THE HISTORY OF RBMA

Krystal Klear at the RBMA in Madrid

RBMA, or Red Bull Music Academy is an annual music event where upcoming producers, singers, arrangers, DJs and musicians get the opportunity to learn from top industry professionals. The idea of the Academy is that applicants must prepare a CD of their original work - whether it be production, songs or DJ mixes - and send it off to head office to be selected for the final 60.


Since its beginning, RBMA has travelled across many of the worlds major cities.


1998: Berlin, Germany 
1999: Berlin, Germany
2000: Dublin, Ireland
2001: London, UK & New York, USA
2002: Sao Paulo, Brazil
2003: Cape Town, South Africa
2004: Rome, Italy
2005: Seattle, USA
2006: Melbourne, Australia
2007: Toronto, Canada
2008: Barcelona, Spain
2010: London, UK
2011: Madrid, Spain
2012: New York, USA


Keep and eye out for 2012's RBMA which takes place in New York City!!
www.redbullmusicacademy.com/academy

MARKET YOUR BLOG...RED BULL STYLE

It doesn't take a genius to work out how to self market a blog these days....With the internet continuing to grow in popularity, people are starting to realise the benefits of social networking and producing a business through it. If you want to take the easy road then you can push traffic towards your blogs with three simple moves:

1 - Facebook - Use your own profile to push your latest posts across your friend network and encourage others to share the link between their friends.

2 - Twitter - Similarly to Facebook, Twitter allows you to set up a profile and 'tweet' about your blog, and your latest posts. Alternatively, you can set up a blog account where you can offer further commentary to your already existing blog

3 - Word of Mouth - If you don't tell anyone about it then who's going to know? Make sure you spread the word, hype up your blog and encourage people to check it out...What have you got to lose?

However, if you want to take it to the next level then why not get creative. Since working at Red Bull, I have been taught innovative marketing skills that promote the brand whilst staying within its core values. Below I have offered a few of my own marketing tricks that might help you find the way to success with your blog!

So you may of seen one of these style posters before. This idea is a great one, not only does it allow you to produce a high number of posters for cheap...It also enables an interaction with your intended audience. People are invited to tear off a strip (which will contain information regarding what the poster advertises) so they have a hard copy when they finally get home and would of usually forgotten what they saw in the first place. This is a cheap and effective way of getting your blog URL out there and if you can think of a charming delivery, such as the one above, then your sure to be in for a winner.

My final marketing tip comes from a great video I saw on YouTube. The video, entitled 'Dead Drops 'How to'', shows a unique way of sharing information between peers, without going through a server. When thinking of this in terms of marketing your blog, you could incorporate a USB drop in your hometown, invite locals to find the secret location via your blog and use the USB to give one of your readers a limited edition blog post. This of course is open to change depending on your blog and whether or not it would suit it, however don't knock it until you've checked out the video!

Hope this has helped any one stuck on one page open their ideas to new and creative ways of marketing your blog.

HITTING UP THE AIRWAVES

Last week I hit up Swansea uni's very own Xtreme Radio to check out 'The George and Eamon Show'...and what kind of a visit would it be without a few cans of Red Bull to help the guys out. If you've never experience student radio yourself then its definitely something i recommend. It all begins with a nervous moment before your first words on air which quickly changes to a string of pointless sentences having forgotten people are actually listening!

THE BULL MAN

The Bull Man is one of the greatest marketing tools Ive come across since working for Red Bull. In its most basic sense the Bull Man's aim is to deliver product to houses in a student area in the early hours of the morning just like a Milk Man would. But wouldn't it be just a little bit boring simply delivering cans to houses? The answer is yes, it would be! And thats why Red Bull have kindly given me the Red Bull Milk Float to aid my early morning voyage. Here's how I make it happen!

1. Order in some Red Bull cans and 250 Milk float kits.
   
   
2. The week then begins with the arrival of the milk float by my main man Greg (aka Mr Milkfloat). Once everything is in working order the milk float begins its reign on Swansea.
   
   
3. Before getting stuck in with the delivery, its nice to raise the awareness in the area that the Bull Man is in town. Take it for a nice little drive, playing some music and make sure all the cats on campus know its that time of year again.
   
   
4. The next day, drive the milk float to a heavily populated student area and park up. Then deliver the milk floats kits to 250 houses in the student area.
   *Top Tip: Deliver around 1pm to ensure all houses have enough time to read the kits!*
   
   
5. Next morning, around 5am, load up the milk float with product and head on out to the student area to fill up all the kits that have been left out. Most people with write a cheeky message on the kits for me to read.
   
   
6. Once finished, go home and catch up on all the sleep you missed!! zzzZZZ
   
   
   
   
   Check out the Oxford Bull Man video here! 
   http://vimeo.com/26061261

RedEx

This has got to be one of the more nerve racking tasks that I've received from Red Bull to date. Yet there's something about it that makes you want to keep on doing it, a bit like a painful tattoo that pleases you so much that you get another, despite the knowledge of its discomfort. 

With RedEx the idea is simple...deliver a student some Red Bull, dressed as a delivery man, midway through a lecture. Check out the video to see how this one went down!

WINGS UNDER DESK

We've all had that feeling when we're in a lecture after a big night out, not quite feeling up to much and scraping for energy. Every week I try to change this by visiting a few lecture halls around campus and help those tired faces with some wiiings. Keep an eye out and you might get lucky!

WAY BACK HOME

For me, this video will never get old. After meeting Danny Macaskill in the summer, it is amazing seeing the transformation from a humble and shy man, to a confident and at times unbelievable rider.


Enjoy!

RED BULL HILL CHASERS

Taking a bow - The winners have their podium fame.

Event: Red Bull Hill Chasers

Where: Park Street, Bristol

When: Saturday 18th February 2012

The age old underdog story came to life on Saturday 18th Feb as 16 biking enthusiasts took on 16 elite riders in an uphill battle in the heart of Bristol. But professional or amatuer, one question still stands....which bike discipline is the best uphill?

The event ran a series of gruelling head-to-head knockout rounds with bike enthusiasts from BMX, mountain bike, road bikes and fixed-gear putting in their best work in front of a 6000 strong crowd. The head-to-heads were paired randomly, with each of the 16 elite riders competing against one of the 16 aspirational riders. 

However, it was no easy ride for the elite as each biking enthusiast battled hard in the hope of bringing the underdog story to life, and when one of the elite competitors was forced to retire the finals were in sight.

Michal Prokop (Multi World Champion and Red Bull athlete) set the fastest time of the day of his 4X mountain bike but unfortunately had to pack up his bike for the day after his chain broke just before the quarter finals. He said:

"This was a unique race for me. Where else can you compete against so many different bikes?! Even though my chain broke I still had an awesome time taking on the enthusiasts!"

The semi finals were to determine all for the underdogs, with the intensity high it was and elite vs enthusiast showdown in both races. Ben Simmons took on elite rider Gareth Montgomerie whilst John Whittington fought Lewis Lacey for his chance in the finals.

Against all odds the enthusiasts won, both sporting road bikes all the way to the final. With it all to play for, the two finalists battled it out in one last uphill struggle. It was a close race, but Ben Simmons pedalled his way to the crown with a blistering final time. 

After getting his breath back Simmons said he was," shocked and surprised" at his win, especially as he'd travelled to Devon earlier that day to take part in another cycling event! "I've never taken part in anything as short and punchy as this before in such a great location. Its so exciting. It's a tough race and I never thought I'd win but hopefully I'll be back to do it again next year."

The event was a high success in a crowded Bristol street with large crowds staying to the end to watch the journey unfold. I have to give credit to the efforts Red Bull put in to create an event that doesn't only involved the competition itself, but an all round experience for everyone involved. I think its fair to say it really does give you wiiings. 

RESULTS

1st Ben Simmons

2nd John Whittington

3rd Gareth Montgomerie

The final stretch

HIGH FIVE

A look into five current blogs

1. Marketing Minibar (www.marketingminibar.com)

This is definitely my favourite blog out of the five I've looked at. Its concept is simple yet effective, taking current marketing activity and reporting it in a funny yet professional and informative manner. Aesthetics wise, the fonts and layout used for each post stay consistent. The background picture is quite heavy and may be seen as distracting, however I think it suits the blog well, using a white font to bounce of the darker image. You can quickly identify with the topic area by looking at the archive of posts, the headlines are precise and intrigue the reader into the article such as 'Usain you want to go to Jamaica?'. It uses multimedia such as pictures and videos to enhance each post and supplies a credible and personal account on each marketing tactic discussed.

8/10

2. A Marketing Students Blog (www.phil-hudson.com)

This blog boasts a professional layout with informative content about the work of a student in London. When I first visited this blog I thought that the posts would continue to blog about what he/she gets up to in London, however when scrolling through it is hard to identify its purpose. It is clearly a media orientated blog, with large high quality photographs popping up regularly. The background is simple yet effective, and the text/headers follow a consistent pattern. Out of all the blogs I identified the least with this one and felt that it needed more direction with its content, however aesthetically it is good quality.

5/10

3. Green Fondation (www.greenfondation.com)

Green Fondation is a blog set up in the south of France that covers events and activity from major brands such as Vans and Red Bull. I was particularly drawn to this as my blog covers marketing activity that I do for Red Bull. The blog uses a number of large photos and videos to draw readers into each post. The content follows a very similar pattern and readers will easily identify with its purpose. It uses several tabs to separate different content using 'News' as the main blog, 'Film' and 'Art' as archives and 'Crew' for a list of athletes/people involved in the production.

7/10

4. Extreme Sports Blog (www.extremesportsblog.com)

This blog is set up for fans of extreme sports, with a huge archive of different videos of professionals dominating in their own field. Extreme sports is a big part of the work that Red Bull do to promote their product so this blog fits in well with some of the activity I will create. Compared to the other blogs Ive looked at, this blog is a bit more hectic. The header is vibrant, and with ads, hyperlinks and tags surrounding the main posts, it is easy for the reader to get distracted. The content is basic using videos as the main tool of communication, however it serves the purpose of the blog well and keeps everything consistent.

6/10

5. Sport and Event Marketing (www.blog.sportmarketing.bg)

Similarly to the Extreme sports blog, 'Sport and Event Marketing' uses mostly video content to engage with their audience. The layout is formal, using only red, black and grey colours in the design. I wouldn't say that the post headlines entice me to read on, but then again its mostly videos so it is easy to click and watch. This however seems like a bit of a lazy way of blogging and doesn't differentiate itself from any other site that the video may appear on. Overall I think the concept for the blog is a good one, but the execution is too simple and leaves the reader with a less personal experience.

6/10

THE MISSION

As Swansea Universities SBM, I thought it would be a good idea to document the fun and unique marketing/promotional activities that I undertake across student life. I have a first hand insight into what an SBM does and feel that the jobs I complete are considered news worthy. In the past, I have delivered Red Bull at 5am in a Red Bull branded milk float to over 200 student houses, thrown an official Red Bull house party in conjunction with Red Bull Music Academy radio (using bouncers/wristbands), and seeded product to important clients on campus. With this in mind, I expect to be able to produce good content for my blog on a regular basis.

The Life of a SBM aims to create interesting, fun and different content based on the student brand manager role. I will use video content, pictures and other media platforms to blog about current Red Bull campaigns such as High Flyers (based on university sports talent), Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) and more. The idea of the blog is to make students aware of the work Red Bull are doing at universities and to attract them to future events. I understand that blogging can become repetitive when reporting about the same things, however I hope to use quirky language alongside fun and attractive fonts/layout to maintain interest around the actual content. I hope that anyone who visits the blog finds the content interesting enough to return as I want the blog to be used as a tool to inform students about whats going on around uni.

THE WINNING FORMULA

With two consecutive world titles to their name,  Red Bull have a lot of pressure to maintain their success for the third year running...but what is their secret? It may be Sebastien Vettel's world class driving? It may be down to the Red Bull racing team and tactics? Or it might just be down to the car itself...Say hello to the new RB8, Red Bull Racings latest masterpiece.