It’s easy to fall into the trap of repeating the same old tactics when planning your next B2B technology campaign – but don’t be surprised if you get the same old results.
Getting outstanding responses is the name of the game, but how do you get that level of connection with an audience? The answer is to try something different, something that will really stick in people’s memories.
We take a look at some campaigns that went outside the box to leave their audience thinking long after they’ve read or viewed the content.
CISCO SuperSmart rewrites the script
How can you ring the changes in a subject like cyber security? Although it’s a vital issue, it may not be everyone’s idea of a riveting read. This is where CISCO decided to rewrite the script, introducing a new superhero for our times who would help catch the bad guys of the online security world.
Featuring in her own graphic novel, security expert SuperSmart helps Phil, an under pressure cyber security chief, protect his company’s data from a myriad of threats as it prepares to expand. With advice from SuperSmart, Phil soon has the bad guys looking elsewhere for vulnerable systems.
The unusual format allowed CISCO to get its message across in a more memorable way than through a typical whitepaper.
In the mood for love?
You might not think of farming as particularly high tech, but it’s a business that can still benefit from technology solutions. A company called Hectare had a platform that allowed farmers to trade breeding animals online. So far, nothing to bleat about – but they wanted to really improve awareness of it and get the message across that farming was not stuck in the mud.
They came up with Tudder, a sort of dating app for cows that allows farmers to swipe left or right and get more information on the animals they’re interested in.
Valentines’ cards for journalists and a video on how to use the app got the attention of more than just Farmer’s Weekly, with the campaign achieving coverage in the Guardian, BBC and the New York Times.
Click, click baby
Many marketers think clicks are the be-all and end-all of marketing campaigns – well, Adobe has a different story to tell. In its video campaign, it showed that tracking clicks without understanding what’s behind them can be a big mistake. Make sure to watch to the end for the punchline.
Humour and a slice of the unexpected make sure the campaign sticks in the mind and puts across the message that you need to go beyond pure click counts and understand what’s really happening and why.
‘So yeah, we tried Slack…’
Slack is a team communications and collaboration product. When the company wanted to make a video to promote its benefits, its chosen production company, Sandwich Video, came up with a concept that initially had itself as a reluctant Slack user – ‘we’ve seen it all before’.
But, as the video says, they then started to use it – and became hooked on its concepts of channels and easy communications between colleagues.
Throw in some goofiness and humour and Sandwich Video came up with the perfect vehicle to help people remember the product.
Let’s make you a business
Starting and building a business is a dream of many but can be a daunting prospect for a lot of start-ups. This is where Shopify’s “Let’s Make You a Business” campaign came in. As a leading provider of internet infrastructure and tools for retail businesses of any size, helping small businesses envisage what they could achieve was a good fit for Shopify.
Based on the phrase “Let’s make…”, items on TV, digital video, out-of-home, radio and social advertising suggested “Let’s make you that business you wish existed” or “Let’s make what you do for fun what you do for a living”.
One of the campaign’s most innovative methods was called “That Storefront” which took over storefronts and used them to suggest that an entrepreneur’s new business could soon be thriving at the property.
By really understanding people’s dreams of success and what potential new business owners are thinking, the campaign connected with people and drove a lot of interest in Shopify’s offers.
All these campaigns made a connection with their audience because they dared to be different. For your next campaign, go beyond the normal and see if you can surprise yourself – and possibly delight your audience.