Advertising has become a crucial part of modern-day life, with businesses investing over £800 billion in advertising. The average person is exposed to over 600 advertisements every day, making it difficult to grab their attention. Advertisements are present in various forms such as social media, television, YouTube, newspapers, shop fronts, and video games.

With marketing departments and advertising agencies rushing to find the next big thing to get your attention; we’re looking into the extremes of what’s been done in experimental marketing.

Balloonfest ’86: A publicity stunt that went horribly wrong

We’ll start with a publicity stunt that went wrong… In 1986, the city of Cleveland, Ohio, attempted to break the world record for the largest simultaneous release of balloons. Unfortunately, the balloons caused chaos when they collided with nearby airports and caused disruptions in traffic. The event was considered a disaster and caused widespread environmental damage.

Apple to Android: Samsung’s iTest App

Being part of the Apple ecosystem is hard to leave. How is anyone going to see the benefits of Android if they are already part of Apple’s ecosystem?  Samsung had the ingenious idea and created an app that iPhone users could install to temporarily transform their Apple phone into a Samsung Android. This allowed iPhone users to experience the Samsung interface, making it easier for them to switch to Android.

Samsung Space Selfie

Another one from Samsung, this time to show off the durability of their phones and the power of their camera, they launched a small satellite into low earth orbit and then invited the public to send in their photos to be snapped up in space.

This approach made it a unique and engaging way to showcase their products.

Red Bull Stratos

Red Bull sponsored a high-altitude space jump, where Austrian skydiver, Felix Baumgartner, jumped from a helium balloon at the edge of space. The event was a huge success, with over 50 million views on YouTube and coverage in major news outlets.

ads creative solutions

We couldn’t finish this blog without adding our own example. Games are often used to help advertise products and services, especially as the Metaverse becomes more of a focus.

So for our example, we’ve created a short Gameboy game – CLICK HERE TO PLAY!

The game is best played on a mobile phone, but for PC/Mac controls please use the directional arrows on your keyboard and the ‘z’ key.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, experimental marketing is a powerful tool to stand out in the competitive advertising world. By creating engaging and exciting campaigns, businesses can capture their target audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression. However, it’s important to remember that experimental marketing tactics should be carefully planned and executed to avoid any negative consequences.