Engaging consumers through word of mouth marketingA Red Bull case studyIn today’s society, consumers are bombarded with promotional messages from organisations. Consumers receive these messages when they listen to the radio, watch television, read a newspaper, commute to work or simply walk around a city centre. Effective promotion relies on the message reaching the consumer in an accurate and timely way. However, there are so many messages it can be difficult for a business to reach its target audience.Promotional approachesAbove-the-lineThere are several traditional approaches to promotion. Perhaps the best known is advertising. This is a key element of what is known as above-the-line promotion. Although this makes it easy to reach a large audience, it is more difficult to deliver a memorable message that is tailored to a specific target market. Red Bull’s above-the-line promotion primarily helps to increase top of mind brand awareness amongst consumers.Below-the-lineBelow-the-line promotions encompass all other forms of promotional activity. To reach targeted groups of consumers, Red Bull focuses heavily on developing inventive below-the-line promotions. Unlike many businesses, Red Bull does not use traditional sponsorship as a method of below-the-line promotion. Red Bull takes a different approach. It creates and organises its own events around the world. These events provide a platform for talented athletes to showcase their skills and ambition.Engaging with consumersA key aspect of Red Bull’s promotion is about creating genuine relationships with individual athletes, such as Robbie Maddison, who was able to achieve his lifelong ambition when he performed the first ever motorcycle back-flip over a raised Tower Bridge in London. Through supporting these athletes in pushing themselves beyond their limits, Red Bull is able to engage with consumers. Red Bull events provide experiences that excite, surprise and challenge participants and spectators.Developing the brandEvents like these support the brand ethos and contribute to the Red Bull experience. They are based on a belief that mass awareness can be achieved without requiring big budgets. In fact, the large-scale activities, such as the Formula 1 team that is owned by Red Bull, are not the cornerstone of its promotional strategy. These activities are focused on building talent and pushing the sport to new levels through innovation. However, the emphasis is on local activities that can have a big impact and create interesting media coverage. These have the advantage that the company can quickly and inexpensively change anything that is not working. It can repeat or develop ideas that work and seem to have good public appeal. The programme is managed through an annual activity plan, which is based on a three-year overview of promotional work.Word of mouth (WOM)'Pull or Push' marketingWord of mouth (WOM) promotion is based on the principle of pull marketing. It relies on the transmission of a positive marketing message from person to person through conversation or a personal communication such as email or text message. Pull marketing gets consumers to bring other consumers to the product. In contrast, push marketing uses above-the-line promotional techniques to put products in front of consumers in order to generate sales.Red Bull extensively uses pull marketing. This approach involves getting consumers excited about the product and conveying this excitement to their family and friends. It is also about trying to get coverage of Red Bull events in the press. This coverage can encourage consumers to find out more about the product. It helps to generate momentum, through creating interesting stories for people to talk about, which in turn help to create brand awareness and grow sales.The founder of Red Bull used pull marketing to promote his original product in the 1980s. He hired a Red Bull Wings Team to go out and talk to people one-to-one about the product. This helps to create consumer interest in the product. As people experience the drink and appreciate its qualities, they become advocates for the brand. They share their opinions with other consumers when they talk with friends. The promotion therefore creates a ripple effect.Innovations in promotionRed Bull continues to use this process to reach consumers in innovative ways. Initiatives include:Red Bull Wings Team – The team of students go out on the road in their Red Bull mini to help launch the product in new markets. The branded mini has a Red Bull can on the back of it. The team offer a cold can of Red Bull to people in need of energy to demonstrate the product’s qualities. Through engaging consumers in a fun, non-threatening way they create a personal and positive product experience.For example, the Wings Team attended