DISRUPTIVE MARKETING

"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor." -Elon Musk

You may be hearing the word “disruptive” a lot these days. It’s a buzzword in many industries and can mean different things to different people.  It all revolves around giving the people exactly what they want, and that is often done by turning things on their heads. Let’s take a look at disruptive marketing’s roots, some great real-world examples, and how you can apply this tactic to your business.

What is disruptive marketing?

Disruptive marketing means turning all the marketing rules upside down, shaking things up and changing the perception not just about your company but about the industry as a whole.

Moreover, disruptive marketing encourages companies to rethink the whole brand, not just its advertising and marketing campaigns. They have to be ready to change their business model, their product or service, and the message they communicate to consumers. It can be a risky mission, but sticking to the same business model over a long time can be even more dangerous.

Geoffrey Colon, the author of the book Disruptive Marketing: What Growth Hackers, Data Punks, and Other Hybrid Thinkers Can Teach Us About Navigating the New Normal, explains that we now live in the world where conversations win over hard selling. It's a place where users create the best content about brands; people focus on feelings, and analytics with creativity are the cornerstones of growth.

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WHY DISRUPTIVE MARKETING IS SO IMPORTANT TODAY?

The increased need for disruptive marketing tactics is largely driven by technological innovation, the consumers who use that technology, and intense competition in most industries.

Rapid technological advance

In 1987, 0.005% of the US population used cell phones

Ten years later, in 1998, that number was 20%

By the end of 2017, 95% of Americans owned cell phones

Ponder that for a moment and consider how mobile phone technology alone has dictated how marketers reach their target audience.

New consumers with higher expectations

New generations of consumers display different purchasing behaviours than previous generations, including higher usage rates of rapidly-evolving digital technology.

Their technology usage has resulted in new and higher consumer expectations. Here are a few ways shifting consumer expectations and behaviours are forcing marketers to adopt disruptive marketing practices.

Social media usage

To be fair, social media is used by every generation of consumers today. However, younger generations use it more.

Data from 2019 indicates that 90.4% of US Millennials use social media, compared to 77.5% of Gen-Xers and 48.2% of Baby Boomers.

Given that Millennials are now the largest consumer demographic in the United States, this significantly impacts marketing tactics. It forces marketers to invent new, disruptive ways to engage their target audience on social media.

Customer experience

Experts predict the customer experience will be the key brand differentiator by the end of 2020. Brands like Amazon and Netflix that deliver a deeply personalized customer experience have reset expectations in a significant way.

Moving forward, marketers should explore disruptive tactics to enhance the customer experience if they want to succeed.

Increased competition across the board

Competition in many industries—particularly the technology space—is more intense than it’s ever been. Let’s take a look at how increased competition is driving disruption in marketing.

HOW TO BUILD A DISRUPTIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGN?

1. Understand your industry

2. Understand your customer

3. Do the unexpected

4. Be relevant

5. Be humorous

6. Use unusual combinations

7. Breach the boundaries

Let’s discuss these Steps in details

1. Understand your industry

Before you create a disruptive marketing strategy, you need to understand what you want to disrupt. Tools like Think With Google, Survey Monkey, BizStats and others are helpful to gain in-depth knowledge of the industry, products, or services. Think about a weakness of the industry or potential customers whose needs are not addressed. Then, find where your brand can fill an unmet need and create something new or make substantial improvements.

2. Understand your customer

Further, to create a successful disruptive campaign, you need to step into your customer's shoes. 72% of consumers say they expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations. Therefore, it’s crucial to explore the audience that is important to your brand. Investigate what they need and want, how they spend their time, what do they expect from your company, and what would surprise them. Use audience analytics tools like Google Analytics, Followerwonk, Capsulink, and others to get more in-depth insights into your audience and its behavior.

3. Do the unexpected

When you know your competitive advantage, promote it in an unexpected way. Create a buzz with something unseen and remarkable.

For instance, Nissan disrupted the way new automobiles were sold by offering its Versa Note through Amazon’s website and delivering them packaged in the well-known Amazon boxes. Altogether 100 cars were sold through the online retailer, and their campaign was definitely noticed by their target audience.

4. Be relevant

"The strongest brands are the ones that are relentlessly relevant and making a difference in consumers’ lives." Thus, one of the most crucial aspects of disruption is to create experiences that are relevant to your customers.

5. Be humorous

Could creating disruption be as simple as being able to laugh at yourself or your product?

Take an example of Toyota’s disruptive approach on their video ‘Fuelled by Bulls**t’, that shows how a hydrogen-powered car Mirai can run on manure.

6. Use unusual combinations

Change the patterns and create innovations by connecting the unconnected. Pan n’ Ice did it perfectly when they created unique videos of mashing their ice cream rolls with other, surprising products. No need to say that the videos went viral and created a considerable amount of engagement online, especially the one of ice cream roll mashed with a Big Mac or Cheetos.

7. Breach the boundaries

Define the existing rules and conventions of the industry and then redefine them. This is what Dollar Shave Club has done by differentiating themselves from big brands that had a smooth and stylish identity. Instead, Dollar Shave Club used humour and unique value proposition in their video marketing reaching more than 33 million views on YouTube.

EXAMPLES OF DISRUPTIVE MARKETING

NIKE

Nike ran an ad campaign on YouTube called “Better for It.” The series of videos followed adopted sisters Margot and Lily. Margot and Lily are very different.

The goal for Nike’s campaign was to be relatable. Most women can see themselves in either Margot or Lily. Nike was very successful. It showed that it was a brand not just for intense athletes dedicated to fitness, but also for those who don’t necessarily love breaking a sweat.

What does make it disruptive is that it doesn’t aggressively push its products, it gives a realistic portrayal of those who struggle with finding the motivation to work out, and it’s incredibly relatable. Women can easily put themselves in either of those pairs of Nikes.

HBO

HBO ran an ad campaign to feature its HBO Go platform, where HBO subscribers can take the service wherever they go by allowing them to login from different devices.

Instead of going the obvious “Go” route by touting advantages of having your favorite shows and hit movies with you whether you’re in a hotel, on the train, or in a plane, HBO did some disruptive marketing. They found a less obvious, but still quite needed, use for the service and went there instead.

TOYOTA

Car companies aren’t typically known for their humour (unless you particularly enjoyed Kia’s hamsters’ campaign), however, Toyota turned down that comedic lane in a very unexpected way, by talking about cars fuelled by bullsh*t.

While the cars aren’t filled by actual bullsh*t, they do show a scientist and dairy farmer working together to show that manure can be turned into car fuel. The ad ends with “We are driving down the road, running on bullsh*t.” A big automotive company using curse words playfully and making light of itself isn’t something you see every day.

AIR WICK

A list of brands using disruptive marketing tactics wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Air Wick’s incredible Scent Decorator. This is what we were talking about when we mentioned something so small and simple turning into something so engaging.

Something as seemingly insignificant as an air freshener is given so much more power by being tied in with the overall mood and décor of your home. You don’t expect something so interactive and engaging from an air freshener company, and that’s what makes it disruptive.