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Newsletter #952: The “Counterintuitive” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

Trying lots of different marketing is essential to figuring out what works and what people will talk about. Some companies take this to the extreme by doing stuff most of us are too cautious to go for.

Here are some examples of risky marketing that paid off:

1. Broadcasting negative reviews
2. Creating the anti-viral video
3. Giving the haters a voice
4. Check it out: Emojitracker

1. Broadcasting negative reviews

We’ve all read the overly dramatic, sometimes rambling, negative Yelp reviews — the ones that come from impossible-to-please customers and trolls. For one restaurant in San Diego, these melodramatic reviews became an opportunity to show off their sense of humor. Craft & Commerce records voiceovers of each of their dramatic negative reviews and plays them in their restrooms.

The lesson: It seems crazy to literally broadcast your customers’ negative feedback, but a move like this shows their customers just how out of place these random Yelp reviews sound in reality.

Learn more: Business Insider

2. Creating the anti-viral video

When Cascade brewery released their limited edition “First Harvest” beer, they created an online video. But unlike other companies chasing after the viral video, Cascade said their ad would disappear after 5,000 views (like their 5,000 cases of limited-edition beer). By creating a sense of scarcity, they got people to talk about it and share the video with their friends before it went away.

The lesson: How often do people feel special for seeing an ad?

Learn more: Adweek

3. Giving the haters a voice

Miracle Whip knows that everyone has an opinion on mayonnaise. So instead of only showing the positive ones, they interviewed lovers and haters of their stuff together for a YouTube video. While it’s risky to show people saying their condiment tastes like “sweet lotion,” Miracle Whip is embracing the polarizing effect of their stuff — and encouraging brand pride in those who like it.

The lesson: Admitting your stuff isn’t for everyone sparks curiosity for those who haven’t tried it and starts conversations with those who have.

Learn more: Forbes

4. Check it out: Emojitracker

How many people are using the snail emoji in a tweet right now? The thumbs-up? The love-struck cat? Emojitracker can tell you in real time.

Check it out: Emojitracker

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