For millions of people around the world, 2012 will forever be the year that Red Bull made good on its promise to give a man wings... and then let him fall 24 miles into the stratosphere. In a year when NASA was being threatened with budget cuts despite its own successes, Red Bull proved that private interests could fund research into space exploration with its Red Bull Stratos program. Red Bull took Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner up 39 kilometers into the sky, and let him jump down in a pressurized suit. The amazing fall to Earth lasted approximately 10 minutes, and Red Bull made sure that the public would see every second of it. Using social media, the company built up massive interest in the jump on Facebook, Twitter, and various other channels, so that when the event was being broadcast on television and YouTube (NASDAQ:GOOG), as many people would witness it as possible. Breaking three world records, providing integral data for the future of space suit designs, and reigniting the public’s admiration for space exploration, the Red Bull Stratos project no doubt gave a huge boost to the company’s brand. Hopefully, it will provide an example of how companies should market themselves in the future.