• Businesses should intelligently invest in adding some value for their customers. 
• A customer-centric marketing approach comes with multiple benefits. 

To outpace the cutthroat competition, brands must focus on adding some value to their products or services, which could have positive results. Remember, whatever business you are doing, multiple others are doing and offering similar things. Even if you serve the best coffee, there ought to be some other that’s better. The only way you can excel is by adding some value. Add Some Value

Adding some value is a great marketing strategy for several reasons. It makes your product or service stand out from traditional product/service-centric approaches. By incorporating this strategy, your marketing campaign becomes customer-centric, and the customer is the one who pays for everything. 

How did Red Bull get its wiiings by incorporating the “Add Some Value”? 

Red Bull is believed to be a master in utilizing the “Add Some Value” marketing strategy. The brand offers more than just plain energy drinks; they focus on cultivating a lifestyle and experience. They have managed to resonate with their target audience; those young, active individuals seeking adventure and excitement have become their niche.

Intelligent Content Marketing & Sponsorship

Red Bull marketing goes beyond the scope of traditional advertising methods. They indulge in producing high-quality content like extreme sports events, music festivals, thrilling online videos, etc. They know that content is the undisputed king of marketing campaigns; therefore, their content is exciting, visually appealing and aligns seamlessly with their target audience’s interests. 

Red Bull has even ventured into documentaries and films like “We Bought a Snowmobile for $3000 and Climbed Mount Everest.” This added value fuels customer interest and increases brand image. They also sponsor athletes and events that embody their brand image, like extreme sports competitions, music festivals, breakdancing championships, etc. This sponsorship connects the brand image with energy, passion, and thrill-seeking aspects their audience admires. 

User-Generated Content & Community Building

Red Bull knows the importance of encouraging user participation by persuading them to share their experience with the brand through social media channels and events. User-generated content has gained traction in digital marketing and community building. 

By leveraging the authenticity of the generated content from their passionate customers, they boost their brand image. Red Bull also runs contests and challenges to engage their audiences further. Whenever a brand successfully builds a loyal community around its brand name, it surpasses the competition. 

“Red Bull Gives You Wiiings” is more than just a Tagline

Every brand has its tagline, but nobody embodies the tagline like Red Bull. The “Red Bull Gives You wiiings” has become more than just a tagline; it’s the central theme around all their marketing campaigns. Their association with thrill-seeking events, sponsorship to extreme sports athletes, etc., embodies the spirit of the “give you wiiings” phenomenon. 

For instance, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is a thrilling event where participants jump from a cliff into the sea. It’s a spectacular display of aerial acrobatics and gravity-defying dives. Freestyle Motocross (FMX) rides perform death-defying motorcycle stunts, showcasing mind-blowing tricks. The Red Bull Air Race World Championship features pilots navigating an intricate aerial obstacle course at breakneck speeds. 

Red Bull’s involvement has turned these sports into thrilling spectacles. The Red Bull Give You wiiings tagline can be seen in all these sponsorships and collaborations. This paints the image of Red Bull as a brand synonymous with thrill, adrenaline rush and excitement; hence, it metaphorically gives you wiiings. 

What is “Add Some Value” Marketing? 

We are looking at Red Bull’s case study & how it seamlessly added value through various collaborations, sponsorships and marketing campaigns. We can get a rough idea of the “Add Some Value” marketing campaign. This campaign’s core idea is to provide additional benefits or incentives to the customer beyond just the product or service. 

The primary intent of the marketing strategy is to make the offer so appealing that it strengthens customer relationships, fosters brand loyalty, and outshines competitors. This strategy is also called Value-added marketing or customer-centric marketing. The core concept of this marketing strategy can be easily applied to every business, product, or service with strategic planning. 

Goals of “Add Some Value” Marketing Campaigns

After understanding the benefits of this strategy, let’s discuss the goals of value-added marketing. The main objectives are:

• Differentiation.
• Increasing customer satisfaction.
• Fostering improved retention.
• Instilling a higher perceived value.
• Justifying the pricing of products or services. 

Differentiation allows you to stand out from the competition and already overcrowded marketplaces by offering something extra and unique. If the customer is delighted with additional benefits, it would build loyalty and promote word-of-mouth recommendations. Thereby increasing the customer satisfaction percentage around the brand. 

It’s not a one-time deal but an ongoing endeavor. Customers are less likely to switch to competitors if a brand successfully provides ongoing value. When customers feel they are getting more value for their money, they will likely buy more. Plus, it allows the brand to justify the relatively high price of the products and services.

Value-Added Marketing Strategies

As of now, we have discussed what exactly the strategy is and how Red Bull successfully incorporated the “Add Some Value” marketing strategy. Let’s examine some crucial variables in incorporating this strategy into your business. These are exceptional customer service, freebies and perks, content marketing, community building, strategic partnerships, and collaborations. 

The brand must work on going above and beyond customer expectations with prompt and personalized support. They can offer convenient channels for the customer, facilitating a smooth reach out for assistance. Businesses can provide small gifts with purchases, exclusive discounts, or run some loyalty programs. Sometimes, the offer can include a bundle of products or services for added convenience. 

Promote educational blogs, carousels, and engaging posts on various social media channels to help customers know more about your offerings. For example, a how-to guide, tips, or behind-the-scenes insights can be helpful. Brands can share customer success stories or testimonials. All this comes under the umbrella of content marketing. 

Brands should focus on fostering a sense of belonging by connecting through online forums and social media groups. They can host events and webinars to facilitate connection and networking. If brands manage to encourage user-generated content or feedback, it’s like a battle half-won. Moreover, teaming up with complementary businesses, offering a package deal, or cross-promotion also adds value for the customer. 

For instance, a travel company has to collaborate with hotels, local travel agencies, tour guides, etc, to add value for their customers. 

Pros and Cons of “Add Some Value” Marketing Strategy

Every marketing strategy has its pros and cons. Sometimes, the pros outweigh the cons. Making is a successful marketing strategy, and vice versa. Similarly, this customer-centric approach has pros and cons, as discussed below. 

Pros

This “Add Some Value” marketing strategy helps build brand awareness and loyalty and make your product, service, or entire business stand out in the competitive market. It also helps engage and educate the customers, helps lead generation and sales growth, and paints a positive brand image. 

By offering non-product-related benefits, brands can foster a sense of connection and trust, increasing brand loyalty. It makes a brand stand out from the competition, which focuses on the features and price of products and services. Valuable content and experience can capture the audience’s attention and educate them about offerings, boosting brand awareness. 

A brand that provides value beyond the product or service attracts potential customers better. This helps in lead generation and, eventually, sales growth. Moreover, it helps create a positive brand image that offers values and experience, portraying them as a socially responsible, innovative, and customer-centric brand. 

Cons

Although this strategy seems excellent, it requires long-term investment. Plus, it’s difficult to assess or measure the impact; sometimes, the audiences can easily get offended, and it might not be suitable for all products and services. Brands also have to deal with the competitive landscape, which is a battle. 

Creating valuable content and experiences like Red Bull requires long-term commitment and significant investments. Imagine how much they would spend financing and sponsoring all these thrilling events. Also, measuring these campaigns’ return on investment (ROI) can be challenging. 

Content and experience that fail to resonate with the target audience may backfire and damage the brand image. For example, in 2014, Benjamin Carethers filed a class action lawsuit against Red Bull. He claimed that he’d been drinking the energy drink for over a decade expecting the promised “wings” – increased athletic and intellectual performance. 

He argued that the slogan was not a playful metaphor but a misleading claim about the product beyond what any energy drink would provide. Red Bull initially denied any wrongdoing but later agreed to a $13 Million settlement to avoid a protracted legal battle. Also, consumers who purchased Red Bull in the U.S. over a specific period became eligible for either $10 cash reimbursement or $15 worth of Red Bull products. 

This lawsuit highly impacted the power of the catchy marketing slogan and led to a disconnect among the customers who perceived the product as better than the rest. The lawsuit was also a nexus event that increased scrutiny of the energy drink market. At the same time, some questioned whether these companies should be held more accountable for their overblown claims about performance enhancement. 

Finally, it can be argued that the “Add Some Value” marketing strategy is sound, but it can get beautiful results if done strategically and implemented intelligently. If you are a small business and don’t have the funds for a full-blown marketing campaign, they can offer small gifts that suit their budget. For example, a coffee house can offer free brownies.