Mateschitz continued in his unorthodox ways when launch- ing Red Bull in the Unitod States in 1997. He bucked the trend of aggressive and excessive promotional campaigns flaunted by Spo other start-ups in the 1990s. Instead, his young, attractive army of marketers tossed out free cans of Red Bull from a fieet of shimy even logo-bearing off-roaders with giant cans attached to the trunk. ever Word of mouth took care ot the rest In this manner, Mateschitz introduced Red Bul to the masses and built a brand image for tain next to nothing As a product that thrived on grassroots marketing, Red Bull enti depended on word of mouth. As word about Red Bull spread throughout Europe's all-night-party circuit, so did rumors. Tales spo circulated that taurine was a derivative of bull testicles or even ska bull semen. Even worse, there were rumors that young people play had died while partying too hard and drinking too much Red Bull. mile Although none of these rumors was ever substantiated, Mate- 500 schitz is convinced that one of the most important promotional obs techniques the company ever employed was to let the rumors rac fly and say nothing. "In the beginning, the high-school teachers who were against the product were at least as important as the Mu students who were for it, said Mat Newspapers asked tom ls it a drug? Is it harmless? ls it dangerous? That ambivalence is stra so important. The most dangerous thing for a branded product ent is low interest. Bit by bit, Red Bull's portfolio of promotional weapons grew. At vid times, the company dabbled in TV and print advertising. But Red per Bulls primary tactics have steered clear of such mainstream t of niques. Instead, it was Mateschitz's plan to promote the brand in a way that would go way beyond reach and frequency of cover- An age. He wanted the brandto hit young people right in the face in Cir a way that they experienced Red Bull to the fullest. He wanted to be engage customers through activities so meaningful to them that deep relationships would form quickly With that philosophy, Red Bull's promotional mix evolved into Li what it is today. The folowing descriptions are just a sample of no Red Bulls promotional techniques