Mountain Dew and Monster can drink eat Red Bull’s marketing shorts.  Just a few years ago these three energy drink companies were vying for the same (extremely liquid amped) people in the same standard advertisement ways.  Red Bull’s marketing campaign ads with the cheesy hand drawn cartoons saying “Red Bull gives you wiiings” were …

Mountain Dew and Monster can drink eat Red Bull’s marketing shorts.  Just a few years ago these three energy drink companies were vying for the same (extremely liquid amped) people in the same standard advertisement ways.  Red Bull’s marketing campaign ads with the cheesy hand drawn cartoons saying “Red Bull gives you wiiings” were the worst and least emotionally motivating to the viewer.  The other energy drink companies were content with the typical ads and promotions, but Red Bull, like its athletes, wasn’t satisfied with the status quo. Through expansive video content and marketing, they put the consumer in the driver seat with their rally car racers or on the waves with surfers.  The viewer was finally experiencing the amazing and emotional rush the athletes get everyday.  Jamie Monberg, CEO of Hornall Anderson, wrote it best for an article in Fast Company:

“The difference is not positioning; it’s experience. Branded experiences are designed interactions that leverage the inherent stickiness of participation—the strongest driver of preference we know. Red Bull has woven its brand into human experiences—not just as a sponsor, but as a participant. They walk the walk: the brand could almost be called a fan.

Red Bull’s “sponsored” experiences credibly inspire many of their consumers to authentically participate in creating and sharing “branded experiences” such as Flugtag. Mountain Dew is less credible because it is still using the old guard type of branding and messaging principles.”

Red Bull isn’t sitting on a billboard or armband; it’s actively involved out there, and using social media to maximize broadcast of their expeditions and adventures.  Their strongest form of video communication is definitely through their YouTube channel.  If you have an account, I highly recommend subscribing to them, as they dish out new short films and documentaries with their sponsored athletes and teams.  The Red Bull ad below defines this perfectly. The only person exempt from getting the chills and jaw dropping thought of “oh…my…god” from this video is Travis Rice.

Red Bull is constantly making amazing films daily around the world like this one.  Their most recent adventure is Red Bull Stratos, documenting Felix Baumgartner as he attempts to set the record for highest skydive jump from 120,000 ft in the air.  He did a “test run” at 71,500 which looked like he was jumping from space (he did have to use a space capsule to get up that high).

I consider Red Bull the BBC Life of extreme sporting, constantly documenting the unknown and never-before-seen.  They are changing the way brands can and should engage with their fans through video.  In addition to Monberg’s article, they were recently named as one of the “50 Most Innovative Companies” by Fast Company Design for this very reason.

I love that they weren’t satisfied with just being another stagnant sticker on a monster truck or skateboard.  Those old ways don’t build loyalty, raise the hairs on your arms, or wipe the drool from your face. All industries should be taking notes because Red Bull is pushing the boundaries in marketing (and extreme sports) and they’re not looking back.  Welcome to their world, the world of Red Bull.