Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2018

to be actively consumed by different groups of people, as a variety of lifestyles and different

demographics could be improved by consuming the product. Essentially expanding from

their one rather small target market, Red Bull began to make their product available to other

various groups of people including construction workers, athletes, and high school/university

students by distributing their product into convenience and grocery stores (International

Directory of Company Histories, Vol.60, 2004). ! Is social media responsible for selling the product?

Although social media is one of the key factors as to why Red Bull was able to succeed in

becoming the world’s largest energy drink brand, there is no guarantee that the large number

of promotions for Red Bull placed across multiple social media platforms is the specific

reason as to why the product is sold today. Contrarily, there are other functions within the

product that make it more likely to sell itself based on those qualities rather than through

social media promotion. One of these functions is the packaging of the product itself.

Although it may seem trivial, Red Bull has considered even the way in which their product is

presented to consumers, in order to differentiate themselves from competing energy drink

companies and even other soft drink products. Not only is the size and shape of every can

different compared to the typical can of other major drink brands, which helps Red Bull’s

products to stand out amongst other brands, but they also place images of athletes local to

each country of sale performing activities on the can. Through this, Red Bull strengthens its

brand awareness by reminding consumers that Red Bull is key in helping them achieve their

maximum potential and that people who have experienced success are associated with the

beverage.

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