It goes without saying that there’s a lot of competition today. Startups and established brands are competing for consumer attention and loyalty. This level of saturation can make it tough for any individual brand to stand out, especially if said brand does not have an endless flow of marketing dollars at its disposal.
However, there are simple techniques brands can employ to essentially hack their way to distinction. Here are three, along with companies who successfully used them.
1. Risk-taking: Uber
Unless you’ve developed a brand new piece of cutting-edge technology that will revolutionize the world, it will be difficult to stand out from the crowd if you leverage basic marketing tactics. Yes, you need to utilize tried-and-true marketing tactics to be competitive — SEO, PPC campaigns, email and social media. But to really break through the noise, you need to think beyond the status quo.
Think of Uber. While it’s true that the ride-sharing company has seen its fair share of controversy, it’s also executed marketing tactics that pushed its brands far ahead of the competition. Uber has basically become the stunt-marketing authority. The company has dabbled in delivering ice cream in Australia to celebrate National Ice Cream day and partnered with Animal Planet to bring puppies and kittens into New York City offices.
These stunt campaigns have not only proved popular with consumers, but they’ve also garnered flurries of media mentions. Uber knows that it has to continuously take marketing risks if it wants to keep its place at the top of the pedestal.
2. Community engagement: Under Armour
No brand should expect…