Running It Up: 5 Brands That Turned Content Into Cash

Image: ChatGPT (2026)

Content overload is a real thing. And whether we like it, love it, or absolutely abhor it; one thing’s for sure, as long as smartphones and social media exist—that overload isn’t going anywhere any time soon. 

Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Especially for brands and individuals that are prudent enough to use consumers’ fondness of content consumption to their advantage.

Here are five brands that have not only utilized content marketing to increase brand visibility, audience engagement, and product presentations—they’ve also turned their brand-created content into cold hard cash. 

Red Bull 

Initially launched in the United States in 1997, beverage behemoth Red Bull has become synonymous with not only energy drinks—but also extreme sports as well. A significant reason why Red Bull has become a market leader in the energy drink space is because of its outstanding content marketing campaigns. 

Content marketing strategy of note: Fully funded and sponsored by Red Bull, on October 14th, 2012, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner became the first human to break the sound barrier in freefall without vehicular power when he jumped from a helium-lifted balloon capsule at 127,852 feet.

The result: Red Bull’s content leading up to and following the event generated millions of views and social interactions and what’s more, in the six months following the 2012 Stratos event, the brand’s U.S. sales reportedly increased 7% to $1.6 billion. 

Blendtec 

Whenever you think of cool products, kitchen appliances probably aren’t one of the first things that come to mind. But as the folks at Blendtec could now attest, great marketing could make any product appear more appealing. 

Content marketing strategy of note: Blendtec boldly captured the attention of worldwide audiences with the launch of their wildly popular ‘Will It Blend’ viral campaign.

The campaign consisted of demonstrations of Blendtec founder Tom Dickson attempting to show the power of Blendtec blenders by placing random items like: cell phones, toys, and soda cans in Blendtec blenders and chopping them down with his blenders. 

The result: The campaign helped drive an estimated 700% sales growth for Blendtec.

Coca-Cola

You don’t become the leading commercial soft drink globally for over a century by happenstance, you earn that title by adapting to the times. Therefore, you would expect a brand like Coca-Cola that is known for some of the most amazingly orchestrated ad campaigns to get with the times and aim to create viral moments on social platforms. 

Content marketing strategy of note: Coca-Cola used TikTok content around its Rock in Rio campaign, publishing and boosting 236 pieces of content that generated more than 730 million views.

The result: A sales-lift study attributed a roughly 6.9% incremental increase in sales thanks to the campaign.

Retrofoam 

Although you may have never heard of this brand, those who happen to be their customers—love them absolutely love them. Perhaps that’s because they provide an insulation service that helps homeowners do something that they love on a monthly basis—which is to save money on energy bills. 

Content marketing strategy of note: The insulation company built its content marketing strategy simply around answering customers’ inquiries through articles and videos.

The result: Retrofoam reported that their leads increased nearly 80% in the first year and more than 60% in the second, while overall business doubled within three years; the company specifically attributed much of that growth to its content strategy.

Salsa De Leon

When family-owned Texas salsa company Salsa De Leon wanted to expand beyond their local audience, they considered a variety of options to help accomplish that feat. Nevertheless, instead of going the traditional route and relying on advertising, from June 2024 to June 2025, the company focused on sharing its story through social media.

Content marketing strategy of note: Salsa De Leon utilized a series of short-form videos to share authentic stories about the history of their brand, its founder Leticia De Leon and her family, and recipes on social platforms: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

The result: Largely attributed to the campaign, Salsa De Leon finished 2024 with a whopping 101% increase in net online sales. 

Conclusion 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t leave you with a few statistics that may very well surprise you. 

Studies show that:

• Average content marketing ROI: $7.65 for every $1 spent (SQ Magazine, 2025)

• Content marketing generates 3x more leads than outbound at 62% lower cost (Demand Metric / CMI)

• B2B SaaS content marketing averages 844% ROI over 3 years (Averi.ai benchmarks, 2026, citing CMI data)

If you’d like our marketing firm to help create a killer content marketing campaign for your company, contact us and schedule a complimentary client consultation today!