By Suzanne Vranica
The Wall Street Journal
As marketers recognized social media’s value in getting consumers talking about a brand, Madison Avenue went to great lengths—and heights—to pull off elaborate stunts that could generate online buzz.
Energy-drink maker Red Bull, sponsored a much-hyped sky dive from space. Earlier in the year, 007 parachuted with a Queen Elizabeth double into the Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony, helping jump-start buzz for the Bond film “Skyfall.”
“If people aren’t talking about your brand, then you don’t exist,” said Rob Schwartz, global creative president at Omnicom Group Inc.’s OMC -1.12% TBWA\Chiat\Day.
Still, the proliferation of exotic marketing stunts didn’t translate into big increases in spending. The European crisis and political and economic uncertainty in the U.S. damped what was supposed to be a decent year for advertising. Chief marketing officers pushed ad agencies to do more with less, said ad agency executives.
The Best: Red Bull’s logo featured prominently in a sky dive from space.
Pitch: Red Bull sponsored Felix Baumgartner’s sky dive from space. The drink maker’s logo was featured prominently as a world record was set for the highest parachute jump.
Feedback: Red Bull won’t comment about its marketing effort, but Visible Measures Corp., which tracks online viewership, said footage and videos related to the event received 171 million views across the Web.
