Prank Advertising
By: Kelsey Starr
The funniest way to market your product is to have your competitor market it for you.
Even better if you can make it go viral.
Watch this video. It’s actually the one of the better things I’ve seen on the internet for a while. DHL, who has been considerably low on the scale of delivery services of choice, decided to have a little fun with their competition. I don’t really need to explain it, it kind of speaks for itself.
What I love about this is that it’s so simple. Usually, people feel advertising has to be big and elaborate to get attention. Yet, the reality is the total opposite. Just look at Beyonce’s latest album release. She didn’t have to do anything!
This prank is fun and harmless. If anything, DHL’s competition got paid to advertise them a little bit. So you could almost consider this a win-win, no?
Viral advertising has to be simple. Complicated stuff isn’t easy to spread or share. Viral advertising also has to be fun. No one will Snapchat a billboard anymore. Pranks are always going to be fun, especially harmless ones. People will share pranks, and share them quickly.
That being said, it would be hard for an accounting firm to do something funny to their other competitors in a similar way, because they're less visible. But that shouldn't stop you! Be creative, see what gets you noticed, and most of all—have fun!
