What comes to mind someone mentions the term ‘marketing’? Some people may think of mindlessly analysing statistics in a stuffy office. Others might think of a boardroom of high-powered individuals in suits, meticulously devising new ways to trick consumers into making them more money.
Whilst these assumptions may not be completely unfounded, the world of marketing can be an extremely innovative and interesting space, often requiring outside-the-box thinking, and a creative mindset.
With that in mind, here a few examples of marketing strategies and campaigns, that encompass this innovation and creativity.
Fly Audible
The rise of popularity for radio proved to be a great tool for marketing and advertising, with the ability to reach a huge audience. Audio book giants Audible, in some ways pay homage to those old radio ads, with their 2020 campaign ‘Fly Audible’.
Airing in the peak of COVID-19 pandemic, a TV and radio ad, done in the style of old vintage travel ads, invites you to ‘Fly Audible, and travel the worlds!’. Amidst lockdowns and travel restrictions, the 30 second advert reminded people that books can transport us to locations far away from our mask wearing world, depicting the worlds of Game of Thrones, The Handmaid’s Tale, Harry Potter and Mars.
This serves as a perfect example of connecting with consumers, by tailoring your advertising and marketing content to current world affairs. It is also helpful if your product can solve a problem, in this case, boredom due to restrictions…
Fortnite vs Apple
It’s 1984. Apple airs an iconic advert. A dystopian future set free by a majestic woman throwing a sledgehammer at a screen depicting an overlord-type figure, destroying a symbol of oppression. The advert is named ‘1984’
Fast forward to 2020, Epic games releases an advert. A digitised dystopian future, set free by a majestic woman throwing a sledgehammer with a unicorn’s head, at the symbol of oppression, which is now a man with a half-bitten Apple for a head. Intelligently named, ‘Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite’.
This advert came as a direct response to Apple removing Fortnite from the app store for a reason that Epic Games thought was unjust. A shot for shot remake, of one of the most famous ads, for the biggest company in the world, is a genius piece of digital marketing. Making Apple the symbol of oppression that is destroyed by a heroic outsider and ironically flipping the tables, not only catches people’s attention in a striking way, but it lines up with and encapsulates a lot of people’s thoughts about the way Apple operate. This strategy is the epitome of connecting with and engaging with your consumers.
Burger King, ‘Burn that Ad
Keeping up with new technologies and trends is essential in the world of marketing, as is finding a way of implementing that technology into your strategies. Burger King did exactly this in early 2019, with their ‘Burn that Ad’ campaign. This directive encouraged users to open the Burger Kind app, point their camera to one of their competitors’ adverts, and using augmented reality to burn the ad away, revealing a Burger King Whopper advert in its place. In return, the customers would be awarded a free whopper at their local Burger King.
This ad is textbook guerrilla marketing. Innovative and different, fun for the user, and rewards them once finished, all whilst making headlines and getting people talking about the brand. The advert stands as a fantastic example of how modern technologies can be used within advertising and marketing and adapting certain current trends can prove fruitful for a brand.
Undoubtedly, we are never far away from the next big marketing campaign that will cause a stir, push the boundaries, and leave competitors thinking “why didn’t we do that?”. With advancements moving as fast as they do, it is difficult to predict what will happen next. This is one of the things that makes marketing such an exciting space, and not just executives in a boardroom, or statistics in an office.
Get in touch with our team to discuss how we can inject innovation into your marketing.
