CERCO

Branding with wings – the Red Bull way

May 25th, 2010

 

Marketers are sometimes scornful of large corporations lending their name to promotions and events that really do add value to the brand.

 But in the case of Red Bull and the Cliff Diving World Series 2010 such criticism does not apply. In fact, it is a case study on how to get it right!

 A recent short break in mid-May found us in La Rochelle on the South West coast of France. Arriving at the historic port early afternoon we were surprised to find the roads closed and many people milling around but assumed that it was a usual Saturday in a tourist location.

 We were swiftly told how wrong we were by the hotel receptionist who told us proudly that the town was ‘en fête’ due to the ‘plongeurs’.

 To call the guys who so dived so beautifully off one of the historic towers (over 90 feet or 27.5 metres high) merely ‘divers’ is to do them a disservice. Their dives were breathtaking, of Olympic standard and the whole event an amazing spectacle.

 See the videos at Red Bull Cliff Diving Series 2010 La Rochelle May 2010

 But in branding terms it was a triumph. Not only were the guys (dressed in Red Bull swimming trunks) gorgeous to look at but when they dived they literally had wings – reinforcing in a visual way the brand message of the drink!  

 The resulting pictures and videos are stunning but the attention to detail was impressive.

 All the cafes had special Red Bull promotions. Everyone could see the action due to the location and the huge television screen linked to a camera above the diving platform.

 The usual hospitality village was located away from the main viewing area and the whole event was free.

 Despite the massive scale of the competition, next morning virtually nothing remained, all the structures – including the diving platform – having been taken down overnight. 

The result was a great event which can only have added to the audience’s positive impression of the brand.

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Will Ryanair lose market share through lack of brand loyalty?

October 22nd, 2009

The recent Panorama documentary on the Irish carrier highlighted all the reasons why the airline has grown so fast over the last few years: cheap fares, an excellent arrival record, new planes etc.

A record 3.8m people viewed the programme (an increase of 1m on average viewing figures) and in the opinion of ‘heavyweight’ PR experts such as Porter-Novelli Crisis Communications Director Neil Bayley, quoted in PR Week, the programme had failed to damage the brand.

Leaving aside the controversy generated by the documentary and the posturing by both the BBC and Ryanair, there is a more fundamental issue at stake.

The very thing that made Ryanair so popular (i.e. cheap fares) in the first place may now be the root of their downfall.

By concentrating so hard on low fares, Ryanair has never set out to engender any ‘love’ for the brand, believing that this was unnecessary.

Indeed, upon occasion it has appeared that the airline has a positive contempt for its passengers – as anyone who has ever asked a crew member to get them three seats together on a full plane will attest.

This policy was fine in the good times but now the Short Break European holiday market has virtually disappeared, those who are flying are being more choosy with whom they spend their money.

Other airlines are offering seats that are the same price (or less) when all Ryanair’s extras are included. Recently, British Airways was cheaper on a short-haul European flight and the difference in the experience incomparable. However, they are starting to charge for extras like second bags.

At the end of the Panorama documentary the presenter announced that Ryanair would be expanding into continental flights to America and adding Business Class at a premium fare.

So if Ryanair starts to operate like other carriers and the competition starts to operate like Ryanair, will a lack of brand loyalty become a key issue for the Irish airline? Time will tell!

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