How Red Bull got to Cuba before its American Competitors

A few months ago a certain Youtube video really caught my attention:

As you can see in the video, this is a recap of the Red Bull Cliff Diving series, an annual competition held in several places across the globe over the summer season. For this first event, the divers were competing… in Cuba.

I’ve never been a big fan of competitive water sports, but I always get a kick out of watching any content put out by Red Bull. They always make sure to team-up with the best photographers and videographers for any given occasion. What surprised me, in this case, was seeing them be able to organise this massive even in Cuba.

So why should it be such a big deal for Red Bull?

At the time of the event, Cuba was still under the US embargo, but over the last decade, the country has opened up to a lot of the things that the Western world has to offer. However, since 1996, American companies have been forbidden to conduct any kind of business in or with Cuba.. At the time of the event, this ban was very much in effect. This means that big names like Coca-Cola, Nike, Apple or Starbucks have no way to reach this country. Red Bull, however doesn’t have this problem, since it’s a company based in Austria.

Don’t be the first, Be the best.

I would argue that Red Bull is in the Top 5 (if not Top 3) biggest brands in the world, behind Apple and Nike. However, in Cuba, these other companies were legally forbidden to conduct any kind of business up until a few weeks ago. Red Bull, by setting up its event in La Havana got the opportunity to be there first, but also to leave an impressive mark in Cuba. What more: Cliff Diving is actually the kind of event that attract all kinds of demographics: you can stay for the entire day, or stop by for a few minutes with your family to watch these simple humans jumping from the top of the cliff. It’s a very accessible sport to watch and understand, as a spectator, unlike some more niche dance or skateboarding events which may appeal much more to fanatics of these domains.

However, don’t think that it’s an easy path to success… Having been an intern at Red Bull for close to a year, I can tell you first hand that there are no details being overlooked and the teams over there work year-long to make sure their events are successful. Make no mistake: the level of hard-work that goes into every public appearance by the company is one that has been consciously meditated, and to some extent that’s also why the company is so innovative and successful.

Nowadays, big brands struggle not only to reach their targeted audience, but to keep their fans loyal and engaged with their content. However it’s nice to see Red Bull stepping up to get a whole new market before its competitors can. It’s still early to see if this strategy will be successful in the long run, but I’m quite intrigued to see if they pull it out.

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For further reading:

• Searching for internet access in Communist Cuba
• Is Cuba easy to open up to foreign investment?