Have you ever done any marketing activity simply because you thought it was cool? I know I’m not meant to say that, because of ‘marketing science’ and efficiency and all.

But hear me out. I’m talking about the unquantifiable stuff. The kind of marketing that doesn’t have an immediate ROI forecast to flaunt in a boardroom, but makes an impact.

Today’s article is all about untrackable marketing activities, in an episode I’m calling…

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Does your brand have 1,000 true fans?

Kevin Kelly’s “1,000 True Fans” theory posits that creators don’t need millions of followers or customers to thrive. They just need a thousand people who believe in them so much that they’ll buy whatever they create.

In the world of FMCG, this idea doesn’t translate that well. We’ve been drilled into us that our brands rely on light buyers and that we need to do broad reach marketing to hit the masses and imprint our brand onto their brains.

But I believe both can be true.

I think we all need to be realistic about the impact our brands have on people’s lives (very little) - and that perhaps we are largely replaceable. This philosophy can be very helpful for us in clarifying our communication and being ultra consistent.

However, I think there’s something magical about designing stuff for the freaks. Those people at the absolute fringes, who are fanatical about the details and passionate about what we do. Not just because it’s fun, but because it helps clarify our brand for the masses and cements our positioning and place in the world. 

After all, another 20% off promotion might see a nice baseline bump, but it’s not going to build brands.

How can you show up in a way your competitors wouldn’t dare?

What if your brand was a ‘lifestyle brand’?

Here’s a little thought experiment for you. What if you had to create a new product and launch it under your brand, but it couldn’t be in your existing category or capabilities?

Here’s a list of questions you might ask yourself to get started

1. Who are my actual customers?

2. What else do they spend money on?

3. What does my brand mean to them (if anything)?

4. What are we actually really good at but haven’t nailed yet?

5. What would the press release look like - how could we explain our brand extension in a way that is coherent and cohesive with the rest of our world?

This little experiment might help get out of the funk of day-to-day and do something different.

Launching vodka into space

This is a ridiculous idea. Why would anyone send a bottle of Vodka into space.

There is no way this makes sense on a spreadsheet, and it probably costs an absolute boatload. But the footage of their gold bottle floating above the earth is worth every single cent.

Not only does this make for awesome content, but it pushes the brand into a different territory above competitors. It quite literally elevates the brand to new heights, shaping perception and attributes in minds of potential shoppers.

Simple ideas stick out

When Shepherd Fairey launched the streetwear brand Obey, they went hard on stickers and street art. This subversive approach to launching a brand proved very successful for them, as they focused on pure reach & repetition.

Here’s the explanation, straight from their website:

Experiment with URL to IRL

Heaps Normal is one of Australia’s leading non-alcoholic beer brands. They are also experts at doing non-ROI led marketing. Their most recent roll of the dice was this stubby holder. They launched the render on Instagram and said if they hit 1,000 likes they’ll actually produce these.

Flirting with copyright infringement & testing stuff before launching - sounds like they are having fun at the very least!

What’s your case study or reference here?

These are just ideas straight off the top of my dome, but each of these examples showcase brands building stuff for their core audience, that probably also reaches ‘light buyers’ and helps connect with the masses.

I’d love to hear from you - do you have a portion of your marketing budget allocated to “roll the dice”? How does it work?

P.S
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