Red Bull GmbH facts for kids
Headquarters in Fuschl am See, Salzburg, Austria
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| Private | |
| Industry | Conglomerate |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | Fuschl am See (Salzburg-Umgebung), Salzburg, Austria |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | |
| Brands |
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| Services | |
| Revenue |  €11.227 billion (FY 2024) |
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Operating income
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€1.3 billion (2018) |
| €650 million (2018) |
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| Owners |
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Number of employees
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15779 (2022) |
| Subsidiaries |
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Red Bull GmbH is an Austrian company famous for creating the Red Bull energy drink. They are also well-known for supporting many sports events and teams around the world. Their main office is in Fuschl am See, Salzburg, Austria.
Contents
The Story of Red Bull
The Red Bull company was started in 1984 by an Austrian businessman named Dietrich Mateschitz and a Thai businessman named Chaleo Yoovidhya. Mateschitz discovered an energy drink called Krating Daeng in Thailand that helped him feel better after long flights. He saw a great idea for a new drink in Europe.
So, Mateschitz and Chaleo decided to work together. They each put in $500,000 to start Red Bull GmbH. They agreed that Mateschitz would be in charge of running the company.
Between 1984 and 1987, Red Bull changed the original Krating Daeng recipe to suit European tastes. They added bubbles and made it less sweet. In 1987, they launched their new energy drink in Austria, calling it "Red Bull." It quickly became very popular, especially among young people working in cities.
The brand grew across Europe in the early 1990s. By 1997, it had become a huge hit in the United States, taking over 75% of the energy drink market in just one year. Red Bull continued to grow, and by 2022, the company had sold over 11.5 billion cans worldwide, making it the most-consumed energy drink on the planet.
Red Bull also sells other drinks, like Simply Cola and a range of herbal soft drinks called Carpe Diem. In 2018, they launched a line of organic sodas called Organics by Red Bull, most of which do not contain caffeine.
How Red Bull Reaches People
Red Bull is famous for its clever ways of advertising and connecting with people.
Creative Advertising
Early on, Red Bull gave away free drinks to college students. This helped the drink become popular very quickly. Since then, Red Bull has become known for its cool marketing, especially targeting young people through sports and entertainment.
Since 1992, Red Bull has made many animated TV commercials with the slogan "Red Bull gives you wings." These cartoons show characters who grow wings after drinking Red Bull. These ads have been shown in over 170 countries.
Red Bull also uses music and video games to promote its brand. They have worked with famous people, like the rapper Eminem, to sponsor events. They also host fun events like art shows and the "Red Bull Flugtag" (which means "flight day" in German).
Red Bull Media House
Red Bull has its own media company called Red Bull Media House. This company focuses on sports, lifestyle, music, and games.
They publish several magazines, including The Red Bulletin (about lifestyle), Servus (about food, health, and gardening), and Terra Mater (about nature, science, and history).
Red Bull Media House also includes Red Bull TV, Red Bull Photography, Red Bull Music Academy, and Red Bull Records.
Special Cars and Planes
Red Bull has special "Mobile Energy Teams" (METs). These teams, often made up of college students, drive unique Red Bull "Racers." These cars have the Red Bull logo and often a giant Red Bull can on top. The METs visit sports events, businesses, and colleges to share information about the drink.
The company also owns and operates many historic airplanes and helicopters for promotions. These aircraft are part of the Red Bull Air Force and The Flying Bulls.
Music and Arts
Red Bull is very involved in the music world. In 2007, they started their own record label called Red Bull Records. They also have a recording studio in Santa Monica, California. The Red Bull Music Academy organizes music workshops and festivals around the world.
The brand also sponsors the Red Bull Batalla de Los Gallos, which are battle rap competitions in many Spanish-speaking countries.
In the visual arts, Red Bull Arts is a program that supports artists. Artists get a place to work and money for supplies to create new art. Some of this artwork has even been used in Red Bull advertisements. They also have an international art competition called Art of the Can, where artists create works using Red Bull cans.
Video Games and Esports
Red Bull has a presence in the world of video games. In 2009, they created their own island in the PlayStation 3's social gaming platform, PlayStation Home, to advertise their drink and the Red Bull Air Race event.
Since the 2010s, Red Bull has sponsored many esports players and video game personalities. They also support several esports teams, including the Dota 2 team OG, G2 Esports, and Cloud9. In the Formula One Esports Series, Red Bull has won several championships.
Red Bull in Sports
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Red Bull has used sports sponsorships as a major way to advertise for a long time. They started sponsoring athletes in 1989, focusing on motorsports and extreme sports. Over time, they expanded to more popular sports like basketball and soccer. As of 2016, Red Bull sponsored over 750 individual athletes and more than a dozen teams.
They support many sports, including motorcycle racing, mountain biking, aerobatics, BMX, motocross, windsurfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, kayaking, cliff-diving, BASE jumping, parkour, surfing, and Formula 1 motor racing.
In the 2000s, Red Bull started owning sports teams, especially in soccer and ice hockey.
Motorsport Teams
In 1995, Red Bull first sponsored a Formula One team, Sauber. In 2004, they bought the Jaguar team and renamed it Red Bull Racing for the 2005 season. The next year, they started a second team called Scuderia Toro Rosso (which means "Team Red Bull" in Italian). This team was later renamed Scuderia AlphaTauri and is now called Racing Bulls.
Both Red Bull Racing and its sister team have won Grand Prix races. Red Bull Racing has won the Constructors' Championship in Formula One multiple times, including in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, and 2023. Their drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, have also won many Drivers' Championships.
Red Bull Racing used Renault engines for many years before partnering with Honda. In 2021, Red Bull even started its own engine division, Red Bull Powertrains, which will make its own engines for their teams starting in 2026 with help from Ford.
Red Bull has also sponsored NASCAR teams and many other motorsport teams and drivers around the world in rally racing, touring car racing, and more. They also promote the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, where pilots race planes through a special course.
Extreme Sports Events
Red Bull is a big supporter of extreme sports. They organize events like the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, where divers jump from very high places into water. They also host the Red Bull Flugtag, a fun competition where people try to fly homemade machines off a ramp into water.
Another popular event is the Red Bull Soapbox Race, where teams race homemade, non-motorized cars down a hill. In winter, they have Red Bull Crashed Ice, an ice cross downhill event where skaters race down an icy track with turns and drops.
Soccer Teams
Red Bull is very active in association football (soccer). On April 6, 2005, they bought the Austrian club SV Austria Salzburg and renamed it Red Bull Salzburg. They also own FC Liefering as a team for younger players.
In 2005, Red Bull bought the MetroStars, a team in Major League Soccer in New York City. They renamed the team the New York Red Bulls. Red Bull also paid for the team's new stadium, Red Bull Arena (now called Sports Illustrated Stadium), which opened in 2010.
In 2007, Red Bull started a lower-division team in Brazil called Red Bull Brasil. In 2019, they took over another Brazilian team, Clube Atlético Bragantino, and renamed it Red Bull Bragantino. This team won the 2019 Série B championship and moved up to Brazil's top league.
In June 2009, the company bought the football license of a German club and renamed it RB Leipzig. Their goal was to reach Germany's top league, the Bundesliga, within ten years, which they achieved in 2016. RB Leipzig has been very successful, even playing in the UEFA Champions League.
In May 2024, Red Bull bought a small share in the English club Leeds United and became their main shirt sponsor. In August 2024, they took over the Japanese team Omiya Ardija, making it their first Asian club.
Ice Hockey Teams
Red Bull also owns ice hockey teams. They first sponsored EC Salzburg in Austria in 1987. In 2000, Red Bull fully bought the club and renamed it Red Bull Salzburg.
In 2012, Red Bull became the main sponsor of the German team EHC München and took full ownership the next year. They also helped pay for the team's new arena, SAP Garden.
Cycling and Other Sports
Red Bull sponsors many cyclists, including famous riders like Danny MacAskill and Wout van Aert. In January 2024, Red Bull announced plans to buy a majority share in the professional road cycling team BORA-Hansgrohe.
Red Bull also helps organize the Wings for Life World Run, a global charity race where all entry fees go to spinal cord research. They sponsor the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team and the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
Images for kids
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Red Bull advertising car
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Red Bull's TAH-1F Cobra helicopter owned by the Flying Bulls
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Red Bull's DC-6B landing at Salzburg Airport
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Red Bull's Bell AH-1F Cobra during the 2013 Radom Air Show
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Toro Rosso, a Formula One team for young drivers
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Hiroshi Aoyama riding a Red Bull KTM 250 FRR
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Marc Márquez riding a Honda RC213V with Red Bull sponsoring
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Thierry Neuville driving a Red Bull-sponsored Citroën DS3 WRC
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Kirby Chambliss racing in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship
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Red Bull Flugtag 2010 in Stockholm
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See also
In Spanish: Red Bull (empresa) para niños
