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Is Red Bull a media company or a beverage company? It’s a question that’s been raised quite a few times in recent years. No one disputes that Red Bull began as a beverage company, but the content it creates to promote its beverages is so well done and so popular that it often does seem like a viable business in its own right. If Red Bull wanted to, the company could probably sell ads against its own content marketing.
I’d argue that Red Bull is still a beverage company because the ultimate aim is to sell beverages. If sales fell and its content marketing was no longer effective, Red Bull would presumably turn to another form of marketing and continue to sell drinks. But there’s no disputing that, for now, at least, Red Bull’s content operation functions very much like a media company. And it’s clear that more and more brands are following Red Bull’s lead and building full-fledged media divisions…
