Transmedia Marketing Through Storytelling - Red Bull Stratos Case Study by: Corinne Blair - November 2013

1. Transmedia Marketing through Storytelling
Mgmt 461.74, UCI Extension, Fall 2013
Red Bull Stratos Case Study
By: Corinne Blair
1
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013

2. Description
Red Bull created an entertainment event documenting Felix
Baumgartner journey and ultimate record-breaking free-fall jump
On October 14, 2012, from more than 23 miles above the earth. The event,
called Red Bull Stratos, became the biggest digital live event on record.
Took seven years to develop.
Intended Market
• Red Bull is the brand for people who push the boundaries - thrill-seeking,
extreme energy-driven junkies, adventurous, risk-taking, young, and/or
young-at-heart.
• Red Bull also wanted to reach a secondary target market – the mainstream
market.
2
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013

3. Main Narrative
To transcend human limits. Mission to the edge of space.
Red Bull Stratos purpose was to help advance scientific discoveries in
aerospace for the benefit of mankind. The purpose was not to set records.
Part of the program’s goal was to research extremes.
Red Bull Stratos was a scientific project.
Primary Medium
Branded Event Marketing
Live video stream on dedicated web site
YouTube.com
3
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013

4. Platforms Used
• Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Foursquare, YouTube, Dedicated Website,
Documentary Film, Merchandise (i.e., hats, shirts, etc.).
• Brand-generated hashtags - #Spacejump #RedBullStratos #LiveJump #Stratos
• Felix Baumgartner Twitter participation – written at 2.45pm on Sunday 14th October.
At 3.18pm Felix Baumgartner tweeted, “One small step for man, one giant step for energy
drink marketing.”
• The event was carried on nearly 80 TV stations in 50 countries.
• The live webcast was distributed through 280 digital partners and racked up 52 million
views, making it the most-watched live stream in history.
• Red Bull filmed the event and streamed it live online building a content rich site, including
videos, images, articles, information, data and competitions.
• The footage used to create a documentary and the data will be given to NASA and a host
of other medical and scientific programs.
How each platform contributed to the overall narrative
• Red Bull documented the entire event journey resulting in an ongoing entertainment
vehicle that attracted audience engagement by keeping track of the mission from start to
finish. Audiences had access to the back story, the history, and the practice jumps. Plus,
Red Bull keep the audience coming back over and over by pulling them into the drama as
the jump was postponed and delayed.
• Red Bull‘s Twitter strategy provided up to the second updates and incredible images to
generate Red Bull buzz, influencing the audience to tweet and retweet over the few days
leading up to the event and even after the event was over.
4
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013

5. Launch Plan
Prior to the actual event
Strategy focused on engaging the audience via social media and multiple
interactive elements talking about the team members, technological advances and
challenges, and the scientific data that will be recorded from the mission.
Interactive elements included live chats, a platform to allow consumers to ask
questions to the team, and a multi-platform event RSVP tool that unified social
invitations across all platforms.
❖Result: 2MM new accounts subscribing for Red Bull updates within 15 days
before the event. Giving Red Bull permission to continue building a relationship
and creating ongoing interactions.
For the final mission
Created easy ways for fans/customers to share on various platforms, including a
Twitter integration on the YouTube page, plus a well-planned approach to
distribute official Red Bull hashtags - #Spacejump #RedBullStratos #LiveJump
#Stratos.
❖ Result: More than 1MM unique users contributed to the conversation on
multiple occasions extending and creating authentic engagement. There were
more than 2MM unique user actions, as the audience’s Twitter posts increased as
the event drew closer, igniting constant conversation.
5
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013

6. Audience Engagement
As one tweeter put it: “So If I buy a Coke, they spend my money advertising Coke.
But if I buy Red Bull, they launch people to [the] edge of space and let them jump?
Sold.”
✓Over 8MM concurrent live streams on YouTube (world record)
✓More than 27 million YouTube views
✓3.2MM Tweets on certified hashtags. #redbull received 74,000 mentions on the jump day.
✓Over half the Twitter trending topics globally
✓22,000 photos on Instagram
✓Over 1MM Likes on a Facebook photo.
✓3 world records, and tons of PR and media attention.
PLUS -
✓820,000 pieces of positive content created
✓400% increase over average length of consumer engagement
✓50,000 distinct links shared - Red Bull remained central to the discussion throughout.
✓61,634,000 trusted impressions generated across social channels. (peer-validated earned media)
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013
Red Bull also increased sales! In the six months immediately following Stratos,
sales rose 7% to $1.6 billion in the U.S., according to research firm IRI.
• According to the private company, Red Bull sold 5.2 billion cans worldwide last year, a 13%
increase over the year prior.
• In the U.S., sales jumped 17%, while markets as varied as South Africa, Japan, Saudi Arabia,
France and Germany also saw double-digit sales gains.

7. Summary
Danielle Long coined ‘Red Bull as the king of branded content’ and the ‘posterchild for transmedia storytelling’ in her
article Red Bull goes stratospheric, published October 25, 2012, on http://theonecentre.com/bar/blog/red-bull-goes-
stratospheric-with stratos-project
The success of Red Bull Stratos is summed up well by Sarita Harbour in her article Red Bull Stratos
Project Takes Content Marketing to New Heights, published October 17, 2012 on
http://www.contentstandard.com/content-marketing/red-bull-stratos-project-takes-content marketing-to-new-heights/
✓ Short snappy headline: Red Bull Stratos, just three words, effectively conveys the company name and event’s
purpose (jumping from the edge of the stratosphere). Plus, it is short, snappy, and an easy-to-search and share
keyword phrase.
✓ Red Bull knows their customer: This event appealed to the target audience, capturing their attention quickly.
✓ Event Ownership: Red Bull invents and partners with extreme sporting events that are synergistic with their
customers’ affinities. Plus, they own media properties, including magazines, apps and feature films, which adds
more depth to solidify their brand essence.
✓ Reflect your brand, don’t sell it: Red Bull uses subtle and effective branding throughout each platform/medium
(i.e., logo on YouTube video) Content first, Brand second. Red Bull invites the audience/consumer to participate,
instead of just talking at them. A key element of Transmedia Marketing.
✓ Create content people want to share: Red Bull Stratos was exciting , entertaining and engaging content that
people wanted to share.
✓ Native Transmedia Style: Elements of each platform fit together encouraging consumers to consume the content,
share it, become brand evangelists, and buy more Red Bull products.
7
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013

8. References
Lucky Turner ( January 2013 ), Multimodality in Transmedia Narrative: Red
Bull Stratos. How did the team behind Red Bull Stratos produce a successful, transmedia narrative? , Retrieved
November 3, 2013 from http://storify.com/lucykturner/multimodality-and-narrative-red-bull-stratos
Danielle Long (October 25, 2012), Red Bull goes stratospheric, BAR, Branded Arts
Review, Blog, Retrieved, November 3, 2013 from http://theonecentre.com/bar/blog/red-bull-goes
stratospheric with-stratos-project
Amy Kellow (January 15, 2013), Red Bull takes out 2012's best transmedia campaign, Retrieved November 3,
2013 from http://www.adnews.com.au/adnews/red-bull-takes-out-2012-s-best-transmedia-campaign
Sarita Harbour (October 17, 2012), Red Bull Stratos Project Takes Content Marketing to New Heights,
Retrieved November 3, 2013 from http://www.contentstandard.com/content-marketing/red-bull-stratos
project takes-content-marketing-to-new-heights/
Calum McGuigan (October 16, 2012), Red Bull: Masterminds of New Age Marketing, Retrieved November 3,
2013 from http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/viral-marketing/red-bull-masterminds-of-new-age-
marketing/#sthash.auxHTdiS.dpuf)
8
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013

9. References
Janelle Schenher (October 22, 2012), Marketing at the End of the Earth, Retrieved November 3, 2013
from http://www.twochicago.com/blog/index.php/marketing-at-the-end-of-the-earth/
Natalie Zmuda (September 2, 2013), Red Bull's Stratos 'Space Jump' Wowed the World – While
Selling a Lot of Product Energy-Drink Giant Proves Branded Stunts Can Pump Up Sales, Retrieved November 3,
2013 from http://adage.com/article/special-report-marketer-alist-2013/red-
bull-stratos-space-jump-helped-sell-a-lot-product/243751/
Author Unknown (Date Unknown), Social Media, Red Bull Stratos, Retrieved November 3, 2013 from
http://www.redbullmediahouse.com/products-brands/online/social-media.html
Jason Boies (Oct 15, 2012), How Red Bull Stratos Successfully Soared Across Social Media,
Retrieved November 3, 2013 from http://blogs.salesforce.com/company/2012/10/how-red-bull-stratos
successfully-soared-across-social-media.html
Mike Todd (Date Unknown), What’s the Mission, Retrieved November 3, 2013 from
http://www.redbullstratos.com/m/the-mission/what-is-the-mission/
9
By: Corinne Blair 11/03/2013