There are certain elements used in marketing campaigns that make them memorable and successful. If you can hit that sweet spot where you capture attention and make people remember you, it’s an excellent way to increase brand awareness and sell more products.
Some companies do this with ease, and it seems like it doesn’t require much effort on their part. Brands like Apple, for example, are so well-known that they already have a massive fan base.
However, for brands that haven’t achieved that level of stardom, it takes more effort to get noticed. The good thing is that the right marketing campaign can capture attention and help you earn a positive reputation.
Here are some of the most effective elements marketers have used in campaigns you might be familiar with.
- An exaggeration of something common
It’s hard to miss a 12-foot tall skeleton hanging around a home improvement store. If you’ve ever visited Home Depot during the Halloween season, you may have noticed the giant iconic skeleton named “Skelly.” Because people love it so much, they actually look forward to seeing it on display when they shop. Some people have even gone to Home Depot just to catch a glimpse of this skeleton.
While a 12-foot skeleton is certainly memorable, it’s not just the “wow” or “cool” factor that has made this an incredible marketing strategy for Home Depot. They started selling this skeleton in 2020, and since then, thousands of people have bought them to decorate their own yards for Halloween. What makes this marketing so successful is the fact that customers have made it into a viral sensation by sharing their own photos of Skelly going on hilarious and mischievous adventures in their yard.
How did this skeleton become a success? First, skeletons are one of the most recognizable Halloween images, but more than that, Skelly is an exaggerated size. Exaggeration is a key element in marketing that can make something a huge success (pun intended). Since it got customers engaged, it started a buzz on social media and people just can’t stop sharing the adventures (and misadventures) of Skelly.
- Humor
Humor sells. Studies have shown that people better remember ads when they are humorous. That’s why the Old Spice commercial featuring Isaiah Mustafa became such a hit. In the ad, he says, “Hello, ladies. Look at your man, now back to me. Now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me. But if he stopped using lay scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like me.”
The commercial was over-the-top direct, but funny, and people loved it. It did wonders for the Old Spice brand, and Mustafa became known as the “Old Spice Man.
- Influencer marketing
Before social media was full of influencers, the only influencers available to marketing companies were celebrities, like actors and musicians. They leveraged them generously in ads. One of the most successful efforts was the “Got Milk?” Campaign, which was launched in 1993. These ads consisted of television commercials, billboard advertisements, and magazine ads featuring celebrities with milk mustaches.
Perhaps the most well-known ad was the first commercial in the series starring Sean Whalen. In this commercial, a dedicated historian receives a random call from a radio station, and all he has to do to win $10,000 is tell the DJ who shot Alexander Hamilton. He has just stuffed his face with a peanut butter sandwich and tries to give the correct answer, “Aaron Burr,” but he isn’t understood. He grabs a carton of milk to pour into his glass, but there’s only a splash left. Since the DJ can’t understand him, he doesn’t get the prize. The commercial ends with, “Got milk?”
- Connecting an ad to a buyer’s ideal persona
If your brand can make people feel like they will become their ideal persona, you will be highly successful. That’s exactly what Nike did with their “Just Do It” campaign. First launched in 1988, this campaign made people feel like they could do anything from lose weight to get a better job.
By connecting their brand with motivation, inspiration, and healthy living, Nike made a huge, positive impression on people that made people feel aligned with the brand.
Marketing inspiration is everywhere
If you’re looking for inspiration for marketing your brand, you don’t have to look far. Find popular companies in your industry to see what they’re doing, but also look at other industries because you can find marketing lessons everywhere.
If you don’t know where to start, you can always connect with a professional marketing agency and have them take the lead for you.
Interesting Related Article: “4 Ways to Transform Customer Reviews into Marketing Content“
