In a post at the Influential Marketing Blog, Rohit Bhargava discusses a social media trend that appears to be on the rise. Instead of focusing on a specific event or a holiday like so many other companies, some marketers are taking a more "peripheral" approach.
His first example: A faux music video entitled "Breakfast in Bed" that riffs on traditional Valentine's Day advertising by highlighting the morning after. A cheesy ballad, mimicking British boy bands like Take That, introduces the theme in its opening lines:
Wake up girl
Last night was not a dream
It's the morning after Valentine's
Happy February 15
For the next three minutes, viewers are treated to a none-too-subtle series of bad puns and double entendres built around the romantic experience of eating Honey Bunches of Oats in bed. The charm wears a bit thin, but it's an interesting angle.
Another in Bhargava's roundup is the Miller delivery guy's stream-of-consciousness critique of various Super Bowl ads. The technique, Bhargava says, enables the brand to make an impact from the inexpensive periphery of the event.
"With the arrival of social media and lots of other ways to reach consumers, is peripheral marketing going to be here to stay?" asks Bhargava. "From what we've seen so far, it will be a technique to watch and one that smarter marketers continue to use to stand out." And we'd call that Marketing Inspiration.
More Inspiration:
Cam Beck: The Difference Between Success and Failure
Valeria Maltoni: Why Trademarks Are Important
Lewis Green: Ruthless or Rigorous: You Decide
by Oliver Feakins
