Katharina zu Dohna – 002518 March 2012
Ian Haan – 012174 Group 70
Jonas Ernevi – 032991
Daniel Hesselberg – 007428
Andreas Skajem Lind – 020442
Camille Lancesseur – 028198

BEM2016 - Consumer Behaviour

For what purpose do students purchase and consume Red Bull?

brief 3

red bull, a worlwide phenomenon 3 History……………………………………..……………………………3

Overall marketing strategy…………….……………………………3

MAIN BODY 4
Red Bull’s influences on sports ………………………………………...4 Sport events attracting students. …………..…………….………4 Student athletes………………………………………..………..……5 Why do students athletes then consumer Red Bull? …………...6
Students’ consumption during nightlife..………………….…………...6 The money Factor……………………………………………………….6 Perception amongst students………………………………………...6 Promotion strategy…………………………………………………….7

Student’s consumption while studying.………………………………….8

Red Bull’s side effects 10

What about Red Bull’s future…? 11

Our opinion on the company 11

References 12

appendix 1 14

appendix 2 18

The aim of the study is to analyse the consumption patterns of Red Bull amongst university students in England.
To achieve this, we focused on three main activities undertaken by students being sports, studying and going out (i.e. nightlife). We felt that there were different consumer behaviours associated with each and we wanted to highlight that feature.
An ethnographic study was created from interviewing a wide range of students, as well as shop managers, nurses, a nutritionist and a Red Bull promoter. From these interviews, we got a wider understanding and a broader point of view to help us on our case study. Surveys were carried out to get statistical insights on how sports and Red Bull’s consumption are intertwined, as well as to get general feedback from students.
Finally, we analysed the future trends of the consumption of Red Bull and its possible decline or increase in popularity.

Red Bull, a worldwide phenomenon

History of Red Bull

Well-known as “liquid cocaine” or “speed in can”, the world’s number one Energy Drink, Red Bull, has been selling on the market for the past 25 years (Red Bull, n.d).
From travelling in Asia, Dietrich Mateschitz discovered the potential of Energy Drinks and the benefits on physical and mental capacities. Indeed, Red Bull is foremost a Thai product drunk by blue-collar workers to increase concentration and energy at work. Red Bull was thus firstly launched in Austria in 1987, as a new product line. The prompt expansion of Red Bull was helped by the consumer society increasingly requiring new products, and discovering new needs. Red Bull spread around the mass market rapidly and is now available in 162 countries, with several billions of cans being sold every year (Red Bull, n.d). Dietrich Mateschitz managed to alternate Red Bull’s image, being a drink consumed by the lower class, giving it a “cooler” aspect for the Western market. He successfully targeted the appropriate markets being athletes and youth (BBC News, 2001).

Overall Marketing Strategy

The brand image created associates youth culture and sports by appealing to a specific age and lifestyle group.
The firm segments Generation Y, being an attractive market because of its size and free spending, but also being highly receptive to energy drinks. As this generation is hard to reach because of resistance to traditional types of advertising, Red Bull marketers developed new advertising plans. Indeed, the firm avoids traditional marketing strategies, and uses