I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say that sponsorships are a sink-hole for marketing dollars. They are wrong. This piece from Prophet shows what happens when you get it right with Red Bull as the case study. They make four observations:

1. Red Bull’s brand building is largely based on associating its brand with an amazingly wide range of people, teams and events.
2. Red Bull believes in owning teams and events rather than being one of several sponsors.
3. Because of this ownership model, they can and have turned this buzz machine into a profit center.
4. Their on-brand activities reflect two very different personalities that live side by side.