[Welcome back to our Word of Mouth Marketing Lessons newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using this handy form.]
You’ve got a lot of competition when it comes to starting conversations. Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to help you get above your benefits and deliverables to create a message on a deeper level and get people talking.
Here are three examples of how artists can help you make something remarkable:
1. Give them more than just selling points
2. Give them your negative feedback
3. Give them your history
1. Give them more than just selling points
Photo thanks to Stella Artois’ YouTube channel.
Stella Artois gave sound artist Andy Cavatorta hundreds of their signature chalices to build unique instruments that create sound from the glasses. Then they helped Andy record songs using his instruments with the band, The Cold War Kids. That doesn’t have a lot to do with beer — but it’s starting tons of conversations about Stella Artois. It’s easy to get caught up in selling points (“It’s delicious/inexpensive/low-calorie”), but sometimes the most interesting word of mouth topics aren’t about what your customers can buy.
2. Give them your negative feedback
Photo thanks to Honey Maid’s YouTube channel.
Everyone has critics, people who disagree, and trolls who spread negative word of mouth about their stuff. Honey Maid, for example, enraged some people when they featured a diverse set of families in their viral “This is Wholesome” ad. But instead of ignoring the hateful words some people spread on social networks, the company took their responses (and the many more glowing responses) and made a piece of art out of them. Now even more people are talking about how Honey Maid graciously reacted to the negative feedback.
3. Give them your history
Photo thanks to Tattly.
GE is famous for their captivating Instagram posts despite their less-than-artsy industry. Recently, they’ve taken that creativity a step further by teaming up with temporary tattoo company Tattly to create a custom tattoo using GE founder Thomas Edison’s drawings of a light bulb. The design was so popular, GE made a special deal with Tattly to give even more away. That’s a lot of people walking around with a conversation starter about GE on their skin. Don’t be afraid to create something outside of your comfort zone. If a highly technical BtoB like GE can make remarkable art, you can too.
