In a highly competitive market, traditional marketing doesn’t stand out anymore. When we look at some of the world’s biggest brands, we see how they turn to unconventional marketing to increase brand loyalty, spark conversation, and garner more customers. Let’s take a look at some creative and memorable unconventional marketing campaigns that demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of this approach Think outside of the box!
1. Share a Coke Campaign – Coca Cola
A bold example is Coca Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, which made the purchase of a Coke a more personal experience. Instead of the Coca-Cola logo, popular first names appeared on the bottles, encouraging people to share a Coke with loved ones, family, and friends. This created a frenzy, as customers started looking for their names, and people started sharing it all over social media.
Due to the campaign’s popularity, Coca-Cola created a ‘customize-your-own-bottle’ option, which allowed customers to add their name to a Coca-Cola bottle, making it more personal. The campaign saw so much success since it was able to make customers feel seen and heard which resulted in more brand loyalty and created a more powerful brand image for Coca Cola.
2. Ramadan Campaign – Uber Eats
During Ramadan, a holy month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and break their fast at sundown, Uber Eats decided to tap into this universal cultural moment with an unconventional marketing campaign. This campaign saw the streets with large billboards, promoting the restaurants available on Uber Ears with the timing of iftar to remind people to order on time. Additionally, the app sent push notifications aligned with the sunset times to remind customers to place their orders.
This campaign was able to show Uber Eats’s Muslim customers the respect and understanding Uber Eats has for them making them feel more connected to them on a deep cultural level. The campaign can be seen as simple but sends a strong and important message and can reach and connect with a large audience.
3. Spotify Wrapped Campaign – Spotify
Lastly, Spotify created a global buzz with its Spotify Wrapped campaign, where the app releases top charts showcasing its users’ top songs, artists, and genres. This data-driven, unconventional marketing campaign was never been seen before, leveraging personalization to create a unique experience for all of Spotify’s users.
This campaign created countless social media conversations, with people sharing their results on their accounts and many discussions with friends and family. Spotify was able to turn users’ listening habits into a unique and fun experience which creates more brand loyalty and people switching from competitors (such as Apple Music) to Spotify.
Why Unconventional Marketing Works
As it can been seen from the successful campaigns discussed in this article, unconventional marketing can create memorable, personalized, and engaging connections with audiences and customers. Moreover, with so much competition, a brand that can stand out and create campaigns that connect with its customers- whether through personalization, data-driven marketing, or other strategies- can grow and leave lasting impression. This approach leads to massive brand growth and future successes. Don’t believe me? Re-read this article; the numbers don’t lie.
Sources
Bite fuel your imagination: Uber eats delivery is ready for Iftar. Creativebrief. (n.d.-a). https://www.creativebrief.com/bite/fuel-your-imagination/uber-eats-delivery-is-ready-for-iftar
The Drum. (2023, December 5). Uber eats creates cultural moment to celebrate Ramadan, here’s how. https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/12/05/uber-eats-creates-cultural-moment-celebrate-ramadan-heres-how
How a Groundbreaking Campaign Got Its Start “Down Under.” How a groundbreaking campaign got its start “Down under.” (n.d.). https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history/how-a-campaign-got-its-start-down-under
Making moves: Designing motion for 2022 wrapped. Spotify Design. (n.d.). https://spotify.design/article/making-moves-designing-motion-for-2022-wrapped
Share a Coke: Bigger and better than ever – coca-cola united. Coca. (2018, May 25). https://cocacolaunited.com/blog/2015/05/18/share-coke-bigger-better-ever/
Spotify wrapped: A masterclass in data-driven marketing. B3 Marketing. (2024, October 7). https://www.b3.marketing/post/spotify-wrapped-a-masterclass-in-data-driven-marketing