Course: 50121625 (Specialized and New Media Relations)

Assignment - # A 604 (PR)

Roll No – 489

Lifestyle Brand -- Red Bull

Campaign – Red Bull Stratos Mission Campaign

Introduction

Red Bull can be called as a pioneer in the energy drink category worldwide. In India too, Red bull was the brand that created the energy drink category. The brand came into existence in 19887. Red bull drink is a functional beverage. Thanks to unique combination of high quality ingredients, Red bull energy drink vitalizes body and mind. It has been developed for people who want to have a clear and focused mind, perform physically, are dynamic and performance oriented whilst also balancing this with a fun and active lifestyle.

Red Bull Startos Mission Campaign

Red Bull Startos was a space diving project involving Austrian sky driver Felix Baumgartner. On 14th October 2012, Baumgartner flew approximately 39 kilometers into the stratosphere over New Mexico, United States, in a helium balloon. The total jump from leaving the capsule to landing on the ground, lasted approximately ten minutes.

Reaching 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph), Baumgartner broke the sound barrier on his descent, thus becoming the second human to do without any form of engine power. Preliminary measurements show Baumgartner also broke two other world records. With a final altitude 38,969 m (127,851 ft), Baumgartner broke the unofficial record for the highest manned balloon flight of 17,640 m (123,491 ft). He broke the record for the highest jump set in 1960 by retired USAF Colonel Joseph Kittinger, who was Baumgartner’s Mentor and capsule communicator at mission control.

Red Bull made significant advancements in terms of sponsorship, marketing, and social media. The energy drink company that “gives you wing” received international buzz for their latest campaign. The story was not only covered by sportscasts but it was also the lead story in several newscasts, which couldn’t write the story without mentioning Red bull.

Many Celebrities and Athletes with millions of followers took to social media, spreading the word about “red Bull Startos”, and changing the customer mindset of purchasing red bull.

Main Objectives of the Campaign

Red Bull wanted to communicate the reasoning for Felix putting himself in a situation that carried such risk. Rather than have it merely be viewed as a PR/marketing stunt, they were tasked with telling the story of Felix Baumgartner’s lifelong dream to break Joe Kittinger’s record, as well as the beneficial scientific data that Felix’s jump will provide for aerospace community. Felix became the first person to break the sound barrier outside a vehicle, the kind of data that yields doesn’t come around everyday so this will provide the Startos team with insights that could be beneficial to aero space, Aviation and emerging fled of galactic travel for years and decades to come. Put simply, Red bull wanted this to be viewed as a something beyond an CSR activity.

Brand Positioning

Red Bull Represents a new category of drinks, the energy drinks. In this new market sector Red bull is perceived as a premium\high margin brand product.

Price wise Red bull is in position in which it can command a premium price because there simply is nothing to compare it with. It is a unique functional drink, promising and delivering benefits no other drink can offer. The positioning policy of the company is : Premium product, premium price and premium profitability. Red Bull has benefited from pure marketing genius because it has created a category of its own. It has defined its own positioning statement and will be known

for quiet sometime as the leader of the energy drink category. It has positioned itself as a lifestyle drink that appeals to the extreme crowd or those who love to live on the edge.

Analysis of the Campaign

While some brands are still trying to make the (outdated) distinction between different media ecosystems- events, public relations, product placement and the web. Red bull blew right past them and pushed the limits of communication and science on Sunday, October 14th. Thanks to one little Red Bull with deep pockets, and some 50 million euros to back Red Bull Stratos, Felix Baumgartner became the first man ever to break the sound barrier.

By pulling of the most expensive advertising stunt in the history, Red Bull didn’t just break all the marketing rules; the Austrian skydiver’s space mission launched the brand into the orbit, stirring the emotions of nearly every person on the planet.

It was an astonishing display of the value of human endurance, of adventure, investment and commitment. The fact that this mission to the edge of space was funded and created by a brand is simply remarkable.

Stratos was not a CSR project, but is far more than a marketing campaign. While commentators have already waxed lyrical about it as the very pinnacle of content, marketing experts believe that this diminishes the scope of the achievement.This is the purest example of the brand as a story; the brand itself has become content.

Strategies Involved in the Campaign

Red Bull’s Successful campaign had many different strategies. Some of them are:-

Pre-promotion- - They promoted the world’s records Baumgartner was trying

to break.- His preparation for the jump.

- A website with information about the jump and the equipment that was going to be used.

Community Involvement - Question period on Twitter.- Post jump press conference.- Contest to the public to guess where Baumgartner would land

after his jump.

Character Storytelling.- Former record holder Joe Kittinger is the primary consultant to

Baumgartner.- The bond between the veteran record holder and his student

captivated their audience with story.

With such a creative campaign, Red Bull may have redefined marketing strategies and set a whole other playing field by cutting out all the noise and being unique.Red Bull took huge risks, had a unique idea, invested in their idea, and took what it means to “be extreme” to space, all the making of a wildly successful campaign.

Marketing Strategies

Embrace a Sense of Purpose.

Red Bull Stratos has not only underlined the brand’s Authentic link to extreme sport and innovation, it has also provided its employees with a motivation bigger than selling energy drink for the rest of their lives.

Beyond Big Society: Do more than grow your bottom line.

Consumers may have expressed discomfort at David Cameron’s vision of big society, but Red Bull Stratos raises difficult questions about marketing taking off where government funding ends. Red Bull has taken science forward and no one is questioning it. Whether you agree that this will benefit NASA or not, there is no doubt that it is fueling a passion for science. There is a huge opportunity for brands

to carry this shift forward if they can share knowledge or deliver progress to society, whether it is through education or investment.

The main thing marketers can learn from Red Bull Stratos is that things other than charitable links or association with good causes can generate higher order of benefits. People can be equally inspired by feats like this one, which may take them vicariously into self-realization, courtesy of the brand.

Move Beyond ROI: Pitch for Emotional Impact.

Space exploration appeals to noble human interests: the desire for adventure and a belief in the power of science. For a certain generation Startos has become an “I was ther moment” which has created “almost an unfair benchmark” for marketers.

While media coverage has focused on the volume of YouTube hits, the true scope of Stratos acheivements, reverberate far beyond the marketing fishbowl. In fact, Red Bull itself has blocked agencies involved in the project from talking to the press because it doesn’t want the event to be viewed as a marketing stunt.

Embrace Extreme Marketing.

Of course, not every brand has a fearless Felix to deliver moments of greatness, but you cannot ignore the pace of change in the market. Rewind to 2008, when Honda secured reams of coverage with its live skydiving ad on channel 4. However, chances are you probably cannot remember the ad, and it’s unlikely to grace the pages of history for delivering anything other than PR for Honda.

With Stratos, Red Bull has in effect created a school of extreme marketing. Red Bull has built credibility through its support for extreme-sports athletes, the creation of current F1 champions Red Bull racing and through building a range of events from the ground up. In short, Red Bull could never be accused of simply badging events.

Behavior Trumps Brand Value.

The Stratos project also hints at a wider shift in marketing in the digital age its is no longer enough to obsess over brand valuation and image. Consumers are increasingly demanding brands to prove their worth, a shift that has huge implications for marketers.In an age of participation, brands are facing upto a fundamental shift. Brands need to ask themselves what they do for people. It is bigger than marketing from supply chain t distribution, it’s fundamentals of a how business behaves. The world’s greatest brands have changes consumer behavior nt just to boost their own bottom line, but actively improve people’s lives.

Relating The Message.

The existing brand message of “Red Bull gives you wings” can relate directly to the overall idea of the Red Bull helping Felix go into space and make this jump

This synergy between the original message and the idea of the jump created a stronger overall message.

The jump was not just for marketing purposes, scientific information was gathered in the process on behalf of NASA.

Conclusion

Major factors that contributed to the success are: Interactivity of event through social media Brand association with major event (the jump alone attracted

people). Timeliness factor through connection with scientific research

and breaking world records. Appealed to various audiences Reached consumers through story telling technique where

consumers could follow the event from start to finish.

The estimated value generated for Red Bull is in the tens of millions and Red bull Stratos will continue to be talked about and distributed socially for a very long time. With a full length documentary coming out later this year and its YouTube channel now topping 400 million views and 800,000 subscribers, Red bull really is on the top of the world when it comes to corporate sponsorships. The company made a major consumer impression and reached millions of people through one event.