Red Bull & AJ Dybansta: A Marketing Case Study

Red Bull is going all-in on NIL after signing the No. 1 high school basketball recruit, AJ Dybansta. Their latest campaign exemplifies how aligning the right athlete with a brand’s identity can create unmatched marketing synergy, leveraging Dybansta’s electrifying basketball talent and Red Bull’s thrill-seeking image. With the campaign gaining national attention from outlets like ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Sports Center, what helped this marketing campaign effectively reach a 30+ million audience, and where did this campaign fall short despite their ambitious ethos?

This marketing case study covers Red Bull’s marketing campaign with AJ Dybansta, their marketing strategy, and how Red Bull’s NIL investment will foreshadow exponential dividends in the foreseeable future.

How Red Bull Grew Its Wingsss

Red Bull doesn’t sell energy drinks, and they don’t even sell a feeling. Red Bull sells the ultimate feeling - the adrenaline rush that gets your heart pumping and leaves you on the edge of your seat, eagerly anticipating what comes next.

This feeling has generated more than $4.184 billion for Red Bull, a 35.71% increase year-over-year, marking significant growth for the company as they eagerly work towards more exciting projects and goals. So what is Red Bull’s new, exciting feeling?

Red Bull & AJ Dybansta

Red Bull went all-in on the 2025 class by landing the number one ranked recruit, AJ Dybansta. His comparisons to Tracy McGrady and his exceptional basketball resume made this partnership a strategic win for Red Bull. Dybansta is not only the top recruit, but he’s also projected to go first overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, having the highest ceiling out of any recruit in his class. 

“I think it’s a great partnership, it’s going to be beneficial for both of us. I think we fit right in with each other, so it’s going to be good. It’s going to be special.” - AJ Dybansta

But what makes this partnership a marketing masterpiece? This partnership isn’t just a perfect fit - it’s the best fit Red Bull could have wished for out of any high school recruit. Combining his championed basketball resume with a world-class sports brand, and you get the perfect blend that intersects sports, marketing, and nationwide press. So how was this perfect storm created? Let’s take a closer look:

Red Bull's Marketing Blueprint

Matched the Messaging With the Man

Red Bull, Nike, and many sportswear brands have mastered the art of endorsements by signing athletes that aren’t just the best at what they do, but do so in a light that mimics or reflects the brand’s image. While Red Bull sells energy drinks, they’re known for their extreme sport, thrill-seeking imagery that is seen throughout their marketing and videos. Take a scroll through Red Bull’s Instagram or YouTube, and you’ll quickly find yourself in a rabbit hole of adrenaline-spiking videos like jumping from space to F1 races, and everything in between. 

Now imagine this feeling directly applied to high school basketball - that’s what you get with AJ Dybansta. He is, quite literally, a bull in a china shop when he’s on the court - wreaking havoc and dominating with ease at every step. His one-of-a-kind athleticism and talent made him the ideal NIL target for Red Bull, and while he is the most-expensive NIL athlete in his class, he will certainly turn into a strong ROI for Red Bull through this season, next season in college, and his upcoming departure for the NBA.

“Red Bull gives you wings, and I can for sure fly - so it’s a special partnership.” - AJ Dybansta

Selective Social Campaigns

While Red Bull had nearly every social media channel at their disposal, all with seven to eight figure followings, their focus was solely on Instagram for their marketing with Dybansta. Despite the unorthodox approach, this tactic proved to drive incredible traffic and engagement - with posts receiving more than 35,000 likes and hundreds of comments. 

Posts surrounding this campaign extended beyond the typical basketball photoshoots. Red Bull strengthened Dybansta’s tie to the brand by picturing him in other sports such as mountain biking and working in corporate (since we all have our field days). Red Bull’s social media strategy with Dybansta not only promotes this exciting chapter, but also provides behind the scenes footage that helps the audience feel more connected and a part of something special.

Leveraged Organic Outlets for Growth

Red Bull had great brand and athlete awareness when building out their marketing campaign with Dybansta. Being the number one high school recruit means loads of coverage, face time, publications, YouTube videos - the whole nine yards. Dybansta is no different. In a recent podcast interview, he hinted that he has been offered brand deals as young as eighth grade - which has only grown exponentially since the NIL was introduced. 

“They had starting reaching out a few months ago, but what they had to offer was second to none - there were no wrongs. My parents and I are very smart with which deals we choose, but the smart ones we have to take advantage of it.” - AJ Dybansta

Red Bull leveraged platforms like ESPN, Bleacher Report, Forbes, and SportsKeeda to promote their brand - even if it was a subtle as a beanie Dybansta wore during an interview. These targeted media outlets provide added credibility, press, and strategic awareness to new audiences - especially those outside of the extreme sports world. 

As Red Bull continues to grow its market share, one of their prominent goals is to grow beyond the extreme sports arena and continue infiltrating traditional sports - similar to what we’re seeing with basketball, football, gymnastics, etc. Acquiring Dybansta is a monumental move for Red Bull towards NIL, but a smaller step when measured in their grand scheme of things. The picture will continue to get bigger as more athletes join the Red Bull team. 

Product Marketing During Monumental Moments

The best piece of marketing content was Red Bull pulling back the curtain for Dybansta’s college commitment. To reveal the school, Red Bull brought in a sky diver to jump out of plane with a hat from the school in hand - building incredible anticipation. Once the diver lands, he hands the hat to Dybansta to share his announcement to his 405,000 followers and Red Bulls 26 million.

Selecting BYU was both the smartest and obvious decision. BYU is the hometown team that has an entirely rebuilt basketball program full of ex-NBA staff that is ready to go all-in on college hoops. Coupled with a seven-figure NIL deal, and you land the nations best recruit. His announcement was also aired on ESPN’s show First Take, where Red Bull had clever product marketing by having Dybansta wear a branded beanie during his commitment interview with Stephen A. Smith.

Encouraged Self Promotion

If Red Bull needed to get one thing right, it would be empowering their athletes to use their voices in promoting the partnerships. This speaks volumes beyond the corporate level by providing an authentic, genuine approach to an audience that values relationships and and inclusivity. Don’t be fooled, Red Bull’s marketing is intentionally one-of-a-kind and professional - because it needs to be in order to drive billions of revenue. However, there is always something to be said about having a sponsored athlete take initiative by going on a podcast and promoting their newest partnership. This not only reaches a new audience, but sheds light to the brand in a new, refreshing angle that sparks conversations.

Where Red Bull Could Have Improved

Despite the success of signing the number one ranked recruit, Red Bull had areas where they could have enhanced their campaign’s reach.

Increased Social Media Presence

With basketball being one of Red Bull’s most-watched, highest earning sports their athletes participate in, why not invest more into this? Especially with the likes of Dybansta, Red Bull had the opportunity to really make a mark on not just their basketball marketing, but NIL marketing and how they treat their new teammates. 

While this marketing campaign featured highly-engaging, attention-grabbing videos, it walked the fine line between exclusivity and scarcity. On one hand, all of Red Bull’s videos and athletes are exclusive - and require an incredible amount of skill to both perform and produce the video. However, producing a limited amount of content felt like the brand could do more - which is what fans and followers always want to see.

Including Dybansta on Website’s Athlete Roster

At the time of this marketing case study, AJ Dybansta is not listed on Red Bull’s Athletes web page, despite the promotion from Red Bull’s social media accounts. There is likely additional context to the underlying reason, such as age restrictions, but it has not been confirmed.

Conclusion

Red Bull made a splash with their latest NIL signing in number one recruit, AJ Dybansta, and their latest marketing campaign surrounding their partnership solidified Red Bull as a new destination for upcoming athletes looking to land NIL deals. With the help from a polarizing social media presence, strong web traffic, and golden opportunities for growth, Red Bull created a eye-catching marketing strategy poised to pioneer NIL sports marketing in 2025 and beyond. Their buy-high, sell-higher strategy for Dybansta’s partnership will likely go down as one of the best decisions the company has made, but only time will tell. 

About the Author

Nick Jelderks is the Founder & Digital Marketing Director of Triple JJJ, a media company documenting the marketing of sports and culture. With 30+ marketing case studies generating nearly 150,000 impressions within the past year, Jelderks has emerged as a thought-leader, continually disrupting the marketing and media space with industry-leading deliverables.

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