Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
On the 25th of June, 2021, The Pentagon released an extraordinary report. Due to special legislation provisioned during the height of the pandemic in 2020, they had been compelled to conduct a serious investigation into UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), known in popular culture as UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects), and to then compile an extensive report on their findings. The report raised more questions than it answered, but it also left the door open for future research and investigation. This is not an article about aliens and UFOs, however. It’s about seeing opportunities for what they are and not letting them pass by.
Aliens and Flying Saucers. Seriously?
The new identifier is Tic Tac (like the famous mint brand), but yes. Seriously. You’ve probably heard about things like the Roswell crash and maybe your weird colleague at work mentioned seeing something strange late one night. In the minds of most people, the topic isn’t even worth consideration. You might think it’s reserved for a special brand of nuts in the USA, but you’d be surprised to know that even South Africa has had its fair share in strange activity. From the story of Elizabeth Klarer in the late 1950s (look it up – it’s a fun conversation starter) to mass sightings in Pretoria in 2011 – South Africa seems to have its own brand of fascination with the unexplained.
What the [censored] does this have to do with marketing?
With the crazy stuff out of the way, let us explain. Whether or not you believe that aliens are zooming through our atmosphere at impossible speeds is beside the point. It’s all about perspective – if people are talking about something, why aren’t you as a brand inserting yourself into that conversation in a way that makes sense? Take Tic Tac for example. Many of the latest UFO / UAP sightings have been described as airplane-sized Tic Tacs. These sightings were sighted and recorded by a (now retired) pilot of the U.S Navy. The video was officially released by the Pentagon some time ago and can be viewed online. What does this tell you? No, you do not need to start clenching your cheeks in fear of getting probed. The new “Tic Tac” identifier represents an ancient trend of using familiar objects to describe unfamiliar things. But what did Tic Tac (the brand) do with this? Nothing. There was no clever campaign or even a witty Tweet to tie into all the buzz. A missed opportunity if there ever was one.
Take Advantage of Trends
If Ferrero (Tic Tac’s manufacturer) was smart, they would have taken advantage of the buzz surrounding UFOs. Not because they themselves believe in UFOs, UAPs, or ETs, but because people are talking about them. Most brands would kill to get this kind of exposure and wouldn’t hesitate to jump on the bandwagon, if only for a brief boost in sales and a more permanent boost in brand visibility. Imagine if the blurry photos and shaky videos showed what look like a flying Big Mac or an apple with a bite taken out of it. The possibilities are endless. Your brand probably won’t get any social media exposure from aliens and flying Tic Tacs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t take advantage of popular social media trends to increase brand visibility. Don’t wait for the conversation to become relevant to your brand – take your brand to the conversation and make it work for you.
Choose The Right Social Media Agency
It’s one thing to insert your brand into a conversation to get a few likes and retweets (like companies briefly changing their profile photos to rainbows for Pride Month), but it’s another thing entirely to take charge of a conversation and to ensure that any positive buzz that arises from a topic is directed at your brand. Luckily for you, we know what we’re doing. Think of us as the Pentagon of advertising agencies – we have our own social media secrets, but we make those secrets work for us and the clients we represent.
Unlike a UFO, your next successful social media campaign is not out of reach.
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