Wacky Tactics to Consider when Rebranding

MSLK prides ourselves on helping our clients stay top of mind with their customers. With a challenging economy adding to an already crowded and competitive marketplace, it’s more important than ever to stand out from the competition.

We’ve developed our favorite “Top 9” clever tactics to get people talking about your brand — adding a positive shock value coming from companies that consumers would least expect.

9. Tickle their funny bone. Don’t be afraid to be irreverent or potentially offend. This may seem obvious, but can do wonders for organizations not normally associated with humor. You can see a great collection of examples here.

8. Don’t be overly pragmatic. Sometimes the more non-quantifiable promotions are the most memorable and that lasting impression will get more people talking in the end. Which is also a fancy way of saying “don’t take yourself so seriously.”

7. Don’t just promote. Engage. Rather than sending out a plain-old postcard, give your audience something to respond to. Create a riddle with a prize offered for submitting the solution. This gives you the ability to track your response rate, too. We did this once for a photographer who gave away a limited-edition poster of photographs to those interested.

6. Mix it up. Got a website which gets a lot of traffic? Consider taking a nod from Google with a playful twist that is fun and seasonal, as they routinely modify their logo in accordance with holidays, such as Mother’s Day, or the birthdays of various notable individuals.

5. Reveal something personal. Create a dialog with your customers that is a break from the hard-sell business approach. Give clients something to talk to you about other than just business. Charitable efforts are great to talk about, allowing you to introduce your cause to a larger audience.

4. Let your customers be in control. Well, at least give them a say. Have a new packaging or product you want to try out? Set up a micro site and ask your customers to vote on the result. A great business model we’ve admired for years has been is that of T-Shirt innovators Threadless.

3. More shock, less yawn. Try making an announcement that is SO outrageous, it’s totally unbelievable. It will surely grab attention. We recently read about a company that said Santa had picked their 6 timezone watch as the best and they were endorsed by Santa… pretty clever!

2. Turn a potential fault into a unique branding angle. This simple tactic has worked well for VW for decades, as Ellen pointed out not so long ago.

1. Spoof your competition. Point out some of their faults… keep it fun!

Got any others? Please post ’em in the comments!