In the 80s, Apple was successful with its production of Macintosh.  In the 90s, Apple declined massively and at one point disappeared from the market almost completely.  Then, the revival began with the introduction of the i-series products – the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc.  But what’s magical is not the sales of the products, but rather, their influence in the public through the brilliant marketing strategy behind Steve Jobs and his crew.  The design, creativity, and an emphasis on perfection have led Apple products to become synonymous with cutting edge technology, modern lifestyle, and fashion.  They became part of life and identity; in fact, followers of Apple resembled more of a cult and religion than a normal customer base.  This is marketing at its finest – transforming a non-essential, replaceable product to an essential part of life like air and water.  In short, Apple has transcended technology into life.

Red Bull, known as a popular energy drink, has quietly found similar success as Apple.  It became more than an energy drink – it became synonymous with extreme activities and record-breaking accomplishments. An article by James O’Brien on mashable.com explained its strategy, called “content marketing”.  It described content marketing as a story-telling strategy – in place of an advertisement – that attracts customers.  Rather than marketing around and about the drink, the company markets around contents that are not directly correlated to the drink.  This attracts and keeps customers engaged, and more importantly, significantly enhances brand awareness.  However, Red Bull – an extremist itself – took the strategy to an extreme level.  It does not simply tell a story – it creates extreme stories.  It has become a massive publisher in print, television, internet, film, and even music, and has even become a developer of formula race cars, gliders, and space launching equipments.  Apple may have created a cult, but Red Bull has created a world – a world where anything is possible: 1080 spin of a skateboarder, flying off the cliff in a wingsuit, and freefall from the edge of space.