Athletes and Teams.
With the claim that Red Bull improves athletic performance at the center of its promotional message, the brand took a page right out of the book used by Nike and Gatorade and began signing up athlete endorsers early on. Today, Red Bull sponsors more than 500 athletes-100 in the United States in 97 sports, mostly "extreme sports. And sticking with its unconventional ways, Red Bull brings these athletes into the "family" with nothing more than a verbal agreement to "support" them in achieving their dreams. Today, Red Bull's family includes such top-tier athletes as Shaun White and Travis Pastrana as well as niche athletes such as courierstyle bike racer Austin Horse and wind surfer Levi Siver. Whenever these athletes make official public appearances, the Red Bull name or logo is visible some- where on their person. But Red Bull's endorsement strategy goes beyond propping individual athletes. Red Bull owns four soccer teams: New York's Red Bulls, Red Bull Salzburg, Red Bull Brazil, and RB Leipzig. The brand also owns a NASCAR team and two Formula 1 racing teams. Many have asserted that team ownership is merely a hobby for Mateschitz, noting that none of these teams makes money. But Mateschitz says that misses the point. "In literal financial terms, our sports teams are not yet profitable,