Red Bull's Genius Marketing Ploy

How do you make something that has already proven to be a raving success in years past even more successful? Ask Red Bull and they will probably tell you, "do the same thing you did, again."

With previous Flugtag years proving immensely successful, the advertising part of the campaign almost takes care of itself. However, to make everything come together Red Bull had to know what audience to target. They boast an extreme drink for people who choose to live extreme lifestyles (thence the Red Bull extreme sports teams, who defy the laws of physics each and every day with a smile and a big ol' can of red bull in their hand).

But even if you don't live an extreme lifestyle, Red Bull may be the right energy drink for you as well. They do various psychographic analyses to figure out what exactly it is that people are into fro year to year, and tweak their campaigns accordingly. With their main demographic (adults 18-30) moving to the internet as an outlet for news and entertainment, Red Bull changed up their Flugtag campaign to utilize live streams and webcasts so people can enjoy all that Flugtag has to offer even if they aren't able to attend.

Further, Red Bull tends to focus on opportunity research more than problem research. Red Bull hasn't encountered many legal issues in years past, with the exception being several legal suits in the late 90's regarding health scares due to mixing Red Bull with excessive amounts of alcohol (which Red Bull doesn't condone, claiming that its "mixability" is purely coincidental). Even still, they tend to focus on the same opportunity each year - increase their market share and continue to DOMINATE the competition. To do so, Red Bull has released larger and larger cans of their product in the past two years, including their unrivaled 19.2oz can (the standard energy drink sits at 16oz, 24 for some I suppose).

After conducting such research, Red Bull begins its annual Flugtag tour. This tour targets 4 cities per year, hosting mammoth events with beer, food, attractive females and thousands upon thousands of free cans of Red Bull. It costs nothing to attend, and brings in tremendous crowds. While contacting a marketing professional from Red Bull seems nearly impossible (They do their own marketing and PR, and display no contact information besides the general information email form), the results are hard to ignore.

Red Bull Flugtag 2010

Arguably one of the most successfully marketed companies in the world, Red Bull allocates an unprecedented 35% of their revenue on marketing. Why do they do this? Because it works. While the price of Red Bull remains nearly twice that of all competing energy drinks, they still manage to hold upwards of 40% of the energy drink market. Their top competitor, Monster Energy, holds only a 21% market share.

Among the many famous Red Bull marketing campaigns (Red Bull Air Race & the Wings Team to name a few), one campaign has always stood out... the Flugtag.

In this campaign Red Bull offers their consumers a chance at greatness, as well as a chance to defy gravity. Teams of five are encouraged to invent creative, man-powered flying machines in which to jump off of a 30 foot dock into a lake or river. Sounds crazy right? Tell that to the 300,000+ spectators last year alone.

While this campaign doesn't necessarily advocate world change or anything of that nature, it allows thousands upon thousands of people to have a lot of fun (and also buy a TON of Red Bull). Further, this year's event boasts record levels of attendance and certain greatness.

USA Flugtag 2010 takes place in 4 cities over the course of the summer (Miami, Long Beach, Philadelphia and over very own Twin Cities). Their inclusive recruitment campaign invites thousands of potential teams to submit their ideas for approval. If selected, teams build their machines and compete for prizes ranging from luxury cruises to skydiving ventures.

This year's Minnesota event can be seen on July 24th on Lake Harriet. Get there early, because it's going to be busy...

To close, here is a short clip that really gives you an idea of what Flugtag is really about - being yourself and having a good time...with Red Bull.

Red Bull's Flugtag Campaign Materials

Each year since Red Bull's Flugtag debut season in Vienna Austria in 1991, the annual event has attracted upwards of 300,000 spectators year to year. In summer 2010 Red Bull is taking their Flugtag on another USA tour, stopping in such cities as Miami, Long Beach, Philadelphia and even our own TWIN CITIES. With this campaign comes a variety of materials.

Their main image has been famous for years. You can see it in pamphlets handed out with free cans of red bull on college campuses (Hamline included) as well as posters, the internet and almost anywhere else you can think of.

But this is not the only weapon Red Bull has up their sleeve... They also have executed a campaign to build a following of spectators who may never compete in the Flugtag, but are given the chance to go along for the ride with the "Red Bull Flugtag Roadies" materials. These materials include live stream broadcasts as well as pre-recorded videos for people to watch.

These brodcasts can be seen here:

http://redbullflugtag.blip.tv/

And finally, Red Bull's bread and butter... their priceless TV ads which were aired on all major networks. This ad is especially gripping because it mentions that regular people can enter the contest, something few may have realized.

Step Aside Supermodels - A New Sexy is "In"

Since what seems like the dawn of time, women have gone to great lengths in order to alter their appearance with the hopes of looking more attractive. While men are guilty of doing the same, the definition of a beautiful woman has historically been much more narrow. Not anymore! Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign has worked to widen the definition of beauty, giving women the confidence needed to truly be themselves. According to the film, 76% of women feel insecure. When cosmetics advertisements are seen by these women, an estimated 67% feel overweight even though only a small percentage of them actually are. This is because certain industries thrive on making people strive to achieve a level of perfection that is quite literally unattainable. Models are airbrushed. In fact, with a little computer modifications you could give me 6-pack abs and even change my ethnicity if you really wanted to.

In regards to Dove's campaign though, the more perfect the images we are exposed to are, the worse we feel about ourselves. However, Dove's campaign works to display real images of real people. This is a wonderful campaign because it emphasizes features that people are proud of, even if others don't necessarily see them in the same light. I'm a guy, and therefore I don't tend to see my own "features" the same way some women do. With guys it's all a "muscle building/how shallow can I be" competition. I'll admit, I spend way too much time worrying about how I look to the opposite sex as well. I use advertised body washes and certain types of cologne, and have also been guilty of purchasing protein powders in the past. While stimulating the economy by spending money is always positive, how we choose to spend it is not always the most productive.

One criticism that I do have however, is how ironic I find it that both Axe and Dove are owned by the same conglomerate (unilever). Their campaigns seem counterproductive. While one tells women to be comfortable with who they are, the other tells men to attract a "higher" level of women by spraying half a gallon of chemicals on themselves. To some degree however, it all makes sense. Guys probably aren't going to react to a male version of the "Real Beauty" campaign in the same way that women have reacted to it. This is probably mainly due to our egos, as well as maintaining our manly essence (which half the time makes us look like complete asses).

At any rate, I applaud this campaign. People need to be happy with who they are, because life is way too short to spend all of your time fretting about how good or bad you look to everyone else. Let yourself shine on in the way that you see fit, the rest should work itself out.

Check out the U.S. Real Beauty site: http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/.
But also, check this out:http://www.theaxeeffect.com/#/axe-campaigns/twist

An interesting contradiction, don'tcha think?

Sunchips: Doing Work for the Environment (Final)

How many times have you driven down a road and seen ditches littered with random garbage? Typically one sees this and thinks to his or herself, "Seriously? Why can't they just find a trash can?"

Well - now lazy, "I could care less" individuals go ahead and litter while those who do care can sleep at night once again; courtesy of Frito Lay.

The Sunchips 100% compostable bag, released a few months ago, claims to bio-degrade in roughly 14 weeks time. While 14 weeks may still seem like a lengthy span, other bags don't decompose at all. The bag is made of polylactic acid (PLA). PLA is a polymer derived entirely from plants, making the new bag biodegradable!

While it's true that the bag is biodegradable, snackers are not "home free." No longer can one get away with late night snacking without anyone else knowing. This is one LOUD chip bag! The subtle crinkle that most bags make has been replaced with something rivaling the sound of a jet liner coming in for a landing. Frito Lay recognizes and accepts this downside, however; apparently plant-based materials have different sound properties than their previously used petroleum-based counterparts.

So keep an eye out for the television commercials, or hop online and check out these chips at http://www.sunchips.com/healthier_planet.shtml?s=content_compostable_packaging.

They have done their part, now it's our turn to fork over the dough and buy some bags of chips. Think about it. You're gonna end up buying some form of chip anyways.

Press Release (Draft)

**This Press Release is Entirely Fictional and Created For A Public Relations Course**

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE"

March 21, 2010

Dealership Says: Not All Lemons Are Bad

(Twin Cities, MN) In the wake of the great Toyota recall, Twin Cities' Luther auto dealers are offering a chance few can refuse. Effective April 1st - June 31st, new car buyers have the chance to purchase a "lemon" vehicle. These lemon vehicles are secretly chosen and present the buyer with an additional 2,000 dollars cash back at the time of purchase.

The event, appropriately named "When Life Gives you Lemons" is set to include all of the Luther dealers in the Twin Cities/Metro area. At the time of purchase, winners see their new car drive up filled with paper lemons adorned with dollar signs. Additionally, cars not selected but purchased within the effective time period may be subject to a "rebate" via mail check.

This unorthodox marketing method was created in an effort to debunk the idea of car buyers ending up purchasing "lemon" or defective vehicle models. With levels of consumer skepticism on the rise, Luther auto dealers feel something needs to be done to rebuild trust.

"In these trying economic times, it's all about building relationships with the customers," says Walter Smithenburg, Luther GM. "Losing a little money now to establish customers for the future is definitely worth it."

For details on the "When Life Gives you Lemons" savings event, contact your local Luther dealer or stop in during normal business hours.

Founded in 1952, Luther Auto Group has become the largest family of automotive dealerships in the midwest. Grounded in the approach of customer respect, service standards and fair pricing, Luther Auto Group has maintained loyal customers for generations.

Contact:

David Williams, Hamline CLA

NonExistent PR Inc.

(651)987-6543

www.nonexistentPR.com

War Made Easy (Final)

Propaganda has been used for centuries to gain the adherence of an audience regarding generally political events (especially war). In the film “War Made Easy” the Disinformation Company Ltd. takes a critical look at the use of propaganda in the creation and maintenance of wartime support. Many concepts regarding propaganda come up in the film, such as setting a precedent for how we are supposed to act as Americans during times of war (among others). Through clouding information rather than clarifying it, governments maintain adherence by keeping the public in the dark.

The media coverage of wartime events that society is permitted to see is rarely the whole story. “Media friendly campaigns” are strongly influenced by the government and attempt to make war (specifically the current fiasco in Iraq/Afghanistan) come across as more raw or real. By embedding civilian journalists with various armed forces groups, more in depth stories and video footage can be gathered. However, what makes it to the public is screened and crafted to create or maintain support of the public. As was seen in Vietnam, once the public/middle class loses faith in the war effort – a war is lost.

Events that don’t even necessarily exist can become blown out of proportion. The US was absolutely certain that Iraq was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. However, details regarding the sources of information were never released and the public was left to simply assume that the government was telling the truth. In this new "objective" media atmosphere, when a journalist questions the information shown to the public he or she is deemed unpatriotic and may be fired or censored. Anyone who is pro-war is considered objective and patriotic, whereas anyone anti-war is considered biased and unpatriotic. For this reason anything anti-war has been generally shut down. Shows have been cancelled by their supporting networks, and journalists and educators have been fired in order to save public face.

To conclude, we can’t always simply assume that everything the government tells us is absolute truth. As stated in the film, “nothing said by a government is automatically true.” For this reason, it is on the people to use some critical analysis and formulate thoughts and opinions for ourselves.