Sponsored content can feel tricky to get right. In my experience, too many brands script it like an ad or force the product front and center, a sure way to make audiences scroll past. Red Bull shows there’s a better way.
The brand has built its presence not by shouting about its product, but by embedding itself in the moments people care about most: the rush of extreme sports, the energy of gaming, and the identity of lifestyle culture.
Here’s what I’ll break down:
Regardless of your brand’s size, these are strategies you can copy.
Sponsored content is any piece of media (a post, video, story, or article) that a brand pays for or arranges with a creator or publisher to share on the creator’s or publisher’s channel. The brand is involved, but the creator keeps their own style and voice. That’s what makes the content feel authentic rather than scripted.
Where brands often go wrong is treating sponsored content like advertising. Ads are brand-controlled from start to finish, and audiences expect them to sell. Sponsored content works differently. It blends into the creator’s world and connects with the audience in the style they already trust.
For Red Bull, all of these play a role: advertising shows up in campaigns and sponsorship logos, branded content lives on Red Bull TV, and sponsored content happens when athletes or gamers integrate Red Bull naturally into their own posts.
Earned media surfaces when ESPN covers a Red Bull event, product seeding looks like cases of Red Bull sent to athletes with no posting obligation, and UGC comes from fans sharing their own stunts with a can in hand.
Red Bull rarely starts with the product. Instead, they start with the feeling. Sponsored content shows up in moments of adrenaline, identity, and culture, where the can is present but not the lead character. The story always comes first.
This approach is clearest in sports and gaming. When Red Bull Racing released its F1 docuseries, the company amplified it through influencer reactions on TikTok.
Viewers followed the story of Max Verstappen and the team, while the Red Bull brand stayed visible in the background. The same playbook runs across freerunning, skateboarding, and esports. The creators tell the story their audiences care about, and Red Bull simply becomes part of the scene.
In my view, the lesson is clear: sponsored content works best when it makes people feel something before asking them to buy.
Red Bull does not look for influencers to read a script. They look for creators who already live the brand’s energy. Extreme sports athletes, freerunners, gamers, and urban athletes bring built-in credibility because their audiences see them living the story every day.
The product then fits in naturally. A freerunner might mention grabbing a Red Bull before attempting a new jump, or a gamer might show a can on their desk during a livestream. These touches feel organic because they come from creators who already live the brand’s values.
By contrast, Red Bull avoids influencers with heavily commercialized feeds where every post feels like an ad. The goal is authentic integration, not forced promotion.
Dom Tomato, an Australian freerunner and parkour athlete, is known for jaw-dropping urban stunts that regularly go viral. His content blends danger, creativity, and spectacle, the same qualities Red Bull champions. By collaborating with Dom, Red Bull naturally embeds its brand into a world of daring feats and high-energy storytelling.
Max Verstappen is more than Red Bull Racing’s lead driver; he represents the brand’s core values and identity. The Dutch champion, once Formula 1’s youngest driver and now a multiple world title holder, is defined by fearless racing and relentless performance.
In my experience, the strongest sponsored content formats are the ones that feel immersive and personal. Red Bull experiments widely, but the standouts share that trait.
The key is variety. Each format keeps the product secondary to the story while ensuring the brand is still unmistakably present.
Red Bull measures success in more than views. The brand looks closely at saves, shares, and replays, signals that show audiences cared enough to lean in. These actions reflect the quality of attention, not just the quantity.
Research from McKinsey backs this up. Their 2025 “attention equation” study confirms what I’ve seen in practice: the type of attention matters. Closer attention, defined by focus and intent, drives more value than raw impressions. Consumers who pay closer attention spend nearly twice as much as those who skim.
For Red Bull, this means favoring formats that hold focus. A cliff diving livestream or TikTok challenge commands more intent than a banner ad or podcast. That’s why the brand leans into content where audiences are active participants, not passive scrollers.
Pro Tip: The more focus and intent a format demands, the more valuable the attention. Red Bull designs its sponsored content to live in these high-value zones.
Here’s what I’ve seen Red Bull do well to sustain engagement:
Campaign: 5AM Club Challenge
Creators: Skateboarders, parkour runners, and gym-goers
Content: 60-second reels showing their early starts with Red Bull
Results:
This shows that cultural participation, not scripted product placement, delivers attention worth measuring.
Based on campaigns like the 5AM Club Challenge, here are best practices brands can apply:
From my perspective, Red Bull’s success with sponsored content comes down to three things: clarity of story, trust in creators, and a focus on quality of attention. The product never overshadows the narrative; it fits naturally into moments of adrenaline and creativity.
For brands looking to replicate this:
Lead with story, not product
Work with creators who live your values
Measure signals of intent, not just impressions
Design for formats that hold attention
Red Bull proves that when sponsored content is built for culture and participation, it earns attention that lasts — and that’s the model worth following.