This is a further continuation to my post on “Building Your Brand With Narratives”
Of all the brand images any company might obtain, the image of being the most “hip” thing out there is probably the most desirable. Accomplishing this is to marshal a great deal of advertising techniques and methods to one’s cause and to project an image that is, above all things, never stuffy or dated.
Viral marketing is one of the most effective ways to achieve this image. The techniques of viral marketing are varied but almost always make use of placing advertisements in places where they’re not expected to be seen and by making advertisements which aren’t obviously trying to sell the viewer anything at all.
Video sharing sites are an excellent place to start, as are social networking sites.
The first rule in viral marketing is shock. Shock doesn’t have to be negative in any regard. It simply means jarring the viewer and methods of jarring can include amusement, confusion or amazement at what they’re seeing. In the best case scenario, they forward the video or profile in question to their friends out of simple disbelief at what they’re seeing. Thus, the virus is spread.
Branding a product as hip or innovative, by definition, means breaking with tradition. Car commercials, for instance, have long worked to present the vehicles as representing a brand that people can trust and whose reputation was built on a long history of being something in which one could reasonably place high expectations.
A popular campaign in the early 1990’s took the opposite tact, making use of a character who blatantly lied about the vehicle, constructed outrageous stories and, essentially, made every effort to be the kind of shady car salesman with whom auto manufacturers try to disassociate themselves. The campaign was very successful and even gained news coverage.
The fast food commercials which featured a character that actually frightened many viewers is another good example of giving an audience exactly what they don??™t expect.
Consider branding your product by doing the opposite of what usually works. Don??™t say anything about your product, for instance, and simply release a video which forces people to watch, in amazement, at what they’re seeing but which really doesn’t offend anyone. Eventually, someone will want to know who made the video.
When they find out it came from your company, expect to have attained a very hip brand image and one which people will remember for years.