The drink craze that in Europe is giving clubbers the energy to stay up all night - and then perk up for work the next morning - is presenting a complex set of cultural challenges for marketers in Asia.
Red Bull, described by its makers as "the energy drink that gives you wings", is being guzzled by the gallon worldwide, despite concerns in some markets about the lifestyle it encourages.
But while marketers in the West are selling it as a hip, edgy party mixer, those charged with promoting the brand in Asia are finding they have unique social and religious sensitivities to negotiate.
While the "European strategy of Red Bull as a cocktail mixer with vodka works in the most developed, international cities such as Hong Kong, a different approach is required in other markets.
In Malaysia, for instance, the fact that the majority of people are teetotalling Muslims means a bar focus would be doomed to fail. The challenge, therefore, is to create an image of a drink for all occasions.
And in Thailand, which was home of the original Red Bull recipe, a new Red Bull product has been launched so that two distinct markets can be targeted without trendy teens being lumped together with weary manual labourers. The drink itself works by speeding up the body's metabolism.
One can contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of filter coffee, along with B vitamins, sugar, and taurine, an amino acid.
Fans say it's the next best thing to cocaine, and there are plenty of fans around; last year, more than a billion cans of Red Bull were drunk in more than 50 countries worldwide, and in some markets its sales are stronger than Coca-Cola.
Ironically, the idea for Red Bull came from Asia, where founder Dietrich Mateschitz spent time on buiness in the '80s and noticed the success of different energy drinks. He launched Red Bull in the Austrian market in 1987 and the brand's worldwide growth has been phenomenal.
In Asia though there are major differences in how the brand is being presented. For a start it comes in a bottle, rather than a can - to build on its association with health drinks - and the marketing message is very different too.
While Red Bull has never been found to endanger health (in fact, transport authorities in some countries have credited it with reducing the road toll by stopping drowsy motorists from nodding off at the wheel), it will have to move away from its associations with clubbing and as a potent alcohol mix, to succeed in many Asian markets. With all these issues to contend with, Richard O'Brien, chief creative officer with TBWA-ISC in Malaysia, has a task on his hands. The agency recently took over the Red Bull account for the country from J. Walter Thompson.
O'Brien says a new campaign will be launched in the new year, with ad hoc work around festivals in the meantime. "The image of Red Bull as a drink taken with Absolut doesn't really apply here. The trend is to drink it on its own, he says. "The drink is taken as an energy drink and its base is more in blue-collar and students, which is what we're trying to open up to make it a far more acceptable drink. The alcohol problem isn't a problem."
O'Brien says even those Malaysians who do drink alcohol tend not to mix it with Red Bull. There have also been reports that the drink can be dangerous - although largely because of its ability to keep drinkers going beyond their natural staying power.
But the safety issue is not one that TBWA-ISC plans to address in Red Bull campaigns, even though the Malaysian Government ordered it off the shelves for a brief spell last year because of concerns about the effect on drinkers' health.
"It's something that's been proven now not to be an issue, and as soon as you say 'it's safe' then people start to question that, O'Brien says.
"We want to make it a much broader-based usage of a product, and we'll certainly be trying to convince people that it's harmless."
O'Brien says the religious sensitivities of the market will actually help rather than hinder the brand's marketing. Free samples are to be handed out to motorists stuck in traffic jams during Hari Raya, the Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan in December.
North of the Thai border, meanwhile, an entirely different strategy is in play. Red Bull is rumoured to be spending 400 to 500 million baht (US$91,450 to $114,321) a year on advertising in Thailand, and has come up with new packaging and a new marketing plan aimed at getting the best of both worlds.
The original Red Bull drink is being pitched as a pick-me-up for taxi drivers and blue-collar workers, while Red Bull Extra, sold in a can instead of a bottle, is linked with motor sports, extreme sports and concert sponsorship to capture the imaginations of active, trendy teenagers and bar-goers.
Red Bull's spokeswoman in Thailand could not be reached for comment, and the company's agency in Bangkok, Ogilvy and Mather, said it had been barred by the client from talking about the product and the campaign.
It is too soon to judge the effectiveness of these variations in approach, but if Red Bull can prove equally appealing to Asia's truck drivers, amateur athletes, conscientious students and hung-over office workers, it will signal a victory for the magic of marketing.
