We’re often told about the benefits of planning ahead when it comes to marketing and social media. Batching our content saves us time, allows us to have foresight when it comes to making sure our socials, email and blog are in sync, and it also means we can plan collaborations like IG Live series in advance.
Despite this, there’s a case to be made for reactive marketing. You know when something happens in the world, like Kim Kardashian turning up to the Met Gala in some kind of batman costume (who knows what she was going for), or Instagram being out of action for 6 hours, and brands create related content?
That’s reactive marketing.
We love this more formal definition “reactive marketing refers to campaigns, adverts or social media marketing posts that are responsive and relatively unexpected or sudden. It is the opposite of a proactive marketing strategy, where a brand plans ahead for events or holidays to release relevant marketing posts or campaigns at the right time.” Reactive marketing works because it’s so unexpected. It fosters a sense of community between people online – especially if we’re all watching the same global event like a sports tournament, TV show or contest. It also tends to get better engagement than standard content, for exactly that reason. You can’t exactly plan for reactive marketing – you have to be in the right place at the right time.
Looking for some reactive marketing inspiration? Here are our 6 favourite examples tied to recent events.
It’s Coming Home – Specsavers
We didn’t quite get the result we wanted, but England was abuzz with footie fever at the beginning of the summer. You couldn’t escape the classic football tune “It’s Coming Home” (be honest, did you hum it in the shower?), and brands started jumping on board, especially as England progressed through the competition. Our fave effort? Specsavers’ creative eye chart (used by opticians for testing our eyesight) turned heads for the right reasons.
Pandemic fashion – Henri Vezina Menswear
Even those of us with little interest in formal menswear were obsessed with these adverts. We’re all familiar with the pandemic outfit of choice: a formal top half for those endless Zoom calls, with PJs and fluffy slippers just out of sight. Canadian brand Henri Vezina Menswear’s ad makes fun of this, with brilliant ads showing models dressed up in shirts, ties and blazers, with just undies and slippers below. Titled the ‘Work from Home’ collection, this example of reactive marketing is simple yet highly effective.
The Bernie chair – IKEA
Joe Biden’s inauguration at the start of 2021 was a highly anticipated affair, but what we weren’t expecting was for photos of a very snug Bernie Sanders to go viral. While other global politicians showed up in a more standard suit and tie combo, Bernie opted for a winter jacket and some rather cosy knitted mittens (which promptly sold out, of course). Brands jumped on board this trend, with the winner being IKEA’s ‘get the look’ campaign, featuring a foldable chair and an oven globe. This reactive marketing campaign ticks all the boxes: timely, relates to the store’s own products, and in the store’s typical advertising style.
The Coca Cola incident – IKEA
IKEA is particularly good at reactive marketing, which is why they feature twice in our list of faves. They’re also ultra speedy, churning out their reactive marketing within 24 hours. Back in June during the Euros, Ronaldo was filmed at a press conference moving two Coca Cola bottles out of the frame, telling viewers instead to drink water… While we can’t fault his healthy lifestyle tips, Coca Cola shares tumbled, which wasn’t exactly the sponsor’s intention. The next day, IKEA came out with an ad for their glass water bottles, which they’d cheekily (and temporarily) named ‘Cristiano’.
Douze pints! – Heineken
We all love a bit of Eurovision fun – and Dutch beer brand Heineken didn’t want to miss out either. The Eurovision tradition sees participating countries sending each other points judging their performance. Given the international nature of the competition, points are awarded in French as well as in English, with the maximum being twelve points (or in French, ‘douze points’). Heneiken’s Eurovision-themed ad read “from The Netherlands… douze pints!”. This is a good example of time-sensitive content that can be planned in advance, based on organised events. Other examples include holidays (think Halloween coming up!), moments like the Oscars, and major sports tournaments.
#FreeCuthbert – Aldi
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have heard of the Cuthbert the Caterpillar drama this summer. Supermarkets Marks & Spencers and Aldi were embroiled in legal disputes about the much-loved Colin, the children’s birthday cake sold by M&S. Aldi had brought out their own cheaper version named Cuthbert, who admitted looked very similar to Colin. Whichever caterpillar you side with, you can’t deny the genius of Aldi’s reactive marketing. Throughout the process, the Aldi marketing team sent out a bunch of jokey Tweets making fun of the situation, and of M&S’ serious response. They also started the hashtag #freecuthbert, allowing fans to easily show their support for the copy-cat (or should I say, copy-caterpillar?).
At the end of the day, reactive marketing comes down to creativity in the moment – plus a dose of good luck. That being said, there are a few things you can do to make sure you can jump on trends as and when they arise.
Here’s our quick reactive marketing guide:
- Stay in the loop. Read the news, and stay plugged in by following the right accounts on social media. When it comes to reactive marketing, brands on Twitter seem to have the edge (especially when Instagram and Facebook are down!).
- Tie it back to your industry. Even something as obscure as celebrity scandals can be tied back to your SEO/ jewellry/ graphic design business. The fun in reactive marketing comes with tying the external event back to what you do and offer.
- Don’t force it. Reactive marketing works because it’s a one-off. You don’t have to jump on every trend you see – just the ones that make sense for you, your business, and your audience.
- If in doubt, do a round-up. You don’t have to create your own memes if you don’t want to. Rounding up hilarious efforts by other brands works well too – do some digging on Twitter and screenshot your favourite examples to share.
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