Picture this; you’re seated on the toilet, bare bummed with pants dangling around your ankles when someone in the next stall calls out:
Hey there, how are you? Can I have a minute of your time?
Dazed and mildly confused, you reply “can this wait? ” albeit faintly, hoping that would be the end of the interaction.
I promise I won’t take too long. I couldn’t help but hear you grunting oh so painfully and I happen to sell this amazing product that will unclog your pipes……
Show of hands, would you indulge them? I bet not.
While the scenario above may be a tad too dramatic it aptly conveys just how invasive and annoying being interrupted can be. How many times have you felt the urge to punch your telly for interrupting your favourite show with another lousy ad that seemed to yell “buy buy buy!”. Or flew off the handle at a telemarketer for cold calling at the wrong damn time
The modern consumer is way too sophisticated to be baited by push marketing tactics aka interruptive marketing whose main focus is to force…..errr close a sale on the spot. This kind of marketing is often unapologetic, ill-timed and holds no regard for the intrusion caused.
In today’s buying process, the consumer prefers to be in the driver’s seat. They would much rather discover you and experience your product for themselves. The journey is just as important as the product if not more.
And if you insist on bombarding them with tone-deaf emails, infomercials and ads, they’ll find creative ways to stymie your efforts. Your emails will be sent to spam, calls blocked and maybe just maybe you’ll be cancelled.
So how do you build a relationship with such a consumer? How do you get them to find you and better yet buy from you?
In short, how do you sell without well …. selling?
You disrupt!
Unlike interruption marketing that frustrates and annoys its target consumer, disruptive marketing is a bit more tactful and seeks to arouse interest and curiosity. To truly hit home with consumers, disruptive marketing often recognizes the underlying need of the target market.
Take for instance our pipe-unclogging chap in the beginning. Had he waited a few more minutes to strike a riveting conversation about the restaurant’s affliction to fiber while they both washed their hands he may have gotten an opening.
The best disruptive marketing tactics will not only pique the interest of consumers but also invite engagement and encourage conversations. Here’s the kicker, these convos need not be about any one of the products they have.
Case in point Red bull
Red bull Stratos is perhaps one of the best disruptive campaigns with far-reaching impact. The brand recruited a skydiver to leap from a capsule in space and set the record for the world’s highest altitude jump. Throughout this stunt campaign there was no mention of their product. They simply presented an event that genuinely got people talking, laughing, hugging and eventually….. drinking.
But what if I don’t have red bull money?
We’re not saying buy a rocket ship and jump from space to get noticed. As long as you can dream up a fresh idea that holds genuine value and present it in a way that will be embraced by your consumer, you’re right on track.
Or simply collaborate with an agency that knows how to get the conversations going
