Red Bull’s Ad Awareness surges in Australia, but Buzz and Consideration splits by gender

Red Bull recorded the largest increase in Ad Awareness among brands tracked by YouGov BrandIndex in Australia in February 2026. The observation period coincided with a sustained burst of activity – from product launches to the Red Bull Hardline Tasmania event, followed by a McDonald’s collaboration tied to the Australian Grand Prix.

However, lower-funnel metrics tell a more divided story. While awareness strengthened, Buzz and Consideration moved in opposite directions based on gender – highlighting a potential gap in how different audiences are responding to the brand’s activations.

Red Bull records Ad Awareness surge in Australia

The energy drink brand recorded a 6.7 percentage-point increase to Ad Awareness over the month, making it the most-improved brand tracked in Australia.

The period included brand activity for Red Bull, including the introduction of new product editions in early February, and the Red Bull Hardline Tasmania event on February 7–8. Ad awareness increased over the course of the month, rising from 20.6 on February 1 to 27.3 by February 28.

The second half of the month saw a McDonald’s collaboration featuring a co-branded McCafé drinks range with Red Bull-infused “energisers”, initially rolled out across Victoria and Queensland ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

Breaking Ad Awareness by gender provides further context on how the increase was distributed across audiences. Ad Awareness remained higher among men than women throughout February, although the increase over the period was larger among women, rising from 18.3 to 26.3 compared with an increase from 23.8 to 28.5 among men.

Buzz builds — but not for every demographic

Overall, the Buzz score increased over February, rising from 3.5 on February 1 to 7.8 by February 28. However, this increase was not evenly distributed across audiences.

Among men, Buzz rose from 5.4 at the start of February to 14.5 by February 28. Among women, scores remained significantly lower and more variable, rising from 1.8 to a mid-month peak of 5.3 before declining to 2.1 by the end of the period.

Across all groups, Buzz rises sharply within a short mid-February window, increasing by around three points among men (5.5 to 8.7), nearly three points among the  general population (4.1 to 6.8), and more than two points among women (2.9 to 5.2) between February 12 and 16.

In Victoria and Queensland, where the McDonald’s collaboration was first launched, Net Buzz rose from 1.5 at the start of the month to 7.5 by February 28. By comparison, the national average increased more gently from 3.5 to 7.8 over the same period.

Consideration moves in opposite directions by gender

While Ad Awareness and Buzz increased overall, Consideration showed a different pattern, with a slight decline at the total level. Across the population, Consideration declines over the month, falling from 16.1 on February 1 to 14.0 by February 28. Among Australian men, Consideration increased over the month, rising from 11.2 on February 11 to 19.7 by the end of the month. Among women, scores declined from 14.6 to 9.2.

While Red Bull clearly won attention in February, awareness didn’t convert equally across audiences.  As men lean in and women pull back, the data suggests a potential gap for the brand to explore.

Red Bull’s performance in February points to strong gains in upper-funnel metrics, with Ad Awareness and Buzz increasing over the month. However, this momentum is not reflected uniformly in Consideration, which shows diverging trends across genders.

Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Ad Awareness is based on the question: “Which of the following General Retailers have you seen an advertisement for in the PAST TWO WEEKS?” Buzz is based on the question: “Over the PAST TWO WEEKS, which of the following beverage brands have you heard something POSITIVE about (whether in the news, through advertising, or talking to friends and family)? / Now which of the following have you heard something NEGATIVE about over the PAST TWO WEEKS?” Consideration is based on the question: “When you are in the market next to purchase beverages, from which of the following would you consider purchasing?” Scores are reported as net scores (Buzz) and percentages (Ad Awareness, Consideration), based on daily nationally representative surveys of Australia adults, weighted to census targets. Figures are shown as a 4-week moving average with sample size ranging from 794 to 854 between February 1 and February 28, 2026.