When someone mentions ‘Red Bull‘, you may immediately think of the ever-so-catchy slogan ‘Red Bull gives you wings!’ The real force behind Red Bull’s success is its ongoing public relations campaign, and it is a beast of many faces (in a good way, of course). From the annual break dancing competition Red Bull BC One, to the recent daredevil stunt Red Bull Stratos, not to mention the first ever World Wingsuit League Championships, Red Bull has its name printed on nearly every extreme/action sport around the world. With a great message, great planning, and spot-on execution, Red Bull has organized most of these events and sponsored thousands of athletes to establish itself as a synonym of adrenaline and extreme action sports. While many of these sports are beyond the comprehensions of the average joe, Red Bull wants to give you give a taste of the unreachable, of what most would perceive as superhuman feats, and that taste is the taste of Red Bull. Through its aggressive PR stunts, Red Bull has added tremendous value to to its brand and its product – the Red Bull energy drink (yes, in case you didn’t know, I have been talking about a energy drink company all along). Drinking Red Bull is no longer just a jolt of caffeine on the longest day of your life, but an exclusive membership to community of ‘superhuman’ athletes. It has allowed Red Bull to price its product above the market average while retaining the highest market share. More importantly, it is bringing the seemingly impossible ‘Gives You Wings’ advertising campaign that much closer to reality.

If you’re still not convinced, watching this video and tell me you don’t want of taste of the excitement – the taste of Red Bull:

Do you have a song that found its way to your iPod after hearing in the background of a movie? In many of these cases, songs that you’ve heard of before, when presented in a more significant context, can take on a completely different meaning that eventually catches your interests. In today’s world, where you can ‘Shazam’ any tune that catches your attention and find out what the song is in a matter of seconds, record labels should pay more attention to their licensing agreements, because with the right placement can add a tremendous amount of value to that-song-you-heard-on-the-radio-the-other-day.

Iron Man/Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr.) sporting a Black Sabbath t-shirt in the Avengers. © 2012 Marvel. All rights reserved.

A great example of effective song placement is the recurring AC/DC and Black Sabbath tunes in the Iron Man movies and their trailers. These musical legends from a previous era are now far from being a household name among the younger generations. While no Black Sabbath songs are featured in the latest Avengers movie, Tony Stark could still be seen wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt throughout the movie. The placement of music has undoubtedly generated interest from the younger movie goers who went to the see the movie. While good music is supposed to be timeless, it still needs to be introduced to people have never been exposed and are accustomed to something different. It is the same reason why Aerosmith saw a 250% boost in record sales following Steven Tyler’s $10 million judging gig on American Idol.

Although Record Labels have to right to ask for a licensing fee from production companies that wish to use their music to compliment their products, it is wonder that they’re not the ones paying to have their music and artists included in the media, because the agreement is clearly beneficial to both parties.