Red Bull’s ‘Stratos’ jump gets (nearly) 1 billion views

Would you jump from a helium balloon in the earth’s stratosphere, if it meant global recognition for your brand?

As made up as that sounds, Red Bull did exactly that 12 years ago. And I believe it speaks volumes about the company’s ability to build brand awareness.

Turns out, Red Bull does give you wings.

(Sorry I had to.)

At least, that’s what Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner would tell you. Since he did, you know, fall from space for the brand for their 'Stratos' campaign.

'Stratos' was an awe-inspiring and record-breaking campaign that took place on October 14, 2012. And this was no conventional marketing ploy. Nor was it an unconventional marketing ploy.

This was something else entirely. Something I don’t feel we’ve seen in marketing since.

The campaign aimed to surpass records by orchestrating the highest altitude jump ever attempted. The mission entailed Baumgartner floating 120,000 feet in a pressurized capsule, then jumping.

He fell at the speed of sound until he reached the stratosphere, which is the altitude at which planes fly. Here, the atmospheric pressure slowed his descent, acting as a brake for his free fall to earth.

And records they did surpass.

Baumgartner proved that a human could safely break the sound barrier, jumping from an altitude of 39,045 meters, hitting a maximum speed of 1.342.8 km/h. Which quite literally makes my head spin.

'Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you are,' he said, before plummeting toward the earth.

He broke three world records during this stunt, including the highest freefall and the highest manned balloon flight. Baumgartner also became the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall.

But this wasn't just a marketing stunt. The jump also provided invaluable scientific data on how the body copes at extreme altitudes. This information helped us understand how to improve astronauts' safety in space.

This is all ALREADY insane. But it gets even crazier.

The stunt was livestreamed globally. Which makes it far more audacious than Red Bull’s usual promotional stunts. And it's why this was such a groundbreaking moment in the history of social media campaigns.

Red Bull livestreamed Stratos on YouTube, where the brand was already known for posting adrenaline-fuelled content. Their Harlem Shake Skydive edition has grown to be an iconic piece of content from the brand.

The jump livestream amassed over 8 million viewers, testing the platform's bandwidth at the time. It also shattered the world record by surpassing the previous benchmark set during the 2012 Summer Olympics. Since the jump, ‘Stratos’ footage has been viewed nearly 1 BILLION times on YouTube.

So why was the livestream such a huge success?

It was so widely watched because of the strength of Red Bull’s brand image and their ability to utilize their audience. Stratos served as a community piece within the larger Red Bull brand. It was the perfect way to unite people around their shared passion for witnessing crazy sh*t.

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter also played huge roles in promoting Stratos. Red Bull created dedicated Stratos accounts on each platform. This got their audience excited about the big day as they posted behind the scenes content, interviews, and intricacies of the mission.

Of course, all this content highlighted Red Bull’s aim to, 'make history and deliver valuable learnings for medical and scientific advancement that will aid the exploration of space in future years.'

On the day of the jump, Red Bull’s YouTube channel attracted an unbelievable 87,801 new subscribers.

The campaign itself is testament to what incredible things can be done within the realms of marketing.

This endeavour stands as a beacon of success, achieving both its scientific and marketing objectives with absolute finesse. Incredibly, 40 Television network stations and 130 digital outlets covered the jump.

The takeaways:

• Don't underestimate the power of doing crazy sh*t. No, we don’t all have Red Bull fly-into-space money. But thinking outside the box is crucial to creating an impact. Particularly in a day-and-age where there are no limits to what we consume.

• Leverage your audience. Knowing what your consumers want is one thing. But having the ability to craft something so insanely irresistible to them is another. One effective way to do this is through community management. Interacting with your audience means you understand them better. It also means you can create a strategy that you know will cater to your community.

• Think bigger picture. Your audience is likely to engage more when they feel they’re a part of something more than just another revenue-driven marketing ploy. When you involve them in something that has a larger impact than your business efforts, they can feel good engaging with your brand.

That being said, you will not see me jumping out of anything high, any time soon, for any reason other than an unreasonably large amount of money (@Red Bull??) 

-Sophie, Copywriter