[D2C marketing tip #5] Reverse product placement
Earlier, we talked about forging a connection with your customers by supporting a cause near and dear to their (and your) heart.
But you can also deepen your connection with your customers simply by having fun with them in some way or another.
Back in 2011, Quill did just that – in a rather tongue-in-cheek way. In conjunction with NBC, the office supply giant “rebranded” itself as Dunder Mifflin – the infamously inept (fictional) paper company that The Office is based on.
To jumpstart the “rebranding” (which, of course, was really a marketing campaign in disguise), Quill aired commercials in Scranton, PA (where The Office is set), as well as a number of other cities the show mentions from time to time. This ad campaign – along with a well-timed feature in the Wall Street Journal – led to virality via social media across the country.
The campaign, to be sure, was a huge success – which led Quill to expand its “rebranding” of products into a variety of other office supplies (it originally was just going to be focused on paper products). Surprisingly (or maybe not so much?), these “rebranded” products experienced double-digit year-over-year growth. Not bad, eh?
Actionable takeaway
There are a number of facets to the lesson to be learned, here:
For one thing, never underestimate the power of a pop culture tie-in. In this case, Quill implemented a “reverse product placement” strategy: rather than paying to have the brand’s products featured in a movie or television show, the company adopted a phony brand name made famous by a popular TV show to gain exposure. Of course, to do something like this, you’ll need to get permission from the creator to use their “brand”; on the plus side, though, you’ll have their backing throughout the campaign.
It’s also worth noting that, as we mentioned, Dunder Mifflin isn’t exactly known as a successful (or even functional) company – which makes it even more hilarious that Quill adopted the brand name in the first place. Needless to say, this tongue-in-cheek, almost self-deprecating, humor resonated quite well with consumers looking for “limitless paper in a paperless world.”
The overarching lesson, here, is to ensure that your brand’s personality shines through in everything you do. As we talked about at the beginning of this article, one of the main benefits of D2C marketing is that you have a direct line of communication with your customers – meaning your brand’s voice won’t be “hidden” behind that of your retailers’. While your first order of business should, of course, be to provide valuable products to your customers, it’s also important to keep in mind that the D2C company that can provide an enhanced experience to its customers will usually stand out above the competition.