Energy drinks: Sponsor of extreme sports and games

The sweet drink, which is said to keep you awake and fit, already has at least 38 years of history. The best known energy drink is probably Red Bull. The company was founded in 1984 when founder Dieter Mateschitz found a very similar drink in Thailand. Where the focus used to be on the drink itself, the company has poured a lot of resources into the brand itself. Meanwhile, the drink is no longer produced by Red Bull itself, but by external service providers, and Red Bull is only concerned with the appearance of its company, marketing and new projects.

Energy drinks in extreme sports
Single energy drinks have quickly emerged as sponsors of extreme sports. Established brands like Red Bull, Monster Energy, and Rockstar serve a wide variety of niches.

Red Bull
Red Bull started sponsoring very early and organizes big competitions and shows in base jumping, mountain biking, free running, snowboarding and many more. In 2015, more than 600 athletes were under contract to Red Bull. The company’s best-known stock is probably Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the stratosphere. A project that cost Red Bull 50 million euros, but that achieved a reach of at least 1,800 million televisions. The advertising value of this campaign alone is estimated at around eight billion euros. So Red Bull spends a lot of money to maintain and expand its brand. Red Bull no longer only sponsors extreme sports, but also soccer and skiing. In Germany, RB-Leipzig and the EHC Munich ice hockey team are particularly well known, along with the footballer Neymar and various ski jumpers.

monstrous energy
The can with the green US logo is primarily active in motor sports such as motocross and motor rallies, but also sports such as BMX, snowboarding and surfing. In the United States, the brand is almost on a par with Red Bull in terms of sales, while in Europe these figures are a bit lower. In its marketing, Monster focuses heavily on women and advertises with its female athletes in order to better differentiate itself from Red Bull, which advertises primarily with male faces. Then you can watch the “Snow-Cats”, a “Female Snowboarding Video” and Monster annually hosts the X-Games, the “greatest show in winter action sports”.

game sponsorship
Especially in the gaming sector, new brands are springing up everywhere. Above all, they want to differentiate themselves from established brands and redefine energy drinks. In this area it has also come that the customer has wanted to eat healthier food in recent years. In the playground, the focus is mainly on mental support, supplements from the fitness area are sometimes used to supply energy to the brain. The marketing focus on health and natural support in venues is rapidly differentiating these new brands from established brands like Red Bull.

team sponsorship
The e-sports sector has definitely reached the center of society. Big game events like League of Legends, Dota, Counter-Strike and others attract an audience of millions and the prizes are of a very high level. Esports professionals are sponsored by various brands and may make esports their primary job, just like in other sports. In Germany there are even teams from Kaufland and Schalke in the esports sector. Monster Energy has also become a big sponsor of big teams like Fnatic, Team Liquid and full events in this area. On April 5, 2022 it was announced that Dreamhack, a major e-sports event, will also take place this year, with cosplay competitions, influencer appearances and B2B areas. A big sponsor of this event is Monster Energy.

Energy drinks as an advertising partner
Twitch in particular has become one of the main sources of income for many influencers. Especially in the field of games, but also if they only talk to their viewers. One way to maximize revenue on the Twitch portal is, of course, through advertising partnerships with outside companies. Products are placed, presented or consumed in the stream. Twitch streamers are very open about their associations.

conclusion
Energy drinks have always been used for extreme sports, According to a survey almost 9 million people buy energy drinks at least every 14 days and the numbers are constantly increasing. Despite all the efforts of the energy drink marketing department, they should always be consumed with caution and moderation due to the high content of caffeine and other additives.