The History of Red Bull Energy Drink

The precursor to Red Bull Energy Drink was invented in 1976 by Chaleo Yoovidhya, a pharmacist in Thailand. The original beverage was called Krating Daeng, meaning "Red Guar" or "Red Bull." In 1984, an Austrian marketing executive named Dietrich Mateschitz discovered the drink while jet-lagged and liked it so much that he reached out to the inventor in hopes of teaming up. Between 1984 and 1987, the pair worked on the formula and marketing strategy, adding more sugar and caffeine and swapping bottles for cans to make the drink more appealing to the European market. Then on April 1, 1987, Red Bull Energy Drink was released in Austria. It was an immediate hit, and a decade later, Red Bull made its debut in the United States. It became wildly popular among the youth, especially college students, and Red Bull capitalized on this by getting involved with extreme sports and sponsoring various youth-centric parties and events. The brand also released a series of iconic commercials with the tagline, “Red Bull gives you wiiings.” By the 2000s, energy drinks had become extremely popular, and Red Bull was one of the originators of the trend. Despite health risks that can be associated with the drink for certain populations, Red Bull is still a favorite today, and the company not only regularly releases seasonal flavors or “editions,” but also plays a key role in a variety of extreme sports, including Formula 1, motocross, and skateboarding as a way of maintaining the drink’s unique branding.