Did Red Bull save Mick Fanning from shark? Sponsor under fire over press conference

NZ Herald

22 Jul, 2015 08:26 PM2 mins to read

Australian surf champion Mick Fanning (R) and his friend Julian Wilson (L) recount their close encounter with a shark at a press conference held in Sydney after they flew in from South Africa on July

Red Bull and Rip Curl have been accused of hijacking Mick Fanning's near-death encounter with a shark.

The companies' logos featured prominently in a media conference Fanning and fellow surfer Julian Wilson held after the shark attack.

Both sponsor the Surf League J-Bay Open competition, during which the attack occurred, and both contribute to the bank accounts of Fanning and Wilson, both of whom earn more than $2 million through corporate sponsorships.

Wilson, who swam to save Fanning from the shark, and Fanning himself held Red Bull cans and sipped from them during the half-hour-long interview.

Wilson wore a cap with the Red Bull logo and Fanning one with Rip Curl's front and centre. Behind them were two surf boards emblazoned with the companies' logos.

You could be forgiven they were doing an advert for the companies - and the point wasn't lost on social media: