Last week, a report by ‘Which?’ said that many customers feel annoyed and misled by supermarket products which imitate established brands. You know the sort, those annoying copycat labels that you accidentally pick up when you’re in a hurry. While many supermarkets would be quick to wheel out the PR team after such negative publicity, Aldi seem to be revelling in it.

In the last twenty years, Red Bull has rewritten the marketing rulebook. By employing innovative ways of building brand identity, the mid 90s saw them force their way into an already crowded market. Thanks to their endless portfolio of endorsements and sponsorships, they have made themselves synonymous with the extreme sports world.

This is no mean feat, keeping up this image without looking dated. Where Pepsi Max failed, Red Bull has managed to succeed, until a cheeky German supermarket came along.

Truth be told, few Red Bull drinkers spend their time base jumping, white water rafting or parachuting from the edge of space. The top three places to find a red bull drinker are; in a club chugging it with vodka, on the motorway in a lorry, or in their bedroom watching porn at four in the morning.

Without putting it into so finer words, Aldi’s advert addresses this perfectly. In the mind of the viewer, one likable old man has shot down twenty years of tireless brand building. But what can Red Bull do to protect themselves?

Well, nothing really, not under present law. The European Commission, however, has accused the supermarkets of ‘parasitic copying’ and is trying to introduce legislation to stop them, but this is easier said than done. Ok, so they may be able to stop blatant rip-off packaging, but brand identity is a much more grey area.

There will never be anything Red Bull can do to stop others subtly referring to their brand like this. Although they can buy as many football and motorsport teams they like, they cannot buy the term ‘base jumping’, not yet anyway.