Red Bull’s Foundation strategy did not tie to its mission around action sports and therefore created a chasm between consumers and stakeholders’ understanding of the brand’s giving initiatives. 

The RipplEffect team was brought on to design and deploy an impact strategy to align Redbull’s Foundation dollars with its brand mission while increasing internal engagement with Gen Z consumers — specifically within Red Bull’s Student Brand Manager demographic (SBM’s), who were declining in purchasing behavior and switching to more health and eco-conscious brands.

1. Designed an impact strategy and partnered with youth skate-group, San Rafael Extremo in San Jose, Costa Rica, who recently experienced a murder in their community from youth skating in dangerous neighborhoods. 
2. We worked with RedBull and Costa Rican municipalities to designate a government approved skate park location in a central area of San Jose and designed and executed a skate park build that included an after school program curriculum, “School Before Skate”, requiring local youth to complete their homework before accessing the park. 
3. The activation raised funds through consumers, matched by a large grant from RedBull along with a land grant from the Costa Rican government and equipment donations from ARC. 
4. The inaugural ceremony included locals and international volunteers along with RedBull sponsored athletes (Ryan Sheckler) and a select number of RedBull SBM’s to participate in an expense-free social-impact trip for the grand opening. 
5. The skate park was then gifted to the city of San Jose, creating a safe space for youth to come together (free of violence), while promoting education through the School Before Skate programming.