| Type | Energy drink |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Thailand and Austria |
| Introduced | 1987 |
| Color | Amber |
| Variants | Original, Sugarfree, Cola |
| Related products | Red Bull Cola, Red Bull Energy Shot, Red Bull Sugar-Free, RBR Renault |
| Website | www.RedBull.com |
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz[1]. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year.[2][3] Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already existing drink called Krating Daeng which he discovered in Thailand. He took this idea, and to suit the tastes of Westerners, modified the ingredients,[4] and founded Austrian Red Bull GmbH in partnership with Chaleo Yoovidhya. Chaleo Yoovidhya invented the Thai energy drink Krating Daeng; in Thai daeng is red, and krating is the reddish brown bovine, gaur, an animal slightly larger than the bison. Red Bull is sold in a tall and slim blue-silver can. Krating Daeng is sold in Thailand and in some parts of Asia in a wider gold can with the name of Krating Daeng or Red Bull Classic.[5] Both are different products produced separately.
Their slogan is "Red Bull gives you wings"[6] and the product is marketed through advertising, tournament sponsorship (Red Bull Air Race, Red Bull Crashed Ice), sports team ownerships (Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Toro Rosso, EC Red Bull Salzburg, FC Red Bull Salzburg, Red Bull New York, RB Leipzig, Red Bull Brasil), celebrity endorsements, and with its record label, Red Bull Records, music.[7] In 2009 it was discovered that Red Bull Cola exported from Austria contained trace amounts of cocaine.[8][9][10][11][12] Red Bull has also been the target of criticism concerning the possible health risks associated with the drink.[13]
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Red Bull took many marketing and ingredient ideas from an energy drink in Thailand called Krating Daeng. Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian entrepreneur, developed the Red Bull Energy Drink brand. Mateschitz was the international marketing director for Blendax, a toothpaste company, when he visited Thailand in 1982 and discovered that Krating Daeng helped to cure his jet lag.[14] Between 1984 and 1987, Mateschitz worked with TCBG Pharmaceutical (a Blendax licensee) to adapt Krating Daeng for the European market.
At the same time Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya founded Red Bull GmbH; each investing $500,000 of savings, giving it to Ieuan Griffiths and taking a stake in the new company. Chaleo and Dietrich each held a 49% share of the new company. They gave the remaining 2% to Chaleo's son Chalerm, but it was agreed that Mateschitz would run the company.[15] The product was launched in 1987 in Austria, in a carbonated format.
In 1989, the product was expanded to its first international markets, Hungary and Slovenia.[16] It entered the United States market (via California) in 1997[16] and the Middle East in 2000.[17] In 2008, Forbes magazine listed both Chaleo and Mateschitz as being the 260th richest persons in the world with an estimated net worth of $5.0 billion.[18][19]
Red Bull contains taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, B vitamins, sucrose, and glucose. Red Bull sugar-free also contains aspartame, acesulfame K, and sucralose in place of sucrose and glucose.[20]
Red Bull GmbH also manufactures Red Bull Cola, containing the coca leaf, which has sparked a controversy in Germany regarding minute traces of cocaine.[21]
A review published in 2008 found no documented reports of negative or positive health effects associated with the amount of taurine used in energy drinks, including Red Bull, concluding that "The amounts of guarana, taurine, and ginseng found in popular energy drinks are far below the amounts expected to deliver either therapeutic benefits or adverse events. However, caffeine and sugar are present in amounts known to cause a variety of adverse health effects."[22] Another publication found that "the number of available publications that really go into the details in this topic is also rather poor".[23]
Commonly reported adverse effects due to consumption of the levels of caffeine used in the quantities commonly present in Red Bull can result in a state of central nervous system over-stimulation called caffeine intoxication (DSM-IV 305.90),[45] or colloquially the "caffeine jitters". The symptoms of caffeine intoxication are not unlike overdoses of other stimulants. It may include restlessness, fidgetiness, nervousness, excitement, euphoria, insomnia, flushing of the face, increased urination, gastrointestinal disturbance, muscle twitching, a rambling flow of thought and speech, irritability, irregular or rapid heart beat, and psychomotor agitation.[42] In cases of much larger overdoses, mania, depression, lapses in judgment, disorientation, disinhibition, delusions, hallucinations, and psychosis may occur, and rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue) can be provoked.[46][47] Extreme overdose can result in death.[48] (see Health effects of caffeine). For drinking too much Red Bull and side-effects including tachycardia (see Caffeine intoxication). A 2008 position statement issued by the National Federation of State High School Associations made the following recommendations about energy drink consumption, in general, by young athletes:[24]
The results of a study showed that the ingestion of one, 250mL can of sugar-free Red Bull, in a sample of 30 healthy young adults, had an immediate detrimental effect on both endothelial function, and normal blood coagulation. This temporarily raised the cardiovascular risk in these individuals to a level comparable to that of an individual with established coronary artery disease.[13]
Based on their results, researchers involved with the study cautioned against the consumption of Red Bull in individuals under stress, in those with high blood pressure, or in anyone with established atherosclerotic disease.[25] Red Bull representatives, however, stated that this observed increase in cardiovascular risk was not felt to be different from that associated with drinking a regular cup of coffee.[26] They also stated that they believed that Red Bull must be safe, as it was felt the only way Red Bull could have such substantial global sales is if various health authorities had concluded the drink safe to consume.
There has been at least one case report of Red Bull overdose causing postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in a young athlete.[27] A February 3, 2009 article in The Daily Telegraph called, "Red Bull 'may have triggered heart condition that killed student'" reported on the death of a 21 year-old woman who died after drinking four cans of Red Bull as well as alcohol at "social levels".[28] It was believed, but had not been proven, that she suffered from a rare heart condition called long QT Syndrome.[28] She was on medication for epilepsy. A medical examination found that there were no illegal drugs in her system. The article quoted a doctor as saying, "The QT levels may have grown over a few years, or it may have been artificially pushed over the limit by caffeine".[29]
The caffeine content of a single can of Red Bull is 80 mg/250 ml.[30][31] This is about the same as a normal coffee, or slightly less depending on the brewing method.[32] The actual caffeine level in Red Bull can vary depending on country, as some countries have legal restrictions on how much caffeine is allowed in drinks.
As is the case with other caffeinated beverages, Red Bull drinkers may experience adverse effects as a result of overuse.
Red Bull has been subject to bans in France, Denmark and Norway[33] for several years, but they have been lifted afterwards, and the energy drink was re-legalized in those countries.
The French ban began in 1996 due to concerns about taurine, a substance prohibited in several other countries. This meant the drink could not be sold as-is in France. Instead, a different recipe that did not contain the ingredient was introduced. The ban was challenged by the European Commission and partially upheld by the European Court of Justice in 2004,[33] before the French food safety agency relented in 2008 after being unable to prove definitively the existence of any health risk, taurine-related or not.[34]
Red Bull has an aggressive international marketing campaign. The numerous sponsored activities range from extreme sports like mountain biking, BMX, motocross, windsurfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, kayaking, wakeboarding, cliff-diving, surfing, skating, freestyle motocross, rally, Formula 1 racing, and breakdancing to art shows, music, and video games. In keeping with their target market of young males, Red Bull has also enlisted help from celebrities, such as Eminem that would appeal to this group (sponsoring the Red Bull "EmSee Battle Rap championships"). It also hosts events like the "Red Bull Flugtag" (German for "flight day" or "flying day") and other such contests. Red Bull also sponsors association football teams, with clubs in Austria, Germany, the United States and Brazil featuring the Red Bull trademark in their names. By associating the drink's image with these activities, the company seeks to promote a "cool" public image and raise brand power. In addition, the slender container is used to suggest a "sexier" image than some other cola counterparts. Hence, this one energy drink has helped create a market for over 150 related types of merchandise,[35] like Red Rooster and Blue Lightning.
Red Bull's slogan, "it gives you wings", is widely used in these marketing activities. Claims about the drink's effects and performance have been challenged on various occasions, with the UK's Advertising Standards Authority imposing advertising restrictions in 2001 in response to complaints first recorded as early as 1997.[36] Even with all of the concerns regarding Red Bull, in 2000 the corporation earned around $1 billion in worldwide sales and Red Bull held 65% of the market share.[37] In Malaysia, however, Red Bull does not use its "Gives you wings" slogan, but instead a single one-word slogan, Bullleh!, a word play on the Malay word Boleh (lit: Can be done) and the word Bull.
In the PlayStation 3's new social app, PlayStation Home, Red Bull has developed its own in-game island, specifically advertising its energy drink and the Red Bull Air Race event. In late November 2009, Red Bull brought out two new spaces, the Red Bull Illume space, and the Red Bull Beach space featuring the Red Bull Flugtag, both released on the same day.
In the video game Worms 3D, Red Bull could be drunk by the worms, giving them the effect of faster movement.
Red Bull is displayed on virtual track-side billboards during gameplay and in the opening cinematic in the video game Wipeout 2097.
In 2009, Red Bull added mainstream sport athletes to its roster of sports endorsements. Reggie Bush was the first NFL athlete to endorse the product. The announcement was made at the Super Bowl.[38]
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