Digital marketing lessons from Red Bull’s offline marketing strategy

Digital Marketing

digital marketing

The recent supersonic skydive jump of Felix Baumgartner got a lot of recognition for Red Bull due to the 20,239,065 views that the video got. Considering how many people watched the telecast, and how prominent the Red Bull branding was; whether people liked it or not, they were made aware of Red Bull’s existence!

Let’s consider some marketing concepts that Red Bull has certainly got right; and see how they can be applied to digital marketing:

Brand Recognition through Logo Saturation:

If you see the supersonic skydiving video, you will see the Red Bull logo at every prominent place like the helmet, spacesuit, equipment, etc. So there is no way a person who saw the jump could not have seen the Red Bull logo! And the video got 10,721,991 views just on YouTube; not including the numerous television news channels and other online channels where it got featured as well the number of times it got shared. Now that’s some brand awareness!

To an extent, logo saturation is possible in the online world too. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest; every platform allows you to have a profile picture. And though research suggests that your profile image should ideally not be a company logo, it doesn’t mean the logo needs to be missed out. How about you wear a t-shirt with the logo on it? Or use an image with the logo in the background, or maybe even just wear the colours of your logo. And be consistent in terms of look and feel across all your presences online. You will be able to achieve higher levels brand awareness.

Attaining a strong loyalty among a core demographic first, and then moving on to another:

Red Bull didn’t start off on a very smooth note. In fact, it actually faced a loss of $12 million in Europe. But rather than
scrapping
Red Bull as
a
loss, Mateschitz fired all his
staff and hired a marketing firm to help him target
night clubs
and
students. Buzz
marketing became the main
focus
of Red Bull’s marketing plan. And with their guerrilla marketing techniques, they made sure they achieved what they set out for. Be it Air Races, F1 Races, a BMX ad, or the recent skydiving video; Red Bull has ensured that it places its brand and cans in the eyes and hands of its most likely drinkers: 18 to 34 year olds, especially males interested in extreme adventure. And inspite of competition like Gatorade, Coke (Full Throttle), Pepsi (AMP Energy), nobody has been able to claim Red Bull’s 70‐80%
of market share in over a 100 countries.

Even when it comes to digital media, it is important that you begin with understanding your target audience. Don’t expect them to look for you; you find out their digital hangouts and make your presence felt there. If Red Bull had gone the traditional way and done TV ads, print ads, etc. it would’ve got slaughtered by the competition. But it didn’t. Red Bull found out what activities their audience enjoyed and made it a point to be there where their target was! It worked…and how! In 2010, Red Bull posted revenue of $5.1 billion.  Today Red Bull has annual sales of around 4 billion cans in 160 countries.

Speaking the language of the target audience

If you see Red Bull’s guerrilla marketing tactics, you’ll find that they define themselves and their brand according to what their audience wants. Viral videos showing bravery, edgy stuff, evoking the adrenalin rush are some ways in which they connect with their target audience. Even their website is not like a conventional website; and is more like a video channel that can effectively connect with the youth.

Have you seen any innovative marketing that has inspired your digital marketing strategy? Does your social media agency give enough importance to understanding your target audience and creating a strategy that leverages their interests and behaviour? Do share your insights!

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