Boycott Red Bull Please

[boycottredbull]

I just want to bring this to everyone's attention. Red bull needs to be boycotted for a very unfair business practice they have been utilizing in order to dominate the energy drink market. Red Bull has a lot of money, and they can use their money to start unecessary lawsuits against club owners of every size who won't carry red bull. Their lawsuits claim that a given place of business uses red bull's name to sell drinks, due to their brand name dominance, but they actually sell a cheaper energy drink without informing the consumer. They deliver their papers over and over, taking club owners to court, and eventually the cost of legal fees outwieghts the right of the club owner to keep a product out of their place of business. They force clubs into buying Red Bull. Until they stop these practices people really need to help and boycott Red Bull and give other companys a fair chance in the energy drink market. Please respond and send emails to the address posted to this account and I can add more detail with any questions you have........and please pass the word!

[ResQ Rob]

It's amazing to see the muscles Red bull can flex. Even if they do loose a big account, the will come back and literally bribe the club w/ promotional items like bar stools, or even a entire DJ Booth! They also force clubs to sign an exclusivity agreement, to me that is absurd. How many different Vodkas, and/or Rums does a bar carry? More than one, that's for sure! How many different beers? Imagine if Budweiser forced bars to only carry Bud, that would be ridiculous. I dont have too much sympathy for the copy cat drinks like Roaring Lion and/or Rockstar, but drinks like mine, Atomic-X, AMP, A-Rush are all totally different drinks than RB, and should be able to be sold along side of RB all day. Personally I dont care if a bar we sell to carries RB, give people a choice. It's great to have exclusivity w/ an account, but not if you are going to have to step on toes and burn bridges w/ the retailers to get it.

[Ron Swedelson]

I think that is crap. If anything a club should then just order 1 case or Red Bull just to say they carry it, and let it run out of stock each week. At least they can say they ordered it. But I can see their lawsuit, not that I agree with it. Coke tried to sue my father (7-11 owner). He was ordering slurpee syrup from another company. So Coke threw a lawsuit at my father saying he was selling Coke Slurpee and similar product but not using their slurpee. My father would not of beat it and he knew it. A big company like that has too much money and can do what they want with it. They knew they would loose to much busines from his 3 stores over the long run, so eventualy droped it. But you can see how big companies with bigger check books can almost do what they want. It sucks though.

[fusion]

I can see Red Bull's point. If you order a "Red Bull and Vodka" you expect to get Red Bull, not Amp, A-Rush, or KMX.

What the club needs to do is develop their own drink with a catchy name, and not rely on the Red Bull name to sell the drink.

Sort of along the lines of false advertising. Wouldn't you hate to spend $50,000 on a new BMW, only to find out it's a Yugo with a BMW logo taped to the front?

I don't think these suits are about dominating the market. They are about protecting the Red Bull name and image.

[ResQ Rob]

It's one thing if the bar is advertising they sell RB, then serve something else. But it is unrealistic to expect a bartender to correct someone every time they order a RB, and say "dont you mean a Rockstar?"

[karks88]

Yeah, can you imagine a world where someone orders a Red Bull and actually gets something that tastes good instead?!? Still, if someone would want to order one of those things, they should be getting the genuine Red Bull or be told that RB isn't on the menu.

[Sealude]

I have encountered this practice many times. If a person orders a " Red Bull and Vodka" than that is waht they should get. Many bars pass off other energy drinks as Red Bull. This is what Red Bull North America is trying to stop. More power to drinks trying to make it on their own name, but they shouldnt get sales through fooling the consumer.

[sodasommelier]

Maybe the way to get back at them is to put up a big banner that says "Red Bull is a predatory evil company that tried to force us to buy their overpriced junk and then sued us when we used a decent substitute after they brainwashed the public into ordering energy drinks by their name". Then under that "We proudly do not serve Red Bull and would appreciate your not mentioning that brand name in our establishment as it breeds resentment. If you say 'No Bull' to the bartender you get a $1 discount on your drink"

That way you are ensuring that someone doesn't specifically order "Red Bull" and get something else; catering to their 'request'. Jerks!

[SplitLevelP]

AMEN! I'm all for protecting a product but we all know where all the lawsuit scare tactics can let to a market washout of other brands due to red tape. Not cool. that is bull. now if you want red bull and ask for that if that is a option then by all means your drink should contain red bull or you should be alarted if not avilable BUT if you don't request that in the USA you damn well deserve to have a choice if a other company can FAIRLY market there drink in the same joint.Bottom line let THE PEOPLE decide not some coy ass boardroom tactic to use strongarm court & suit threats to corner market scare off others utimatly move product. cause that is not redbull that bulls**t.

[RunWithDaLilGuy]

Originally posted by boycottredbull:
Their lawsuits claim that a given place of business uses red bull's name to sell drinks, due to their brand name dominance, but they actually sell a cheaper energy drink without informing the consumer. They deliver their papers over and over, taking club owners to court, and eventually the cost of legal fees outwieghts the right of the club owner to keep a product out of their place of business. They force clubs into buying Red Bull. Until they stop these practices people really need to help and boycott Red Bull and give other companys a fair chance in the energy drink market.

that has to be one of the stupidest things i've ever seen on here. boycott this company because they do well! boycott them because they're smart enough to protect their brand name recognition.

i know that people ask you for a kleenex and you give them a puff's, when people ask for coke at a wendy's you might get pepsi and you might go "rollerblading" but not on rollerblade brand inline-skates, but in the case of red bull and whatever call drinks are made with it at the bars nowadays, red bull is too young of a brand to not be concerned about this.

i know a lot of people here are embittered. it's okay. i like being bitter too. i wish i was the guy that started red bull. that's what i'd be bitter about.

now, mr. boycottredbull, got any westlaw on this? or is this some sham here?

call me a doubter.