It's not easy for advertisers to get attention nowadays. There are too many distractions. That's why brands need to up the ante and risk someone actually perishing during a marketing stunt. Honda tried to build some suspense in 2008 around the dangerous aspects of having 19 skydivers spell out the brand's name in a live TV ad. Red Bull, of course, is taking this to a new level. It is having an Austrian daredevil, with the appropriate sobriquet Fearless Felix, do a 120,000-foot skydive. Felix will break the world record for longest free-fall skydive (some 23 miles) assuming he doesn't die. The best part is, we can watch live at a Red Bull site. The mobile app will track his heart rate, providing endless fun as he breaks the sound barrier with his own body. No date has been set for the stunt. If this kind of thing catches on, it's inevitable that someone's going to die during some brand's desperate bid for attention. You can be sure that account will go into review when it finally happens.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey