Red Bull Branding Lessons We Are All Media Companies Now is my most popular Curatti post by a long margin. I think that’s because it was easy to see the difference in the P&G Ad from the 1950s and Red Bull’s “follow our customers and brand them” approach:
Flash forward to this video from Red Bull TV:
The distance marketing has become in 50 years is very clear.
The post prompted this great comment from Theo on Curatti:
Theo says:
Great article! “Red Bull is a media company following and feeding the aspirations of customers not the other way around.” – Yes, they live branding every day. If you look at Red Bull you do not see the product in the firs place , what you see is the “Redbullosphere” , that’s beyond marketing, simply brilliant. Thank you for this article.
Searls goes on to explain the two icebergs hitting TV’s SS Titanic: DVRs and web based CHOICE & Infinite Inventory and age / web acceptance:
The Ageberg (link shows the data table on Google docs) shows, despite cable companies desire to keep viewers captive, how the web and freedom of choice is a game changer. The younger generation’s changing consumption patterns is fueling the social / mobile web. Another implication is one I shared when discussing Red Bull’s Branding Lessons – we are all media companies now.
Curagami Score &
Does Red Bull Make Money
I received a G+ comment after posting Red Bull Branding Lessons: We Are All Media Companies Now asking if Red Bull makes money. I recognize the tone. The comment had an implied assumption that Red Bull’s marketing can’t be making money.
Let’s call this the, “Yeah but does it ring the register” objection.
In 2013 Red Bull sold 5,300,000,000 cans of Red Bull generating almost $7,000,000,000 in sales (3% growth). Monster Energy’s sales in the same period of $2,590,000,000 (9% growth). Monster may be growing more on a % basis, but Red Bull’s growth added $75,000,000 more than their competitor.
Yes Red Bull’s multi-channel and multi-media marketing efforts are making the energy brand money. Red Bull’s advantage, the engine driving growth, is a MONSTER to even think of attacking as our Curagami Score shows.
Curagami Score
There are any number of places willing to score a site’s authority or Klout. We find these scores lacking in direction or actionable content marketing information. Here is Red Bull and Monster’s Curagami Scores (expressed as %):
Compare our Curagami score to each website’s Moz authority score:
Red Bull Moz Authority 88
Monster Energy Authority 74
Red Bull’s Curagami score shows a much greater advantage for the bull than the 18% difference in authority Moz shows. Monster’s Curagami score shows specific opportunities in:
- Content.
- Community.
- Conversion.
- Conversations.
If Monster Energy was our client we would share a report showing a proprietary metric called LEI or Link Efficiency Index. Monster’s LEI shows Red Bull creates inbound links twice as fast. LEI’s point to a need for sustainable community, User Generated Content (UGC) and gamification (to promote ongoing engagement).
Our Curagami Score Report would help Monster increase relevant social conversations with customers. Our report shows value of “enterprise crowdfunding” and other asynchronous marketing models.
Instead of copying what already exists, a site’s Curagami Score Report helps find new voices, content and competitive separation. Confronting a 75% to 25% advantage requires being better at creating community than the other guy. Red Bull is a community creating machine, but there are weak spots in even their armor such as:
- Red Bull doesn’t create community as much as it publishes and brands members.
- Community means followers can easily speak to and follow each other.
- Community means more content is being created by volunteers and “uber-members”.
- Community requires some easy to understand gamification.
Red Bull is a MONSTER to attack (pun intended), but generating a Curagami Score Report finds no less than 10 immediate recommendations and up to 5 asynchronous ways to redefine the market and competition within such as enterprise crowdfunding, contests and games.
Free Curagami Score Report
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Theo is right on the money. His point about “what you see first” is a great one. If we are all media companies now how do we make markets? How do we create sustainable online community?
Media Companies After Advertising
In 2008 Engadget commissioned a study showing 85% of DVR (or TiVo) owners used the device to fast forward through at least 75% of commercials. Anyone think we are LESS engaged than in 2014 with commercials?