Red Bull Brand Exploratory - MKTG4082

Alessandra FerrazziAngel Lee

Allyson ListerSimon Montgomery

Colin PercyDrew Schmidt

Santiago Strasser

AgendaCompany Background

Secondary Research

Survey Design & Results

ZMET Design & Results

Insights Gained

Red Bull Milestones Timeline

• Dietrich Mateschitz samples Krating Daeng, a Thai energy drink

• Helped cure his jetlag1982: Samples

Thai Energy Drink

• Dietrich loves product so much, he decides to adapt it and founds company.

1984: Red Bull GmbH founded in

Austria • 1992: Expands to Hungary and Singapore

• 1994: UK & Germany

• 1997: Hits US Shores

Global Expansion

Function of Secondary ResearchUsed to support our idea of Red BullHits strongly on two aspects of the brand

equity:Pyramid Salience & Imagery but could reach

as high as Performance & JudgmentInexpensiveFastCredible sources

Findings from Secondary ResearchSalience

Number 1 in the marketPerformance

40% drink energy drinks due to tasteMany reviews also note bad taste of Red Bull

Imagery“Extreme” and “Daring”

Judgment/FeelingsNo explicit information in secondary research

ResonanceLifestyle brand

Survey Research Design

Rationale• Larger sample size• Confirm/deny ZMET findings• Gain deeper insights into the brand’s equity• Easy to perform

Limitations• Convenience sampling is unrepresentative of

population• Difficulty interpreting free response answers

Survey Research Design

Methodology

• Convenience sampling• Complied data using Qualtrics.com• Distributed to people using social

media• Demographic, usage, and perception

questions• Likert scale, free response, and

ranking

Survey ResultsSalience

98% have heard of Red Bull before10% associate Red Bull with energy drink

categoryPerformance

90% rated a “strong” or “fairly strong” association of caffeine with Red Bull

80% rated a “strong” or “fairly strong” association of “Gives You Wings” with Red Bull

4.2% thought of “expensive” when thinking of RedBull

Survey ResultsImagery

Red Bull and alcoholVodka (8%), drinking (5%), Jaeger bombs (4%)

JudgmentVery Satisfied (13%) & Satisfied (35%)Neutral (41%)

Feelings/ResonanceNo major findings from our survey

Red Bull

Caffeine“Gives

You Wings”

Energy Drink(ing)

Other Physical

Aspects:•Sugar•Sweet•Unhealthy•Good/Bad Taste

Brand Related

Aspects:•Expensive/Premium Pricing

Drinking Related

Aspects:•Vodka•Jaeger bombs•Mixing with Alcohol•Party•Sports

Energy Related

Aspects:•Extreme•Awakening•Crazy•Strong

Brand Concept Map

ZMET Research Design

Rationale

• ZMET technique allows us to go deep• Human communication is also non-verbal (about 80%)• “implicit or hidden” data about people’s perception of Red Bull

Limitations

• Time availability• Adaptation/modification of the ZMET Technique• Participants availability/recruiting• Interpretation and consolidation of data• Interviewee unable to understand the task

Resonance

Judgments

Feelings

Performance

Imagery

Salience

ZMET Results

•All participants knew about Red Bull

•Cool/Fun•Energetic•Aspirational

Functional:•Physical endurance•Mental alertness•Fastest reaction•Concentration

Primary:•Excitement •Confidence•Empowered •FearlessSecondary:•Aggressiveness•Belonging

•Loyalty•Extravagant Lifestyle•Community:• Extreme

Sports • Parties

•High quality •Energetic•Credible•Forward thinking•Unhealthy•Social

ZMET Judgments

Positive Negative

ZMET Imagery•Cool/Fun•Energetic•Aspirational

ZMET Mental Map

Red Bull’s Sources of EquitySalience, Unique & Positive AssociationsSalience – Deep salience for energy drink

category with 98% brand awarenessImagery – Bar, studying, and extreme sportsPerformance – Functionally consistentJudgment –Red Bull #1 in favorability despite

health issuesFeeling – Excitement, community, powerResonance – Attachment, community, loyalty,

self-image

Next Steps

Evaluate positioning sustainability

Analyze competitor’s actions’ impact on Red Bull’s positioning and brand equity

Recommend future actions

Questions?