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.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
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.
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.
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:
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.
Monday, May 3, 2010
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?
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?
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