logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
45m 17s

⚡ Red Bull: How The World Got Its Wiiing...

Wondery
About this episode

What’s keeping us up at night (besides our own thoughts)? An 8.4-oz blue-and-silver can of caffeine, taurine, sugar, and flavoring that’s part LaCroix, part Robitussin. Red Bull is not only America’s best-selling energy drink, it was its first: before the Bull, ‘energy drink’ in Illinois meant two Diet Cokes and a coffee chaser. But Red Bull’s reach is global, and its story actually begins halfway around the world. Learn about the Bangkok pharmacy owner who invented Red Bull, then gave it out for free in rural Thailand; and the Austrian toothpaste marketer who built it into a $19B global brand; and how Red Bull got so into extreme sports - it invented its own. (Flugtag, anyone?) We’ll tell you why every business needs a north star word, how an epic product needs a seed AND fertilizer, and why Red Bull is the Best Idea Yet.

Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter

Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Aug 19
🏰 Disneyland: The Fantasy that Almost Flopped | 45
Who wouldn’t want to visit the happiest place on Earth? Well — at the start of the 1950s, it seemed like no one did, at least not when Walt Disney pitched the idea. Sure, Walt had revolutionized animation with Steamboat Willie. And he'd had critical successes with classics like S ... Show More
42m 3s
Aug 12
🍜 Instant Ramen: The Incredible, True Story of “Mr. Noodle” | 44
It’s postwar Japan, and entrepreneur Momofuku Ando has lost everything—his business, his home, and his savings. In fact, the whole country has been ravaged by air raids, and people are hungry. But when he stops at a black-market noodle stall and watches desperate people line up f ... Show More
41m 41s
Aug 5
🥃 Hennessy: From King George to Kendrick | 43
A wounded Irish soldier crawls from a blood-soaked battlefield in the French countryside. He survives, but his fighting days are over. So he settles in the Cognac region, and in 1765, starts a modest brandy business. Richard Hennessy could never dream that 260 years later, his na ... Show More
41m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
RECAP: Red Bull Racing's (Un)Serious Race Series
We recap Red Bull's Las Vegas (Un)serious race series race in the Las Vegas desert, what happens when a hovercraft gets a puncture, Max Verstappen's "Fintstones" strategy, Daniel Ricciardo flippin' the bird, Yuki Tsunoda being a precious baby angel we must protect at all costs, a ... Show More
31m 39s
Mar 2025
Why That Worked #11: Starbucks—The Brand that Changed How the World Drinks Coffee
Exciting news, Hero Makers! We’re sharing a new episode of Why That Worked – Presented by StoryBrand.AI, with Donald Miller back in the host seat. This new show uncovers why certain ideas, brands, and strategies succeed—so you can think differently and apply those insights to you ... Show More
35m 27s
Jul 9
Horner sacked by Red Bull - what's behind the bombshell move?
The bombshell news that Christian Horner has been ousted as Red Bull team principal is explained in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast. Jon Noble and Mark Hughes join Edd Straw to discuss his sudden departure and the circumstances surrounding it - including the potential i ... Show More
48m 19s
Jul 9
Horner sacked by Red Bull! | Reaction as Christian Horner leaves Red Bull and what does the future hold?
Simon is joined by Ted Kravitz, Martin Brundle and Karun Chandhok for a special episode reacting to the news that Christian Horner has been sacked by Red Bull. We discuss what may have led to this decision, who is replacing him and what the future may hold for the Brit who has be ... Show More
47m 55s
Oct 2023
2023 USGP LIVE SHOW IN AUSTIN: RED BULL GIVES YOU WINS
We just got back from Austin and WHEW what a weekend. Shout out to Red Bull for the INSANE paddock and garage access (yeah, you may have seen us on TV...).The guys recorded LIVE at the Vulcan Theater and talked about Sir Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's wood problems, Logan S ... Show More
1h 17m