List all the ways that Red Bull’s promotional efforts are unique from the mainstream
Sports sponsorship
The Red Bull brand has been proactive in sponsoring different sports events across the globe. At present, the brand is associated with sports events such as the Moto-GP, Red Bull Rampage, Red Bull Wake Open, and the Red Bull Sharpshooters among others. Through these sponsorships, the brand has expanded its target market and has patent rights for the Red Bull Crashed Ice annual event. This strategy is very unique in that the Red Bull brand has capitalized on this strategy to penetrate its sports market segment (Parente 13).
Music and entertainment
The Red Bull brand is known for its endowments and active sponsorship of major music and entertainment events across the globe. The sponsorship has been extended to entertainment events such as film, teams, creative media, and video games. For instance, the Red Bull Flying Bach has been the most notable beneficiary of the sponsorships. Besides, the famous Red Bull Canvas Cooler event has become a national sensation for international artists. Since such events appeal to all the target market segments for the Red Bull brand, the company is in a position to indirectly reach its market without having to use the traditional methods of product promotion. Besides, these events target audience from regions beyond their current market base. As a result, this strategy may become instrumental in product market expansion (Parente 13).
Athletes and teams
With a message of performance vitality promise, the Red Bull brand has occupied similar status as the other global sports merchandise such as Gatorade and Nike. At present, the brand has extended its activities to sponsor more than 600 athletes who participate in extreme sporting activities. Among the notable beneficiaries of Red Bull’s athlete sponsorship strategy include renowned sports personalities such as Shaun White, Austin Horse, and Travis Pastrana. The brand is also a proud owner of sports teams such as Formula 1 racing team, NASCAR, and New York’s Red Bull among others. Through these sponsorships, the brand’s visibility in the dynamic market is sustainable since these events attract global interests in terms of viewers. As a result, the brand has easily penetrated the energy drink industry within the local and international markets (Parente 13).
Programming
Red Bull has in the recent past penetrated the programming strategy to market its brand. For instance, films such as That’s it, That’s all have become popular among the target audience of the Red Bull brand. In a bold move, the company has gone ahead to establish the Red Bull Media House which is an extensive media network. The network promises to glue the activities of the Red Bull in the minds of customers. Thus, the brand has the capacity to be market as a global lifestyle drink among corporate companies and other market segments (Parente 13).
Which promotional mix elements does Red Bull use? What grade would you give Red Bull on integrating these elements into a core marketing communications campaign?
Product: The concept of Red Bull is an innovative idea to deliver an unparalleled experience of vitality to target customers (O’Brien, par. 5).
Physical Evidence: Assuring the targeted customer and market segments about the content of the Red Bull drink with its visibility in the sporting, athletics, and programming activities (O’Brien, par. 4).
Place: The Red Bull is presented as inseparable from sporting activities. Therefore, its usage cannot be separated from sports events (O’Brien, par. 5).
People: The Red Bull has undertaken extensive sponsorship of different artists, athletes, and global events. Thus, customers may find it easy to associate with the brand’s initiatives to give back to society (O’Brien, par. 7).
Will Red Bull eventually need to embrace more traditional media marketing in order to keep growing? Why or why not?
Red Bull will eventually need to embrace more traditional media marketing in order to keep growing, especially when targeting clients who are sports, entertainment, and programming lovers. In order to effectively reach such an audience, television advertisement will be ideal since it covers a wide market area. Through these events, Red Bull has become a global brand that is preferred by most sports enthusiasts (O’Brien, par. 5).
Describe Red Bull’s target audience. Are Red Bull’s promotional techniques consistent with that audience?
Red Bull targets sports, programming, and entertainment lovers. Since this group is spread across the world, the company’s promotional techniques are consistent. For instance, endorsement of major entertainment, sports, and celebrity personality would easily cue the minds of the target audience who already have a cult-like following of such events (Griffin and Moorhead 15).
At some point, will Red Bull have to branch out beyond its target market? Will it need to alter its promotional strategy in order to do so?
The company will definitely have to branch out beyond its target market due to the brand dynamics and the need to expand its market base. The company will have to decentralize its marketing strategies to meet the specific demands or consumer behavior if it decides to implement internalization strategies into foreign markets. For instance, if the company decides to open a production and marketing brand for the China market, it will have to change the sports sponsorship strategy it uses in the US to a different event that appeals to the Chinese. For instance, the company may sponsor Judo and use localized advertisement messages that will help this market segment to identify with the brand. In addition, the company may have to change its branding strategy to appeal to the unique customer behavior in China (Gelder 24).
Works Cited
Gelder, Van. Global Brand Strategy: Unlocking Branding Potential across Countries, Cultures and Markets, London, UK: Kogan Page, 2009. Print.
Griffin, Ricky, and G. Moorhead. Organizational behavior: Managing people and organizations. New York, NY: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.
O’Brien, James, How Red Bull Takes Content Marketing to the Extreme. 2014. Web.
Parente, Donald. Advertising campaign strategy: A Guide to Marketing Communication Plans, Ohio: Thomson South-Western, 2006. Print.