their marketing to ensure you do.
Specifically the kind of marketing that makes you associate the feelings of energy and adventure with Red Bull.
This has meant sponsoring….
And even someone who jumped from space.
DOWNLOAD NOW: Free 5-Minute Marketing Plan [Get Your Copy]
By attaching adventurous emotions to their marketing, Red Bull has been able to make people feel energized — not necessarily because of the drink — but because of the brand.
This the power of positioning. Red Bull now dominates the energy drink category raking in over 40% of global sales.
It hasn’t been handed to them, though. Red Bull has banned in many countries. And they had to compete with Pepsi Cola’s energy drink option, Josta, throughout the 90’s.
Red Bull didn’t rise to the top because of the flavor — in fact, many despise the distinct taste.
Red Bull also didn’t beat out the competition by pricing cheaper — in fact, they’re sold at a premium.
Red Bull dominated their category because they understood the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of their target audience — and they capitalized on it.
Every business has this opportunity, but few put in the intentional work required to make it a reality.
That’s why we created the 5-Minute Marketing Plan. It includes the Brand Emotions Breakdown featured above, a Brand Vision Breakdown, and a special Messaging and Positioning worksheet.
You can get it for free right now by clicking this link.
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