Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac →
Dietrich Mateschitz is the Austrian CEO of Red Bull. It sold 4.2 billion cans of its drink, including more than a billion in the U.S. alone.
Lessons
On message control:
A curious hybrid of a mogul, Mateschitz has a zest for life that rivals Richard Branson’s, but his obsession with controlling information puts him closer to Steve Jobs. Like the Apple (AAPL) chief, Mateschitz pulls the strings behind a consumer cult. And cults rely on message control.
On rumors and gossip:
The company let the gossip travel unchecked, and even set up a page devoted to the rumors on its website. “In the beginning, the high-school teachers who were against the product were at least as important as the students who were for it,” says Mateschitz. “Newspapers asked, ‘Is it a drug? Is it harmless? Is it dangerous?’ That ambivalence is so important. The most dangerous thing for a branded product is low interest.”
