Throughout the history of television advertising, very seldom has one brand campaign been so powerful, so effective, and so inspiring—that not only could it be credited for changing the trajectory of the brand that created it—it would also go on to shift the course of an entire industry.
If ever there were a campaign that could get a consensus among C-Suite executives for doing just that—it would be one that was created by a brand that was believed to be on its last legs at the time, but has since—become one of the biggest brands in the world (a brand you may also be using at this very moment).
The year was 1997. And throughout Silicon Valley, there was widespread speculation that due mostly to poor product reception along with fierce competition from rival Microsoft, tech company Apple was near-bankruptcy.
Unbeknownst to those in Silicon Valley at the time, some 12-years after his departure from the company—Apple Inc. co-founder, the late Steve Jobs, would return in 1997. Taking the helm as the company’s CEO and as a result—would immediately go on to produce one of the most inspiring advertising campaigns the world has ever seen.
Woefully, now over 27 years after the ad first aired, far too many marketing professionals seem to have forgotten the underlying message of that iconic ad.
There's power in crazy
According to a study by Spencer Stuart, the average tenure of a chief marketing officer among the consumer-heavy top 100 advertisers is only 3.1 years. Which would explain why so many CMOs err on the side of caution and refuse to implement marketing ideas that some would consider unconventional. While others may refer to as being flat-out crazy when presented with.
Which brings us back to the aforementioned Apple Think Different ad campaign.
Created by the advertising agency TBWA/CHIAT/DAY and narrated by Jobs himself, the campaign’s leading television ad known as “Crazy Ones,” features scenes of iconic figures like Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King. Jr, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and a host of other 20th-century luminaries.
The ad’s opening line begins with Jobs declaring, “Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things.”
Jobs couldn’t have been correct in his assertion in the ad. It is the crazy ones who go on to change things. And you definitely cannot ignore them. Which is why their ideas are more important than ever. Especially as it pertains to marketing towards today's preoccupied consumer.
Consumer’s attention is more scarce than ever
Have you ever truly thought about the term shock value? Well, if ever there were a time when shocking people was a valuable gambit—it would be today. Think about it, how often have you found yourself watching random videos on YouTube and TikTok or maybe scrolling your timeline aimlessly for hours on X or Instagram? We're all guilty of it.
It is for that reason, in order for your brand's content to truly be noticed by its audience, have them engage with it, and just as importantly—share it with others—you’ve got to grab their attention—instantly!
According to a study by Yahoo and OMD Worldwide, Gen Zers lose active attention for an ad in only 1.3 seconds. Which is why it is so imperative that your marketing tactics instantly grab and hold your audience’s attention. And what history has shown us, is that one of the best ways to command the attention of an audience is by doing things outside of the norm that instantly shocks people.
The type of things that some would consider crazy.
“Capturing attention within one second to generate the 3-second view is
difficult, as it’s a short amount of time. That’s why having a solid Hook
Point for your content is so essential.” Says best-selling author and out of the box thinker Brendan Kane in his book, Hook Point: How to Stand Out in a 3-Second World.
More often than not, some of the best marketing hook points that capture an audience’s attention are those that may come off a little screwy and totally unrelated to the product initially—but stand out from the norm just enough to capture and retain an audience’s attention.
In advertising, this is known as the remote conveyor model. A tactic that while isn’t utilized as much these days, is very effective when properly applied.
People are faster to forget—which could be a good thing
Another awesome reason why now is the best time to implement the most crazy ideas into every phase of your marketing is because due to an influx of distractions—people are now far more likely to forget about your brand’s failed marketing tactics. Which minimizes the chances of any long-term negative perceptions having a significant impact on your brand.
Case in point, General Mills recently implemented a crazy product marketing idea of their own as they officially launched “The Kelce Mix.” A cereal named after National Football League stars Jason and Travis Kelce.
Despite the current popularity of the brothers (especially Travis), The Kelce Mix (inspired by a combination of three of the brothers’ favorite cereal brands: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, and Reese’s Puffs), could easily wind up being a product that flops in stores.
However, unlike in the early 1990s, when the failure of highly-promoted products like Crystal Pepsi made headlines; thus hurting their respective brand’s image, these days, consumers are so inundated with noise—that a crazy product marketing idea failing is now par for the course. Therefore, General Mills isn't taking much of a risk with The Kelce Mix rollout.
Nevertheless, when crazy product marketing ideas do go on to become hits today—they often go viral! Which is something that obviously could be invaluable towards your brand’s bottom-line.
Need help creating a crazy marketing strategy for your brand?
Now that you know how crazy marketing ideas could help your brand cut through the noise, stand out, and engage consumers—all that's left to do now is to begin implementing more outside of the box ideas into your brand’s overall marketing strategy.
Contact us today to schedule a complimentary client call so that we can help you do just that!
コメント