Marketing miracles

Monster: a juice company doubles the can

Hansen Natural sold juices, sodas and iced teas. In 2002 it launched an energy drink in a 16-ounce can, “almost double the size” of its own regular energy drinks. Net sales: $80.7M in 2001, $92M in 2002, $8.29B in 2025. In 2012 the company renamed itself Monster Beverage.

The method, in the company's own words, is below: image, sampling, sponsorships. Advertising and marketing came to 7.2% of sales in fiscal 2025, as its 10-K tags it.

“increase in net sales was primarily attributable to sales of our Monster (TM) energy drink”

“In 2002, we launched a new lightly carbonated energy drink under the Monster(TM) brand name”

“focus our efforts on developing brand awareness through image-enhancing programs and product sampling”

Same idea, twice the can, a new name on the door.

iPhone: “five years ahead”, by Apple's own account

Apple announced the iPhone on January 9, 2007, as three devices in one: a phone, an iPod and an internet communicator. In fiscal 2008, its first full year, iPhone sales were $6.74B (as Apple later restated them); in fiscal 2026 they were $254B, 53% of everything Apple sold.

×37.7 in 18 years, with 4 down years along the way. As a company of its own the iPhone would rank #14 in the S&P 500 by sales, between Cardinal Health and Nvidia.

“iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead”

The press release promised a revolution; the 10-K keeps the receipts.

Jordan Brand: a name on a shoe

In 1985 Nike launched a basketball shoe named after Michael Jordan, then in his first NBA season. The line grew into a brand of its own with the Jumpman logo, counted inside the NIKE Brand's revenues. Latest figure: $7.03B in fiscal 2026, 15% of Nike's revenue.

That is −19% on fiscal 2024: legends have off years too. As a company of its own it would still rank #370 in the S&P 500.

“Our Jordan Brand designs, distributes and licenses athletic and casual footwear, apparel and accessories”

A shoe named after a rookie became a brand of its own.

Costco: paying to shop is the business

Costco began operations in 1983 and charges a yearly fee just to walk in. In fiscal 2026 the fees brought in $5.91B — 51% of its operating income of $11.7B — from 84.1M paid members, about $70 each. Renewal rate: 92.3% in the US and Canada, 89.8% worldwide.

Fees have grown ×3.5 since fiscal 2010. Costco tags no advertising figure in its 10-Ks; in fiscal 2012 it described its marketing in one sentence, quoted below.

“Membership loyalty and growth are essential to our business.”

“began operations in 1983, in Seattle, Washington.”

“Marketing and promotional activities generally relate to new warehouse openings, occasional direct mail”

The best ad is a card in your wallet that you paid for.

Starbucks Rewards: the queue moves into the app

Starbucks' loyalty program pays “Stars” for purchases, which add up to free items. Its active members in the US went from over 7M in Dec 2013 to 34.6M in Dec 2024; in fiscal 2017 members' spending was 36% of sales in its US company-operated stores.

×2.6 since Oct 2017, when there were 13.3M. From 2020 Starbucks counts members active in the last 90 days, so earlier and later counts are not quite the same measure.

“with member spend representing 36% of U.S. company-operated sales”

“90-day active members in the U.S. totaled 34.6 million”

Points for coffee: the oldest trick in the café, now in an app.

Amazon Prime: free shipping, for a fee

Prime launched in 2005. By Amazon's own count it had passed 100M paid members by Apr 2018, 150M by Jan 2020 and 200M by Apr 2021. Subscription services — Prime fees plus video, music, audiobook and e-book subscriptions — brought in $49.6B in 2025.

×11.1 since 2015, the first year of Amazon's breakdown by product. As a company of its own it would rank #82 in the S&P 500.

“13 years post-launch, we have exceeded 100 million paid Prime members globally”

“There are now more than 200 million paid Prime members worldwide.”

Shipping became free the moment customers started paying for it.

Red Bull: the marketing concept came first

Dietrich Mateschitz spent nearly 3 years on the formula, the positioning, the packaging and the marketing concept before Red Bull went on sale in Austria on April 1, 1987. In 2025 the company sold 13.97B cans in 178 countries, +10.2% on the year before.

That is 38.3M cans a day. Group turnover: €12.2B ($13.8B at the ECB's average rate for 2025); as an S&P 500 company it would rank #259. Red Bull GmbH is private, so these are its own published figures, not audited filings.

“He developed not only a new product but also a unique marketing concept”

“On April 1, 1987, Red Bull Energy Drink was launched in Austria.”

Launched on April Fools' Day; the joke was on the doubters.

Coca-Cola: one drink in every 30

Drinks with the company's trademarks have been sold in the US since 1886. Today they account for 2.2B of the estimated 65B servings of all beverages drunk worldwide every day, by the company's own estimate for 2025.

Advertising cost the company $5.4B in 2025. Spread over a year of servings, that is about 0.67¢ a serving.

“account for 2.2 billion of the estimated 65 billion servings of all beverages”

“sold in the United States since 1886, are now sold in more than 200 countries”

The ads are everywhere; per glass they cost next to nothing.