While researching various events Red Bull has to put together recently I stumbled upon a very cool promotional activity they’ve put together called Red Bull Stash. It’s a nationwide scavenger hunt where people can find boxes of Red Bull Energy Shots using clues posted on Red Bull’s Facebook page.
Participants simply input their zip code on the page and then they are shown clues for the location of each box in that area. Once someone finds one of the “Stashes” they can claim the stash by inputting online a code that’s on the box. That way participants will know if a box they’re searching for has already been found. In addition, the contest lets participants post up comments about the clues and pictures of their findings, providing visitors to the page with further content to interact with.
There are several things about this contest that make it both effective and unique. One is the interaction with the brand and product that this contest provides. Red Bull uses their thousands of brand reps across the U.S. to plant the boxes in various locations such as college campuses, restaurants and heavy trafficked area. They then provide interesting clues to the location of each box. Part of the word of mouth about the campaign comes from the reps encouraging and giving clues to their Facebook contacts to find the boxes they’ve placed in certain areas.
Another unique method is the contest’s integration with existing technologies. Not only does it take advantage of the content-sharing features that Facebook provides, it also integrates Google Maps into the scavenger hunt process. When you type in your zip code, it pops up a map with an X to mark the spot of each Stash.
This contest is great because it can be implemented inexpensively while still providing a great deal of brand interaction and buzz ability.
-Brian