But that’s exactly what this consumer found in this magazine ad.Īnd that’s exactly the essence of stealth marketing: raising brand awareness in an unexpected way.Ĭreatives at a Polish beer company, Tyskie, implemented an out-of-the-box idea to help put their product in the mind of potential consumers. Perhaps the last thing a consumer eating an ice cream bar would expect to find is that the wooden stick is actually Colgate’s emulated toothbrush.
It made for a great sightseeing attraction and had people taking photos and posting them on social media, thus providing free advertising for the movie. To create buzz and excitement leading up to the movie’s release, a stealth/guerilla marketing campaign involving giant “King Kong” footprints on sandy beaches was unleashed upon the unsuspecting public.
When the movie “King Kong” 3D was announced as a special effects spectacle, creatives had work to do in order to meet audience expectations. The underlying message of the movie was that, come hell or high water, FedEx will deliver and get the job done. He played a FedEx delivery man who found himself in a life and death situation.įedEx branding and packages were featured prominently throughout the movie, in which Hanks keeps his sanity by vowing to find his way back home in order to deliver a letter. Tom Hanks’ powerful role of a survivor stranded on a deserted island in “Cast Away” was given a touch of stealth marketing. Of course, they never called, but what they did is hand out brand new Blackberry models, thus starting a buzz about the product. The women would ask the men to enter their phone number in their Blackberry phones, promising to give them a call.
The campaign, which took place outdoors in the city streets, consisted of attractive young women flirting with random males passing by. That must be what Blackberry executives thought when they launched an undercover marketing campaign that involved their products in a rather unorthodox fashion. You’re probably familiar with the saying, “sex sells.” Well, it also stirs up brand awareness. Receive proposals from top advertising agencies. This was a well-thought-out publicity stunt that captured the attention of viewers across the world. Of course, it wasn’t really a blooper, but the unexpected appearance of the object got the people talking online and offline.
The massively popular TV show “Game of Thrones” suffered a so-called “blooper” when a Starbucks cup was visibly left on the table in one of the scenes. It later turned out that the controversy was fake: very few people actually hated the cup, but the stir caused Starbucks’ sales to soar. The whole ordeal created a massive media buzz about the product across the entire planet. Pundits, consumers and critics made their voices heard and their opinions known about the lack of elaborate cup design. In 2015, Starbucks started what turned out to be a nationwide controversy regarding the design of their traditional Christmas cups.Įvery year, the coffee brand releases a unique design for their holiday cups and in 2015, the design was thought by some to be very understated, too plain and even – not Christmassy enough!
However, the car also starred throughout the entire movie, turning it into one giant ad for Mini Coopers, unbeknownst to viewers. There are numerous instances of specific automotive brands being prominently featured in movies, but one of the most striking examples of this is in the film “The Italian Job.”ĭuring the movie’s memorable heist scene, a squad of burglars make a run for it in Mini Coopers. Movies are a commonly used media for product placement. This, of course, is in line with the brand’s commercial messaging of men becoming irresistible to the opposite sex when using Axe body spray, ultimately creating a new narrative and a mini story of a famous exit sign.Įxample #2: Mini Cooper In ”The Italian Job” The company added customized stickers, in the same style to that of exit man sign, of women figures chasing after the man figure. In a classic guerilla/stealth move, Axe body spray made a small modification to a common “exit” sign used in places such as garages and public buildings. Now that we understand what stealth marketing is, it’s time to take a look at some of the most creative and inspiring examples of this advertising strategy. View more agencies 10 Best Stealth Marketing Examples