Marketing

Soraya Ellis

Gendered Branding in the Energy Drink Industry: A Comparative Analysis of Red Bull and Alani Nu

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Soraya Ellis is a Fourth-year communications and marketing student with a passion for storytelling, branding, and digital culture. She is particularly interested in sustainable fashion and uses her voice to advocate for thrifting as an alternative to fast fashion. Through her work, Soraya aims to connect with young audiences and create meaningful, socially conscious content that inspires change. With a creative mindset and a strong understanding of consumer trends, she continues to explore how marketing can influence both culture and behaviour.

For this assignment, my research focused on how gender is used in marketing and how it affects the way people see themselves and the products they buy. Traditionally, marketing has been very gendered, usually sticking to a binary idea of men and women. For example, men are often shown as strong, dominant, or independent, while women are usually portrayed as emotional, nurturing, or focused on beauty. These stereotypes have been repeated for so long that they’ve shaped what consumers expect from different brands.

Through my research, I found that this is starting to change, especially with younger audiences like Gen Z. A lot of people now are more aware of these stereotypes and are pushing for more inclusive and realistic representation. Because of this, brands have started to shift their approach by creating gender-neutral products, using more diverse models, and showing different types of identities and self-expression in their campaigns.

However, not all of these changes are completely genuine. Some brands are still using inclusivity more as a trend or marketing strategy rather than actually caring about representation. This can come across as performative and makes people question whether the brand is being authentic or just trying to gain attention.

Overall, my research shows that gender in marketing is evolving, but there is still a lot of progress to be made. Brands that are more honest and inclusive in their messaging are more likely to connect with audiences today, especially younger consumers who value authenticity and social awareness.

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