Running a business is inherently competitive, so you have to try and stand out in the crowd.

There are plenty of traditional marketing tactics that are effective, but sometimes using a bit of creativity and willingness to step outside the box can make a great impact.

Today, we will explore a few unconventional marketing tactics that have stood out and delivered impressive results.

Hopefully, you can think differently about your marketing approach and consider innovative strategies to captivate your audience and achieve your business goals.

Ambush Marketing

Ambush marketing describes the method of leveraging a popular event or campaign without officially being a sponsor.

This unconventional approach means that your brand cleverly associates itself with the event or campaign, which brings attention and brand awareness.

One memorable example of this is Nike’s ambush marketing during the 2012 London Olympics.

Although Nike was not an official sponsor, an extensive “Find Your Greatness” campaign was launched and resonated with audiences, generating buzz around the brand.

Experiential Marketing

Experimental marketing focuses on creating immersive and memorable experiences for consumers.

It ascends traditional advertising by allowing people to interact with your brand directly.

For instance, Red Bull’s Stratos campaign was a great example of experimental marketing.

Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking skydive grabbed attention worldwide, and Red Bull’s association with the event through live streaming and branded content generated plentiful brand visibility and engagement.

User-Generated Content (UGC) Campaigns

User-generated content can be an incredibly powerful and popular marketing tactic.

Your brand can encourage consumers to create and share content related to its products or services, which engages your audience and increases brand advocacy.

A personal favourite of ours which utilised this method was a recent campaign from Spotify, which ran an ad campaign featuring strange and humorous playlist names.

Spotify took advantage of all the data it has about users’ listening habits and showcased some of the interesting finds.

Influencer Partnerships

Influencer marketing has been around for a while and certainly isn’t an unheard-of concept.

But some brand shave taken it to new heights by partnering with unconventional influencers, or celebrities from unexpected industries.

For example, crocs ran an unconventional partnership campaign with rapper Post Malone.

Crocs aren’t exactly known for being cool or stylish, so this partnership campaign with Post Malone generated lots of buzz and even changed some people’s perceptions of the shoe.

Gamification

Gamification involves incorporating fun game elements into marketing campaigns to engage, entertain, and motivate your customers.

A memorable example is Coke’s “Share a Coke” campaign, where buyers were encouraged to collect bottles with different names, which created a sense of excitement and competition.

By turning this marketing campaign into a game, Coke successfully increased consumer participation and brand loyalty.

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing relies on the power of social media and its ability to rapidly spread content, campaigns, and messages.

You can create compelling and sharable content for your brand that resonates with your target audience, so your audience can then spread it further.

The Dollar Shave Club’s launch video used this methodology, with its humorous and engaging approach, the video gained lots of traction.

This led to millions of views, brand visibility, and a great start for the brand.

When trying to thrive in a crowded marketplace, unconventional marketing tactics can help you stand out.

The more attention you capture, the more impressive results you’ll achieve.

By thinking outside the box and taking calculated risks, your brand can go against the norm and connect with your target audience in new and exciting ways.

Embracing tactics like ambush marketing, experimental marketing, user-generated content campaigns, influencer partnerships, gamification, and viral marketing can help your business break through the noise, increase brand visibility, and drive tangible business outcomes.

Allow your business to be different and utilise unconventional marketing to leave a lasting impact.

Do you need help developing a marketing plan for your business?

The PageNorth team can help, get in touch today.