Content Creation & Incorporating the “Weird”

Step away from the data crunching, target audience precise interest lists, and performance reports for a minute. Let’s appeal to your creative side and chat about the vast potential of  “weird.”

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird,
and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours,
we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”

– Dr. Seuss

Some brands have fully embraced their weird persona or have stumbled upon a strange phenomenon and just rolled with it. Check out some seriously strange and awesome recent examples!

While looking at the examples below, ask yourself: Is my brand a little weird? Is the audience I’m trying to reach unconventional or a little odd? Can I use my brand’s “weird” as an ‘out of the box’ talking point and an inspiration for content creation?

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand is currently making big waves with its inventive air safety video! It’s Hobbit themed, of course, and features fun cameos that banish the boring. The video was posted on YouTube yesterday and as of right now, it has almost 1 Million views. They have found the perfect mix of informative and entertaining!

Pretty epic, eh?

Velveeta

Velveeta has its memorable “Eat Like That Guy You Know- Liquid Gold” campaign running and it’s definitely alive and well. They aren’t afraid to try out an array of weirdness. Visit their Facebook Page and have a look around. Some of the fan responses are pretty humorous…

Sady, “Photogenic Velveeta Guy” disappeared after this post. (Prime suspect is that very manly baby wielding a skillet.) Still waiting for his triumphant return!

velveeta

Nature Valley 

After Nature Valley started a conversation with a Twitter follower who joked about eating Nature Valley granola bars while talking to imaginary friends about anime; Nature Valley’s Twitter account started getting flooded with fan’s anime artwork featuring their products. Nature Valley totally went with it. They even hosted a neat “Nature Valley Anime Art Fest” on Twitter and retweeted their favorite art.

Nature Valley totally tapped into a treasure trove of content while building cred with a particular set of fans. It certainly pays to pay close attention to your audience and their specific interests in order to create an authentic bond.

 

anime

 

Black Milk Clothing 

Black Milk Clothing is edgy and appeals to a very specific set of offbeat fashionistas. Black Milk Clothing taps into the unique vibe of their target market and isn’t afraid to throw out a bit of humor in the process… Overall they do a fantastic job keeping the page highly visual and fresh, mixing their products with fun little pop culture tidbits and style inspiration.

black-milk

Old Spice 

Old Spice has been riding the roller coaster of weirdness for a few years now and it’s really brought life back into a brand that’s been producing men’s grooming products since 1938.

Honestly, what thoughts came to mind prior to 2010 when someone mentioned Old Spice? My thoughts included used car salesmen, a cover for stale cigarette smoke, and socks in combination with sandals. Not good. Thanks to the introduction of Isaiah Mustafa, my feelings have completely changed for the better.

 

 

Unlock your brand’s “weird” potential, insert it into your marketing efforts, and see where it takes you!