Source[De]Coded:💡Insights: Creating Subversive Campaigns

The crew is still buzzing after Puerto Rico (93% post-event positive feedback!), and while the tans are starting to fade, the quality of the work has not. A handful of big client initiatives and the subsequent client feedback are keeping the good vibes going. Well, that, and our biggest client win 🥳of the year (more on that once we get the green light to announce it), plus another Top Places to Work award! Do people still say ‘whoop whoop?’ Asking for a friend.

Shameless Plug: We’re attending POSSIBLE and RSA next week. At RSA, we’re hosting a media breakfast the morning of April 30th if that tickles your fancy. If so, RSVP here! We’d love to meet up.

QQ: Have you ever wondered how you should incorporate Reddit into your B2B marketing strategy? If so, look no further than Georg’s (our head of integrated marketing) guide. 

This week, we take a medium dive into how JCPenny is (still) trying to vie for our attention, the unexpected brand association between Coffee Mate and White Lotus, and a fun activation Heineken undertook to get people off their phones when it’s time to ‘cheers’.

Have fun, team—we certainly are!

Love,

Becky & Greg

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Subvert consumer expectations: How JCPenney is reinventing their brand positioning

TL;DR: 123-year old department store chain JCPenney rolled out their newest brand positioning campaign “Anonymous Ads,” which seeks to surprise shoppers by featuring their products in OOH and digital ads, not their name or overt labels.

Takeaway: When your brand has been around for as long as JCPenney has been, many consumers already have a concept of what your brand looks and feels like. For many, department store brands like JCPenney are a dime a dozen. Sure, consumers will give the brand business, but they’re not standing out amongst Macy’s, Nordstrom, and similar stores in your local mall. The “Anonymous Ads” concept is the company’s attempt to address what their CMO is calling “a sea of sameness” in retail. Instead of leaning on their long-standing brand, the company is reinventing what people think of when they think of ‘JCPenney’ – an ambitious task, yet vital to continue the brand’s longevity.

Consider:

• It’s never too late to reinvent your brand. How do customers already define your brand? Once you’ve established that norm, subvert it. Take the contrarian approach. Mix it up and let consumers question any biases they may have against your brand.
• At your brand’s core, what does your brand look and feel like? JCPenney’s campaign leads with the quality of their products, letting people be surprised and interested when they find out who’s behind the ad. Lean into the value your brand provides and let that redefine what your brand is.

⚡️ Fueling Growth Through Integrated Marketing ⚡️

You can’t subvert audience expectations without first understanding what those expectations are. Take an integrated approach and lean into your marketing data to understand your audience’s perceptions of your brand.

Pro tip: Take one step back and make sure your data is accurately depicting audience perceptions by promoting your brand to actual humans, not just optimizing for engagement. Not sure if you’re marketing to people or pixels? Check out our latest blog on how to avoid falling into the audience targeting trap.

Embrace a plot twist: Coffee Mate’s response to the relevance of its White Lotus flavor collab

TL;DR: Earlier this year, Coffee Mate launched a piña colada-flavored coffee creamer in collaboration with HBO’s show The White Lotus which proved to be an Easter egg for the show’s season finale. When the creamer went viral on social for the connection, they simply posted “well this is awkward” to their social channels.

Takeaway: The creamer brand’s response on social media captured attention in large part due to its simplicity, well-timed response (when audiences started realizing the connection), and the show’s social media popularity – it goes to showcase that there’s still a lot of value in a clever long game. In a world of increasingly shallow connections and advertisements, it’s cool to see two major brands find a uniquely creative way to collaborate. All we know is that next time an HBO show collaborates with another brand, we’ll be keeping tabs to predict the next plot twist.

Consider:

• Regardless of the clever twist on the partnership, this collaboration still made sense because it was a natural enough extension of both brands. The product sold before the plot twist, and now it has the benefit of a second promotional push. Consider partnerships that provide multifaceted value, and you’ll reap double the benefits.
• Clever marketing isn’t dead and your consumers are more observant than you might think. If there’s a similar play you can pull, go for it. Don’t be afraid to play the long game with your consumers.

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Go back to IRL: Heineken’s latest marketing stunt battles against digital overload

TL;DR: While other brands are maximizing digital marketing, Heineken is embracing old-school in-person interactions. Its latest innovation is The Flipper, an AI-powered phone-case prototype that automatically flips a user’s phone face down when the word “cheers” is uttered to keep people from being distracted from phone alerts while socializing.

Takeaway: Considering Heineken previously introduced the Boring Phone and the Boring Mode app, which turn off features that make smartphones so distracting, it’s clear that the company is cementing themselves as a brand best enjoyed IRL. It’s a contrarian approach but a welcome change from companies leaning into over-the-top digital campaigns and social media virality. As the world gets increasingly digital, expect more brands to try and break through the noise of emerging tech into more old-school, analog ways of interacting.

Consider:

• What does your brand’s physical presence look like? Maybe your product already falls into this bucket – like Heineken’s beer – in which case, what’s an extension of your brand that could provide a relevant physical benefit (like Heineken incentivizing IRL conversation)?
• Similar to JCPenney’s brand reinvention above, this stunt helps Heineken showcase to consumers what their brand embodies. It’s not just about the beer product, it’s about community and generating experiences around their product. How you show up in marketing stunts and campaigns can help consumers build their perception of your brand – make sure you’re cognizant of that.

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