The wing maker
After more than ten years at Red Bull, Leif Langenskiöld now wants to give wings to the Triebwerk event agency in Basel.
Leif Langenskiöld says about his time at Red Bull. Actually had
only a temporary job lured him after his studies. Ten years later
he returns as a successful marketing specialist from the headquarters of
Red Bull USA back. There Langenskiöld has 800 people at the end
which he has helped to shape with the brand philosophy of Red Bull.
could inspire.
Leif Langenskiöld studied political science in St.Gallen and has
wanted to work for international organizations. At various
study trips to Brussels, Geneva and Strasbourg, however, he was
"the huge bureaucratic structures" of these political apparatuses.
It was in this situation that fellow student Sami Liechti, who would later become the
Internet sales for Black Socks invented just right with his
Tip for a "summer job" at Red Bull. The Matter Leo Burnett Agency
was looking for someone to do the sampling for the Sprudel.
Langenskiöld got the four minis out with the familiar canned setup from
Austria to Switzerland. Then it was a matter of finding 25 promoters locally,
in 1995, the first event and sponsoring activities for Red
Bull on its feet. For all these tasks had
Langenskiöld a contract for six months. On the last day he was then
simply sat and has since "never again received a contract from
Red Bull seen".
There was no time at all for such trivialities. In the spring of 1996
Red Bull Schweiz AG was founded. Only three sold
Langen-skiöld and his team from a small office in Baar already in the
first year nine million doses. In the second year, there were 13
million, in the third 17 and in the fourth 25 and in the fifth already 36
million cans. "The growth has been massive," says Langenskiöld, who
was promoted to marketing manager of the cult drink in 1998. Meanwhile
sponsored over 35 athletes and around 300 events per year,
including the legendary Red Bull flying days.
After five years, the logistical distribution of Feldschlösschen
disconnected. The beer was just always in the foreground, although Red Bull
had even overtaken Pepsi internally. "Feldschlösschen was the
rise of Red Bull in Switzerland a very important and good
partners, but two completely different cultures met."
Langenskiöld recalls.
Because Langenskiöld these other, more credible marketing strategies
by Dietrich Mateschitz "kind of by instinct" since the beginning of
way had understood correctly, he was sent by the motherhouse in Austria in the
In 2002, he was sent to the USA as a coach. There he experienced the rapid
Build-up of sales with 150 people in the first year to 600 already in the
second. "Someone has been newly hired and within two.
months, we had to look for new people ourselves. There was the very
specific, European culture of Red Bull at risk." His job was
it now to set this image right again. He had to take over the
American large corporations teach people that
Mateschitz with his marketing "constantly the opposite of established
makes brands." Instead of giving away tons of T-shirts, these
for example, only distributed very selectively so that Red Bull as a brand -.
similar to Swatch in the early days - as exclusive as possible and thus as a
Cult is perceived.
During this time, the Swiss winger from California's Santa
Monica from four of the eight business units in America, each with 40
Served millions of potential customers and was on the plane almost daily
somewhere between Miami and Seattle. In the last two years, Langenskiöld has been working for Red Bull in the USA.
also still as Director Motorsports Marketing in more than 25
racing categories. With the project "American F 1
Champion", he hopes, as the project manager, "the first
American F-1 world champion of the future". Scott
In any case, Speed may already be the first American in more than ten
years in the new Red Bull team in Formula 1.
From 20 million Swiss francs to almost 2 billion per year, the sales
increased during Langenskiöld's ten years at Red Bull. He has worked in
During this period of development from an insider's tip to a global brand, we invested a lot in
marketing: "Red Bull has learned new things in marketing.
Standards Set." This knowledge of the emotional impact, of
marketing and the "importance of presenting them authentically and credibly.
design," he now wants to apply to other products as well.
Langenskiöld finally came back to Switzerland "because
George W. has been re-elected." But the most important reason was,
that he and his Swiss wife, who in the meantime runs the Labo Spa in Zurich
had opened, who wanted to enroll three children here. "Either
we stay another twenty years, or we go back now. Now are
we are still rooted enough in Switzerland," was the decision. Although it
would have already given some attractions to stay. "We lived on the beach.
The morning surfing before starting work in the waves of the Pacific Ocean
was part of the ritual."
After so many adventures with Red Bull, the returnee also had to
continue to seek a task somewhat outside the norm. The ideal
challenge for a new phase in his life, he has now found at
engine found. Together with his partners Martin Bärtschi and
Robert Erhart wants Langenskiöld to transform the event agency in Basel into a new
dimension. "After five successful years, Triebwerk
(now 15 employees and over 3 million in sales) to a point
come where it can use new impetus." Triebwerk has evolved in recent years from an executive
logistics agency to a specialist for event implementation.
Especially in the area of management and processing of complex
marketing projects, Triebwerk has made a name for itself. With Leif
Langenskiöld is now to join Triebwerk in terms of content and geography.
develop further. However, the company does not see itself as a competitor to
classic advertising agencies. "Triebwerk" is intended for the
Below-the-line act as a perfect complement."
Andreas Panzeri
