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Red Bull

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For other uses, see Red Bull (disambiguation)}}}.
Red Bull is the brand name of an Austrian/Thai carbonated soft drink. Sold as an energy drink to combat mental and physical fatigue, it contains, per 250 ml serving, about 27 grams of sugar(glucose, sucrose), 1000 mg of taurine, 600 mg of glucuronolactone, B-complex vitamins and 80 mg of caffeine. The caffeine in one serving is a little less than that found in an average cup of coffee (100 mg/8 oz. cup) or twice as much as found in a can of Coke (40 mg/12 oz. can). A sugar-free version has been available since the beginning of 2003. Almost 1 billion of the slim 250ml cans were sold in 2000 in over 100 countries, 260 million of them in the UK. In 2003, almost 2 billion cans were sold in over 120 countries.

Contents

Origins

A Thai Krating Daeng bottle
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A Thai Krating Daeng bottle

Dietrich Mateschitz traveled to Thailand and saw that the tuk-tuk (rickshaw) drivers drank a substance to keep them energized throughout the day. After some alterations to the recipe, and a flavor modification for the public, Red Bull was born. He adapted it from the Thai beverage Krating Daeng (กระทิงแดง), which translates into the English language as Red Gaur. In 1984 he approached the local firm TC Pharmaceuticals to license it. They agreed, and took a 51% stake in his firm, Red Bull GmbH. The architecturally spectacular headquarters are located in Fuschl am See, Austria.

Marketing

Initially, Red Bull created a strategic program to provide "cool" post-secondary students with free cases of the drink, and then convince them to throw a party. This viral campaign created a noticeable ripple effect, boosting sales.

It was launched in Europe in 1987, supported by sleek advertising and, with its high-priced small blue-and-silver can, targeted at young urban professionals (a.k.a. yuppies). The international advertising slogan of Red Bull is Red Bull Gives You Wiiings, which focuses on the stimulant properties of the drink.

Since the initial viral parties, Red Bull's efforts have included sponsoring extreme sport events, including cliff diving, bmx and skateboarding. Red Bull also sponsors the Red Bull Flugtag ("flight day" in German), a competition where entrants launch themselves off a 30-foot ramp in home-made "flying machines" into a body of water and its own version of the Soapbox derby called the Red Bull Soap Box Race. Red Bull has had a sponsorship presence in a number of sports for some time especially in the world of motorsport, with the company having a presence in the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) especially the Abt Audi team, KTM Factory Motocross Team, Moto GP, A.J. Allmendinger's ride in the Champ Car World Series, World Rally Championship, The SEAT team in the World Touring Car Championship, Rhys Millen's Pontiac in Formula D and owning two Formula One teams, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso ('Team Red Bull' translated to Italian). The team previously sponsored the Sauber Formula One team, the Red Bull Cheever Racing Team in the IRL, and in 2007 will sponsor a Toyota in NASCAR's Nextel Cup, where they are also a personal sponsor to Robby Gordon. Also Red Bull is now sponsoring the Cyberathlete Professional League and its own air racing event called the Red Bull Air Race.

An Indonesian bottle with both 'Krating Daeng' and 'Red Bull' on the label
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An Indonesian bottle with both 'Krating Daeng' and 'Red Bull' on the label

They have since extended their presence to purchasing and entirely re-branding a number of sports teams. These teams include the Red Bull Racing (previously Jaguar) and Scuderia Toro Rosso (Italian for Red Bull Team) (previously Minardi) Formula One teams. Red Bull Racing had a competitive first season in Formula One in 2005, and Scuderia Toro Rosso made its debut in 2006 as a 'B' team. Red Bull also has sponsored various racing drivers including NASCAR driver Robby Gordon and Formula One drivers Christian Klien, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed. Red Bull is sponsoring two new NASCAR teams under 2007; racing under the new Toyota Camry label. On April 6, 2005 Red Bull also bought the Austrian football (soccer) club SV Austria Salzburg and renamed it to Red Bull Salzburg, a move which has been heavily criticised by supporter groups within Austria and across Western Europe. Salzburg's pro ice hockey team is named "The Red Bulls", and so is its farm team. The MetroStars Major League Soccer team, who are based in New Jersey, were purchased from former owner Anschutz Entertainment Group and renamed Red Bull New York. AEG and Red Bull are building Red Bull Park for the team in Harrison, New Jersey, to be completed in 2007-2008, which would likely remain in AEG's control.

Aside from that, its Thai unit has been responsible in forming and funding the Red Bull Barako basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association since 2000. It has become one of the most successful sports teams in the Philippines.

Red Bull's campaign car.
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Red Bull's campaign car.

In addition to sports sponsorships, Red Bull has developed the MET (Mobile Energy Team) program. The teams consist of mostly college students, who drive specially designed Red Bull "Racers". The racers are detailed with the Red Bull logo, and most carry an oversized can of Red Bull on their chassis (Suzuki Vitara, MiniCooper, SportTrac, etc.). The METs complete daily missions that include bringing energy where it's needed, sporting events, businesses, etc. METs and sponsored athletes are the only people (technically) allowed to sport the Red Bull logo on their clothing.

Mixed Drinks

Red Bull is popular as a mixer, notably with vodka or Jägermeister which is called a JägerBlaster or JägerBomb, or (when served with the Jägermeister still in a shot glass) a Train Wreck. In Ireland, a non-alcoholic cocktail of Red Bull and red lemonade is called "a kick in the bollocks".

Imitators

Due to Red Bull's popularity, countless imitations have been created, including Blue Ox, Red Rooster, American Bull, Mad Croc, and Shark. Overall, Red Bull has created a category that currently includes 125 products in the USA market. Several supermarket groups have created their own house brands. Examples include Tesco's Cranberry Diet Kick and ASDA's Lemon & Lime flavoured version. In Canada, RELOAD, Sobe Arush, Red Rain & Red Rave are popular imitations. RELOAD made a name for itself in the media with a great press review by launching its line of drinks while knocking off the shelves big players such as KMX of Coca-Cola in Montreal convenience stores. In addition, several celebrities have launched their own energy drinks. Examples include rap superstar Nelly's energy drink, Pimp Juice, and Lil Jon has brought out the Crunk!!! energy drink.

Despite its rapid success having quickly attracted imitators, Red Bull is still dominant in the energy drink market (70 percent of the marketshare in 2003). Due to such copies, one of the most popular cocktails made with Red Bull, Vodka Red Bull, otherwise known as a "Reddy" or "Raging Bull", is sometimes made with imitators in clubs and bars, such as Roaring Lion or Monster. This has resulted in a handful of a lawsuits by Red Bull North America, who alleges that consumers requesting Red Bull were given another energy drink in its place.

Potential health risks

In 2001, the drink was investigated by the Swedish National Food Administration after being linked to the deaths of three consumers. It has been subject to a number of other health scares regarding glucuronolactone, a precursor of taurine. Sale of Red Bull as a normal soft drink is prohibited in Denmark, Norway, and France. Due to the link with taurine, local authorities categorized Red Bull as a medicine and suggest customers ask for medical advice before drinking. Because of this, only energy drinks without taurine are sold in France. The official imported Canadian Red Bull is a caffeinated version of Thai Krating Daeng. Until late 2004, its sale was prohibited in Canada. Now a can must carry a warning label that says:
"Cautions: Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children, pregnant or breast-feeding women, caffeine sensitive persons or to be mixed with alcohol. Do not consume more than 500 ml per day."
However, no such warning label is present on cans sold in the U.K., though people who consume the beverage in excess (more than 2-5 250-ml cans in a 24-hour period) have been known to express discomfort, such as nausea, stomach pains, gas, and/or sleeplessness. British supermarket chain Morrisons refuses to sell Red Bull to customers under the age of 16.

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Doctors and nutritionists have warned of the dangers of mixing caffeine and alcohol in excessive quantities. Their warnings, however, are mostly unheeded as people who appreciate alcoholic beverages feel strongly that the benefits of mixing Red Bull with alcohol far outweigh the risks and take stimulants such as caffeine in order to avoid getting drowsy while drunk. Mixing Red Bull with alcohol (most commonly Vodka and Jägermeister) has become increasingly popular among college-aged crowds and club goers, increasingly gaining what can only be described as a "cult-like allegiance." Heavier drinkers of alcoholic Red Bull drinks have cited "euphoric feelings." Many studies have been performed to determine the actual effects on the human body after consumption of Red Bull with alcohol: most finding solely that the mixing of a depressant with an energy drink can lead to abnormal heart rhythms and future heart problems. [link]

Compare with the results of clinical trials PMID 11897259. The director of biomaterials research at the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore reported found the most wear occurred, in descending order, from -- lemonade, energy drinks (especially those with citrus (i.e. Citric acid) flavors such as Red Bull), sports drinks, fitness water, ice tea and cola. [link]

Ingredients

Water, Sucrose, Glucose, Acidifier Sodium Citrates, Carbon Dioxide, Taurine (0.4%), Glucuronolactone (0.24%), Caffeine (0.03%), Inositol, Vitamins (Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, B6, B12), Flavourings, Colours (Caramel, Riboflavin)

CBC claims laboratory tests of 320mg/L of caffeine and 4g/L of Taurine in Red Bull energy drink.

Red Bull Distribution

The Red Bull company also distributes and markets a number of other drinks in the United Kingdom including the Carpe Diem range of herbal soft beverages, and the Sabai Wine Spritzer, the later in association with the Thai Siam Winery in Thailand.

External links

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