Most universities have exclusive contracts with beverage providers. Photo: Dwayne McIntosh

Red Bull promotions unwelcome

Schools say antics violate contracts, distract students

Megan Dean was working at the University of King’s College library last Saturday when a student came up to her with a complaint. The student was upset about a pair of Red Bull promoters who had come into the library to hand out free cans of the syrupy energy drink.

It wasn’t the first time Red Bull had come into the library. Promoters had been in the building back in December, though Dean says she only became aware of that after the fact.

“I didn’t hear about it until after they had left so I wasn’t able to tell them to leave.” But last Saturday a student complained while they were still in the library, “so I was able to chase them down. They were downstairs. They were actually hiding in one of the stacks. I think they must have heard me coming after them or something.”

Dean said they were dressed like regular students except for matching plaid backpacks.

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While students are unable to buy Red Bull at Dal, they can still get energy drinks like Pepsi's 'AMP Energy.' Photo: Dwayne McIntosh

“I asked them if they were from Red Bull and they said yes. They didn’t put up much of a fight. They seemed kind of embarrassed and they just wanted to get out of there. I told them there was no soliciting in the library, which I don’t actually know if it’s a rule, but they were bugging the patrons and you’re not to drink Red Bull in here anyway.”

University students are one of the main targets for Red Bull, an energy drink that contains more than twice the caffeine of a can of coke. Red Bull’s strategy of handing out free cans on campuses has annoyed some universities, not only because it disrupts students but because the universities themselves have contracts with beverage companies that produce energy drinks of their own.

Dalhousie is currently in its tenth year of a 12-year contract with Pepsi. According to Meghann Bryans, the communications co-ordinator for the Dalhousie Student Union, that means Red Bull can’t hand out samples at Dal.

“We have a contract with Pepsi right now and Red Bull wasn’t part of that contract. So as of right now they’re not allowed to be promoting or doing anything on campus.”

She admits that doesn’t stop promoters from coming on campus, but when they do, the university just asks them to leave.

“We’re not allowed to sell Red Bull anywhere,” says Lacey Barrington, waitress at the Grawood campus bar, when asked if staff mix Red Bull with alcohol. “We’re sponsored by Pepsi so we can’t sell Red Bull at all.”

She has seen Red Bull promoters on campus and also at the Dalhousie hockey rink, handing out cans.

Red Bull’s marketing tactics go beyond sneaking cans of Red Bull into schools. In early December last year, a Christmas tree was erected in the middle of the Saint Mary’s University campus. The Christmas tree was decorated with Red Bull.

“I think they put it up at like 5:30 in the morning, so that would have been before security would have had a chance to realize what was going on,” says Chris MacDougall, president of the Saint Mary’s University Student Association. “As soon as security got wind of it, they had a truck come and rip it down.”

Like Dalhousie, SMU also has an exclusive contract with a beverage company.

“We’re exclusive to Coke on campus, so any external group that comes on, we obviously don’t support because of our ties to competing organizations,” says MacDougall.

For Drake Peterson, head archivist at the King’s library, kicking out Red Bull is less about protecting a contract and more about protecting the peace.

“The general rule that I go by is you can’t come in here and disturb the patrons. I don’t care what you have, if you’re Jehovah’s Witness, if you’re giving away pizzas, or cigarettes, or I don’t know, anything.”

“If they came in offering us…the fountain of youth, we’d still throw them out.”

Both the local promotions team as well as the Red Bull media relations office in Toronto were contacted for this article, but did not respond.

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