The Red Bull advertising team has been taking its fair share of lumps this week after and advertisement aired on British TV. The Red Bull ad suggested that the 1,500 people who died in the sinking of the Titanic may have survived if Red Bull had been on board because, "Red Bull Gives You Wings." It has been over 100-years since the Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage from South Hampton to New York City. A few days into the voyage the sink dubbed "Unsinkable" struck an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Ever since the Titanic disappeared underneath the waves of the Atlantic the events surrounding the circumstances of her sinking have been at the forefront of the popular mind. An insufficient number of life boats, the type of metal used and the rivets holding the steel plates together have all held a share of the blame for the Titanic's demise. Captain Smith and Bruce Ismay are also blamed for what happened on the night of April 15, 1912. Ismay is blamed more often than the captain. With Smith it seems to be a lack of communication between him and his officers that doomed many of the people on board the RMS Titanic.
The Red Bull ad featuring the Titanic first aired in Germany and then made its way over to the UK. In the cartoon ad we see a man hoisting a shipping container of Red Bull onto a ship. The name of the vessel is covered by the container of Red Bull. The Captain walks over and asks the man loading the energy drink what he is doing. The man replies to the Captain that he is loading "Red Bull the energy drink." The captain laughs and says on his ship they only drink Champagne and orders the man to take the Red Bull away. "Yes but Red Bull gives you wings," the worker says.
"Huh wings? Why on earth would you need wings on a ship?" the captain asks with a laugh. As the man loading the drink gives the signal for it to be placed on the dock the name on the side of the ship is revealed, Titanic. The captain continues to laugh and walks away. The ad ends with the Red Bull slogan, "Red Bull Gives You Wings." Almost immediately after the advert aired on British TV advertising watchdogs were slammed with over 50 complaints regarding the "tasteless and offensive ad."
Clifford Ismay is a relative of J. Bruce Ismay, he spoke with the British newspaper The Telegraph and said he felt the ad was created in poor taste. "I have a sense of humor but I really don't like the idea - in fact I find it quite sickening considering so many people died on that night. With their slogan 'Red Bull gives you wings' I can only assume that they are referring to the idea that if all those people had Red Bull - or wings - then they would have been ok. It's despicable. I think the Titanic, and the people involved, should be treated with dignity and respect."
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