What gives Red Bull its wings? Its branded publication
Known in some circles as the media company who sells energy drinks, Red Bull is a master at selling its brand—not its product.
With an in-house team of 135+ Red Bull Media House employees, the brand creates some of the best content marketing in the biz. As Gregory Jacobs, head of monetization at Red Bull Media House North America says, “When the brand comes first, you turn brand lovers into can buyers.”
Perhaps its most prominent content marketing comes in the form of its branded publication, The Red Bulletin. A culmination of men’s lifestyle coverage, The Red Bulletin is published monthly both online and off: it has a print circulation of about two million copies, and is available in five different languages.
So how do they do it? By carefully calibrating content to their brand. If content (be it a social media post or other) does not enhance the brand, then it doesn’t get the green light. As a niche publication, the format of The Red Bulletin narrows in on three primary sections:
- “Bullevard” is a simple introduction to each issue, with lively summaries and photos.
- “Features” showcases in-depth, long-form storytelling, with an emphasis on photography, video, and other graphic forms.
- “Action” offers relatable tips, tricks, and reviews on readers’ favorite topics such as like travel, physical training, nightlife, music, parties, events, etc.
By focusing on exclusive, original content in the form of compelling visual storytelling, The Red Bulletin has carved itself a place in the men’s lifestyle market. Its most recent print edition featured Chris Pratt on the cover—one of the hottest movie stars in the world—and past celebrity covers include Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Seth Rogen, Pharrell Williams, Linkin Park, and Theophilus London.
By eschewing itself from its product, The Red Bulletin transcends marketing to become content-focused. Traditional branded content can be just as worthy as journalistic pursuits.
5 Rules to Live By, According to the Red Bulletin
By Emily E. Steck
The Red Bulletin is changing the game for branded publications everywhere. With strong, original and exclusive editorial content focusing on visual storytelling, the Red Bull Brand has these tips to ensure excellent branded content every time.
-
Be Relevant & Authentic
By Emily E. Steck
Shift towards a "brand-centric" point of view to one that's "consumer-centric." What excites your customers? What are there interests and passions.
-
Surprise and Innovate
By Emily E. Steck
Diversifying their content has really created a sense of surprise and innovation from the content creators. With an array of written, audio and video content across plenty of channels, there's always something new to explore by its customers and fans. A healthy mix of content keeps people engaged and begging for more.
-
Be Consistent and Always "On"
By Emily E. Steck
There are no 'off' days for content at Red Bull. Consistency is key and the best way Red bull has been able to achieve this is to have a large team ready to create this content and exclusive access to it. The brand is never known to create and share content that isn't at 110%.
-
Be the Story
By Emily E. Steck
One of the ways Red Bull has done this is to become a visual voice to showcase what the brand represents. Nothing short of the visual form can represent its customers' interests of extreme sports and an exciting lifestyle. Don’t just show your audience the highlights; put them in the story.
-
Inspire Sharing
By Emily E. Steck
Part of any good content marketing campaign is to inspire sharing, and with original content of people doing extreme things (concerts, skydiving, scuba diving, marathons). Part of their ethos is to create a spectacle worth sharing and talking about in a community of like-minded people.
Image: Douglas Bagg/Unsplash