11/14/06 Red Bull

In the past sports marketing was defined buy Nike, NASCAR, the NFL even Michael Jorden that has all changed , today the most influential sports marketer isn't even American, rather Austrian, and simultaneously created both a new drink category and a new way to market sports without even promoting Americas favorite sports or using famous spokespeople . Red Bull the European energy drink phenomena introduced in 1997 launched their empire by appealing to fringe sports junkies that competed in motocross, snowboarding, kayaking and triathlons and ski diving and other edgy sports Banking on it's appealing "extreme" image Red Bull now targets college kids and night clubbers who like to think they too push the envelope especially when mixing the sappy sweet energy drink with alcohol for an extra kick. Red Bull is rapidly working its way up the prestige sports ladder by purchasing a major league soccer team , sponsoring Formula One racing and most recently launching a Nascar team that will compete next year. Is the NFL or the NBA ready for the Red Bulls ?