How To Market Boring Products

Did you ever notice that the most interesting and captivating commercials are all done by brands that produce simple products, such as body lotions, soaps or home appliances? While the majority stick to traditional advertising and don’t make a name for themselves, those that try a different approach manage to stand out and even create some great buzz.

Who is not familiar with Old Spice’s “Man on the horse” commercial or the #LikeAGirl campaign by Always that had 62,000,000 views just on YouTube? These two brands have people talking and sharing their videos nonstop. There is still a common belief among business owners that if your product is not as exciting, than your marketing cannot be either.

Guess what? Old Spice is just a deodorant and it could be just as boring as any other deodorant on a supermarket shelf, but it ain’t! Why? Thanks to their marketing approach.

While your product might not be Apple’s latest Mac version with its incredible sleek design or the famous Justin Beiber’s dolls collection, it doesn’t have to be! In fact, it is the small “boring” products that make up 90% of our daily purchases. It is the bolts and the screws, hair dryers and laundry detergents that we wouldn’t be able to function without. Most companies forget the value of their products. Just think about it! What would you do without your morning fruit smoothie if you didn’t have that blender?

It doesn’t matter if you are selling real estate, plastic bags or internet software the key difference in marketing a ‘boring’ product, as opposed to an “exciting” one is taking a creative approach and making a distinctive representation. How do you do that? This is how:

“You need to create great brand content that will speak to your customers, make them remember you and make them want to share it with family and friends”

Here are some of the strategies you can use:

Tell a Story and Make it Personal

Behind every product, there is a story of how it came into existence. People need inspiration and everyone loves to hear how you got to where you are, what drove you and how it all started. Tell your audience about what made you passionate about the business. Maybe it changed your life in a way, maybe it had a greater purpose. Whatever the story tell it in the most simple, casual context. It will create an emotional connection with your customers.

Create a series of short stories, depicting your product and how people use it. Everyone knows Snuggie Blanket. The quirky little blanket with sleeves has become one of the most popular ads with 447,000 views with its “Cult of the Snuggie” campaign, showing a series of videos of people staying at home wearing a cozy blanket and managing to comfortably read and changing the TV channel without having to take it off.

Another great example is Dove’s award-winning Real Beauty campaign, showing average looking women and men in all their glory. While soap is not the most exciting product, Dove makes an impact by taking a stand on real beauty.

Your product may or may not make a difference in the world. The only thing that matters really is how you tell it in a story.

Do Not Talk About the Product, Talk about the RESULT!

Most companies think that they should talk about their product features and this is where they get stuck. If the product you’re selling is ordinary, most chances are people already know everything about it. What you can do though is to think about why one may need it. Take a sheet of paper, and write down what is the your product’s purpose and how does it address your customer’s needs. Then start writing associations that come to your mind. Concentrate on their lifestyle and habits and how your brand can become a part of it.  

Nowadays with all the latest gadgets, it is nearly impossible to market batteries. Duracell has created this touching video and brought back the need to have them in our households.

Make Social Media Your Best Buddy

In today’s world of Social Media, you’ve been given an opportunity to promote literally anything and this should be your home base! Choose one or two channels that work best for you and start building a community. Express your authenticity by creating a special brand theme. Get your fans talking and don’t take yourself too seriously! Try thinking outside of the box.

Charming is a toilet paper brand that has gained itself over 1 Million followers on their Facebook page, 70,000 on Twitter and a YouTube Channel where videos are shared hundreds of times daily. They did it by taking an active approach to connecting with their audience on Social Media and creating a series of ads and discussions on the topic of “toilet experience” They turned the whole “inappropriate” and to some embarrassing subject into a funny dialogue with their consistent posts on what’s going on behind those doors.

Charming is simply adorable and straight to the point. The secret of their success is that they are not trying to be something they are not, and people appreciate that. They even created a Twitter campaign with a hashtag #Tweetfromtheseat where they give toilet tips or talk about embarrassing situations everyone can relate to.

Conclusion

You don’t need a huge budget to market your mundane products. What you need is to think outside of the box, know what your customers need and create remarkable content. Remember that to stand out, you must trigger a unique emotion among your consumers, but stay authentic at the same time and soon they’ll be sharing your brand with their friends and family, making your run-off-the-mill product just as sexy as the big players!

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