I think my stomach’s stopped lurching now… I was among the millions of  people who watched Felix Baumgartner step off the edge of space and free-fall to the earth this week – not something I’d have envisaged watching if you’d told me 20 years ago.

Not only did the daredevil Austrian make history after jumping from 128,000 feet, he also broke the sound barrier and the world record on the number of viewers watching a live stream via YouTube – with an audience of 8 million watching live.

Hats off to Felix, but also, kudos to Red Bull, who backed the stunt and watched its brand exposure go into orbit as fast as Felix fell out of it.

Hands up, how many marketers have you known who’ve come up with a zany, out-there idea that’s made everyone in the room smile, before looking at the logistics and the cost and dismissing it with an ‘it’s a nice idea, but we simply don’t have the resource’? How many of those marketers knew perfectly well it wasn’t a feasible option but suggested it all the same to prove their creativity?

Well, Red Bull has thrown down the gauntlet. Never again will a marketer be able to say ‘never’.

This feat must have taken YEARS to orchestrate. It would need an epic team of experts from a whole raft of fields; not just one man prepared to risk his life. Red Bull has been a big name in bringing extreme sports into the public eye for years, but they’ve taken it to a completely new level now, and they’ve really set a new standard.

This week, Forbes declared that Red Bull’s sponsorship of the live jump was equal to ‘tens of millions of dollars of brand exposure’, and while we have no idea how much time, and money was ploughed into bringing this stunt off, it’s certainly proved its worth for the brand.

So there’s a strong message here – if you have a fantastic idea, one that can stop the world for a couple of hours, then have the guts to help see it through. Yes it takes money, time, resource and God knows it takes energy and dedication, but you might just have a success on this scale on your hands. And if you’re struggling, I can recommend a well-known energy drink to help you get through the pain…