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You know the slogan: “Red Bull. It gives you wings!” A majority of people read it as a clever bit of branding, one indicating the energy drink’s high caffeine content, and leave it at that. But where there’s a slogan with wiggle room, a class-action lawsuit is rarely far behind, and so Red Bull will now be paying anybody in Canada who felt misled by that slogan, and would like to make about $10 as compensation for their disappointment.




Daily Hive reports that Red Bull has settled a class-action filing from this past February, to the tune of $850,000, over accusations of deceptive marketing. The lawsuit was built upon the premise that “drinking Red Bull does not give you ‘wings’ or result in improved performance.” As noted by Daily Hive, the suit was largely a replica of another successful class-action suit against Red Bull, filed in the U.S. in 2013. That American suit was eventually settled to the much higher tune of $13 million.

In the case of the Canadian lawsuit, it’s probably worth noting that the plaintiff “originally tried to receive compensation from the U.S. settlement but was unable to do so. The Canadian legal action is a near copycat of its American counterpart with one addition. [He] claimed that Red Bull did not provide sufficient information regarding mixing the drink with alcohol.” At this point, Red Bull’s settlement seems kind of like when a parent gives in to their child’s incessant screaming and buys them a toy just to get them to stop.


Anyway, if you happen to live in the Great White North, and you’ve imbibed Red Bull between 2007 and now and/or feel that it’s been telling you unforgivable lies over that span of time, you can collect your $10 online. The $10 will also not give you wings, improve your mental performance, or otherwise benefit your daily lifestyle, but then you probably know that, because you have a basic understanding of how advertising works.