Marketing is an art. The most successful marketing campaigns in the history of brands have been brimming with exceptional creativity and original thought. And it doesn't always have to involve millions of dollars. Even bootstrapping startups can employ such creative tactics to win maximum traction for their enterprises. Here, take a cue from these five tactics we handpicked for you.
1. Groupon, India
© Groupon
Okay, it might not exactly be a startup, but this happened around the time when Groupon was entering into the lucrative Indian e-Commerce scene.
What They Did: When onion prices in India were soaring as high as Rs 80/kg, Groupon started selling 1Kg onion for Rs 9 for every new registered user and they managed to get 25,000 new users in a very short span of time. Check out this for more: http://www.groupon.co.in/deals/shopping/Groupon-India-Onion/408055
MenXP Verdict: Through this tactic, Groupon's onions literally made its competitors cry!
2. WePay, United States
© Tech Crunch
WePay is an online payment service provider in the United States. Designed for platforms like marketplaces, crowdfunding sites and small business tools, WePay offers a seamless user experience and guaranteed fraud protection.
What they Did: Back in 2010, the PR and marketing team at WePay decided to give some head-on competition to PayPal, which was reigning in online money transfers. During their PayPal X dev conference, WePay dropped a giant block of ice with a bunch of cash frozen inside and the words "PayPal Freezes Your Cash" + a joke URL outside of Moscone, San Francisco. Not only did they get a ton of PR value out of it, Hubspot later did a case study showcasing some major user acquisition numbers in the weeks following (300 per cent traffic increase, 225 per cent increase in signups).
MensXP Verdict: In the world of marketing, it is sometimes a good exercise to challenge your competitor head-on. Nothing displays more confidence about the product than that! But make sure it is not just a farce claim. Highlight the differentiating factor and don't go overboard with the cockiness.
3. Eat24, United States
© Eat24
Eat24 is an online food delivery service across the United States. To market their service, they were hunting for a perfect ad platform with really high traffic, at a dirt cheap price.
Since they were cash strapped around the time they launched this campaign, they thought of a very, very innovative and daring way to advertise their services. Guess what? Porn! Yes, porn was the answer! Through the innovative campaign, cheekily titled Me So Horngry, they designed banner ads for porn sites so the users could order food after they were, ahem, done with their business.
What they did: Eat24 got more impressions via porn sites than the big three, i.e. Google, Twitter and Facebook combined. And that's not all; they were able to achieve these stellar metrics for the low price of 90 per cent less than what the big guys charge per 1,000 impressions. Check out their blog for more: http://blog.eat24hours.com/how-to-advertise-on-a-porn-website/
MensXP Verdict: An absolutely ingenious and highly smart way of reaching out to one of the most active audiences, online. Well, what can we say. They treaded on a virgin territory and absolutely nailed it!
4. Offsetters, Canada
© Coloribus
Offsetters is a Canadian organization that advises companies and individuals on how to offset carbon emissions.
What They Did: Small businesses can learn a lesson or two, from nonprofits and advocacy groups, who often make up for their small marketing budgets by creating offbeat campaigns. The city of Vancouver got a dose of global warming reality when Offsetters hung life rafts off the sides of buildings, set up manned lifeguard stands in city parks with "Lifeguard On Duty" signs, and strapped life jackets under park benches with advisory signs for passersby.
Success Rate: The point that global warming unchecked will flood coastal cities was well receive
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