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.