Is the internet getting weirder? Or perhaps, it only appears more unusual due to an uptick in brands experimenting with the unhinged marketing trend.
It started in 2017 when one of Wendy’s marketing team posted an unexpectedly sassy reply to a customer engagement on TikTok. It blew up and started a trend. This irreverent engagement style has been expanded to social media and other, more contemporary engagement channels.
What is Unhinged Marketing?
Unhinginess is a hard-to-define concept, but you’ll recognize it when you see it. It elicits instant, strong reactions in audiences. Reactions vary from shock, delight, or a “whaaa…t?”.
Commentators and urban dictionaries have explained it variously as “unstable,” “chaotic,” or “breaking the fourth wall.” It is explosively funny, unexpected, bizarre, snarky, weird, offbeat, quirky, and intriguing. Somehow you can’t look away from it, even if it makes you uneasy.
Above all, it’s very human and very relatable, even across different target generations and demographics.
Where Did the Unhinged Trend Come From?
The first ground-breaking incident by Wendy’s on TikTok was a happy accident. The second viral example may well have been one too. In 2018, the Philadelphia Flyers launched a new -7-foot tall orange mascot Gritty — a brute with wild, googly eyes that somehow took on a life of its own and became a crowd favourite.
Why Is Unhinged Marketing Becoming Popular?
Brands are running out of ideas to reach Gen Z. They’re also finding it harder to break through to Millenials. While these two target demographics appear distinct, they both crave content that is real, profoundly human, and self-aware. Gen Z wants to be entertained. And the most important: neither generation wants to feel like they are complying with the generations that came before.
The Method in the Madness of Unhinged Content
Successful unhinged campaigns may appear chaotic and… well, unhinged. However, an analysis of the brands that have used the approach shows that successful unhinged campaigns are the result of meticulous work.
It may at times appear to be carelessly slapped-together. However, there’s a deep understanding of a specific target audience. It shows a process of reasoned planning and strong execution. It is strategically developed to meet specific goals and achieved by sophisticated means.
Examples of Unhinged Marketing Done Well
People don’t want to be grouped and stuffed into a box of cohorts. They rebel against being classified. Ironically, that’s true of Gen Z and Millenials and it is precisely what identifies them as a target demographic.
- Celestial Seasonings is riffing on this truth. The cozy, snug little tea company started sharing tattoo ideas on TikTok and is hauling in the Gen Z’ers. Every generation drinks tea, no matter what oddities make them different from other generations.
People’s need for human contact and the ways social media is distorting it is another elephant in modern society’s room that can be used for a marketing campaign.
- Burger King’s Whopper Sacrifice Campaign was inspired. They offered customers a free Whopper if they unfriended 10 people on Facebook. They used a customized Facebook application that broadcasted the message “X sacrificed Y for a free Whopper.” to keep track of customers’ progress. The campaign was highly controversial – and highly successful. Followers sacrificed 234,00 friendships in 10 days to get a free Whopper.
Here are two examples of brands that deal irreverently with death, homicide, and murder:
- Liquid Death is a water brand with a strong, “murdering your thirst” brand personality. Their bizarre, funny use of scythes, skulls, and slaying has been the talk of the town since the start.
- Who would have thought that a homicidal owl could drive people to open your app? Duolingo’s owl threatens to kill users if they don’t do their language lessons. Duolingo’s app use surges after a viral video.
Bodily functions are another broken taboo. Brands are using comedy to normalize conversations around uncomfortable subjects.
- Squatty Potty is a family business from Utah that sells toilet stools designed to improve bowel movements. They made an ice cream-pooping unicorn the centrepiece of their campaign. The resulting 600% increase in online sales and a 400% boost in retail sales via Bed Bath & Beyond was well deserved.
- Crocs addresses a touchy subject head-on. Smelly feet? So what. Have a pumpkin spice pair of Crocs. Crocs has a CBA attitude – and it appeals to all generations.
How to Get Started With Unhinged Marketing
This approach is high-risk but could reap massive rewards. It is clearly not suitable for every brand. It’s hard to think how a war aid non-profit or food bank could leverage the method without appearing callous and offensive. If your brand has a firmly established “serious”, dependable, even staid image, stop and think hard. Unhinged marketing may not be appropriate.
Despite appearances, unhinged marketing is an approach, not an execution method. Sloppy planning and execution will fail and could make your brand a laughing stock. Like with any other marketing approach, you need careful planning and execution to make odd content work.
First Steps to Unhinged Marketing
Examine the untouchable aspects of your niche. Think back on the first time you took the brand or product in hand. What were your first thoughts? Go down the list of your immediate “I can leverage this.” Keep going down your list of “I must avoid this because of X convention.”
Press down on that mental spot.
Did you have an ironic or irreverent internal thought? Examine it. Chances are that other people might enjoy the same little impertinence or sass.
Next comes deep competitor research. And here you could use a reliable online tool, for example a VPN. What is a VPN but an old marketer’s friend? It will allow you to deep-dive into your competitors’ marketing efforts while staying anonymous. If you get blocked, you can simply switch to a new server location and continue your in-depth research.
More Tips to Get Started With Unhinged Marketing
- Know your memes. Keep up with Gen Z humour. If you find a theme that resonates with them, there is a possibility that other generations will love it, too.
- What’s trending on social media? Sensational events or news may be fair game for your brand.
- Entertain, don’t sell a product. This is not the place to tell people about the benefits of your goods. You’re aiming for shock and awe (in a funny way).
- Once, is not enough. If a video goes viral, respond quickly. You’ll need new videos and posts to magnify your initial buzz. Don’t compromise on the quality of the content. Unhinged does not mean sloppy.
- Be consistent, but beware of formulas. Don’t retread the same joke endlessly.
- If it’s a massive success, you may be forced to continue with the whacky approach. You can’t easily revert to the same old, standard content without alienating your new audience. Be ready for that. For example, you could try to build a narrative with a recurring set of characters and ongoing plots with intriguing twists over time.
Challenging the Marketing Conventions
Unhinged marketing pushes boundaries and defies norms. It pushes marketers to innovate rather than relying on the tried and tested. It may make or break your career. Are you up for the challenge?
