BE DIFFERENT. AND HAVE SOME GODDAMN FUN.
A non-exhaustive list of non-traditional marketing moments.
If there’s one thing we could harp on about forever, it’s differentiation. Today, we’d like to discuss having FUN with it.
Demand Curve (a lovely, nerdy newsletter about growth we like and read often) had this gem of a prompt this week:
“Which of these emoji stand out to you? 🐶🐱🐭🐹🐰🦊🐻🍉🐼🐻❄️🐨🐯🦁🐮🐷🐸🐵
And which shoe?
What about? desk, chair, bed, table, chipmunk, dresser, stool, couch
What about in this image?
In 1933, German Psychiatrist, Hedwig Von Restorff, discovered that when presenting someone with a bunch of pieces of information from a single category (animals), and one that isn't (fruit), people recall the "odd one out" (🍉) much better.”
Damn it, don’t love old white guys being right, but that last one feels accurate.
Let’s take a look at a non-exhaustive list of non-traditional marketing moments that thrive on differentiation! AND have fun with it.
First off, in a world where either no one is showing up or when they do it’s a sad, ordinary ad for plane Wi-Fi, be this Wednesday tray.
Ouai has been active lately. But beyond the more standard (albeit very cute) influencer trips they have been creating, they are also making moves like this ad that ran on JetBlue:
What feels interesting here is the placement. Travel is up. On planes1. On buses2! Brands can look beyond the standard channels and stand out by being the opposite of what you typically see.
Another prime example that has been inundating feeds for weeks is this board game ‘No worries If Not’. What feels different beyond the board game aspect here is how you can tackle ‘issues’ as a brand. On the one hand, you can do a fundraiser or have an outdated CRM program or you can highlight issues like this in ways that get people to look up. What’s working better?
In our last letter, Deeply Good Fakes, we discussed the rise of CGI OOH campaigns and how those cut through. Why do they work? Because they inject a little happy whimsy into the world in a way traditional ads have often ceased to do.
An old but a goodie? These QVC-style videos by cult fave Dusen Dusen. Why are these good? Because everyone knows this format and this is turning it on its head in a delightful way. And it’s perfect for the brand. The tone is spot on.
More recently we’ve also seen another format being treated with fresh eyes: the report.
This F*ck Oatly one made the round for good reason—so funny.
But also even more recently we saw this one by Nobell (interestingly also a category disrupted and one with a climate change focus—wonder who inspired them 😉 and also doing some weird and wonderful things on social that seem to be striking a cord). What’s cool about this is that Nobell, a small brand by any standard, managed to get some pretty famous chefs to write for them. Not only do we think this report turns the format on its head, but it looks at how collaborations can be done differently.
As we’ve said before, collab fatigue is real but this feels like a nice, non-sensational way to do it.
Obviously, you have to be famous for this one to work but to tease their new album The Rolling Stones put out an ad in a local newspaper. For a band that used to be subversive, this felt fun.
And a final one is a little ditty we spotted while on a trip to Berlin over the weekend. This festival was happening over the weekend. A chap with a big bag of these seat covers was covering every seat on the rack. Hard to ignore an ad when you have to put your ass on it. This isn’t new in Europe as an OOH opp but it does make you think about how you can just look for opportunities everywhere—it might be right under your butt.
All this being said, weird ads are not the goal here. It’s not about making something different for different sakes like this very odd Sprite x Complex mixtape art generator.
It’s about showing up in unexpected places in ways that really push things and work for your brand.
It’s about pushing the boundaries of your brand.
Demonstrating what you’re for (or against).
Getting people talking about/noticing what you really want them talking about and noticing.
It’s about seeing the entire world as a canvas on which to create consumer connection.
It’s about asking yourself ‘why not?’
It’s about actively looking for everyday and extraordinary ways to position—and more importantly—grow your brand.
If you have any fun examples you’ve seen lately. Feel free to drop them in the comments for us all to enjoy!
Data from national bus companies shows that more U.S. travelers are taking intercity bus trips of all kinds, from no-frills to deluxe options. Flix North America, owner of Greyhound and FlixBus, says ridership jumped 63% year-over-year for the Fourth of July weekend, and 70% over Memorial Day weekend. Source
According to the U.S Travel Association’s most recent data from May, air travel demand appears to have stabilized somewhat and remained up 10% in May year-over-year. Total travel spending improved to 1.4% above May 2022 levels and was up 5.5% year-to-date through May 2023. Airlines also paint a distinct picture of the popularity of international travel. Delta raised its full-year profit expectations on July 13, as did American Airlines on July 20. United Airlines also boasted record quarterly profit and forecasted a strong third quarter due to the growth of international travel. JetBlue, a predominantly U.S. domestic carrier, cut its full-year profit forecast due to the ending of its American Airlines partnership and a shift away from domestic trips toward international flights.