Surprise & Delight Engagement Marketing: Energize Your Base to Another Level

In the not too distant past, few channels were available to brands through which to market products and services. Television, radio, and print media stood as dominant means through which to reach a brand’s consumer base. In the 21st century, the Internet has helped to forge a myriad of new opportunities for brands virtually to touch customers; to wit, marketers can target campaigns like never before to reach intended audiences across the globe. Yet while Internet marketing offers another important way to reinforce brand recognition, none of these touches typically creates a lasting impression.

In order to reach customers on a more intimate level, marketers of late have taken to activating the “Surprise and Delight” campaign.  Rather than manifesting light-touch impressions on the many, Surprise and Delight campaigns create visceral impressions on the few; then, the few who are surprised and delighted by the campaign become overwhelmingly likely to share their experience with others and remain brand-loyal for years to come. This approach was epitomized by Bud Light’s 2014 #UpForWhatever Super Bowl TV Ad, in which they treated just one unsuspecting beer drinker to a celebrity-assisted night of unique experiences. They followed up this activation with a campaign that included an activation in N.Y.C. in which they collaborated with Revolution Rickshaws to provide complimentary rides for passers-by in target Manhattan neighborhoods to nearby pubs featuring complimentary Budweiser on tap. Talk about surprise and delight!

Not all Surprise and Delight campaigns have to be featured on TV for the Super Bowl to achieve success.  A comparatively cost-effective campaign can be facilitated with branded pedicabs and brand ambassadors in target neighborhoods or outside a brand’s retail outlet, for instance.  Revolution has deployed street teams of brand ambassadors offering complimentary pedicab rides for many brands including Blueprint Organic, Whole Foods, and Hot2Adopt, a street adoption campaign for cats in need. Contact us today to discuss how to activate your brand – or your client’s brand – with a high-impact Surprise and Delight campaign if it pleases you.