Leveraging Human Psychology — Marketing to the Trendy

Thomas Jefferson is often quoted as saying, “If you would have a happy family life, remember two things — in matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”

Think about how quickly the world has changed in just the last decade. Our cars, clothes, and phones of a decade ago are in many cases unrecognizable. People are naturally driven by a desire to seek progress and to be a part of the next big thing. Ever seen the commercial where someone has the newest TV on the market arrive at their home only for their neighbor to have an even newer one arrive only a week later? The commercial was no doubt exaggerated and yet there was a sliver of truth in it, too.

If you want to have a seat at the table of commercialism, then it is vital for you to identify new trends and the social shifts that underpin them. If you can associate your product with the principles that move market trends, then you will never lack a customer base. When Snapchat arose as the main social network for teenagers, it wasn’t necessarily because it was more “fun” than Twitter or Facebook. Snapchat became popular because it seized on a shift in the desire of teens away from social networking that was public in nature to social networking that was more private. If you can identify and even anticipate the changes in the mood of the consumer, then your product’s marketing will take care of itself.

Advertising Strategies:

1. Ads that Anticipate — Use your ad space to declare your product the next big thing. If you speak it into existence, then it just might come to fruition — especially when you’re striking a chord with peoples’ desire to be a part of emerging trends.
2. Humor Your Customers — Some of the most memorable ads are those intertwined with humor. Humor can capture the attention of the viewer, and tying your product to a developing trend can propel that attention into the future. If done properly, that future might be the consumer driving to your store to buy your product.
3. Authoritatively Trendy — Tom Brady starred in Shields MRI commercial that was widely seen and talked about in New England after the Super Bowl. If Tom Brady goes there, then there must be something about Shields MRI that sets it apart from other MRI places. You might not always be able to get an A-list celebrity to star in your commercial. But you can get a character who acts as a symbol that imbues the trust of your viewer. After all, trends only exist if authority figures and influencers say they do.
4. Mock Your Competitor — Kill two birds with one stone by mocking your trendy competitor. In so doing, you’ll be able to raise your product to the same level as theirs in the mind of the consumer. So not only is your product as trendy as that Armani cologne, but unlike the scents designed by Armani, your cologne doesn’t smell like your grandfather.
5. Advertise where they are — The simplest way of appearing to be trendy is by advertising in the coolest places frequented by your potential consumers. Determine the websites, magazines, shows, and music services into which your consumers are already plugged and take out ads in those venues.

Effectively Marketing to the Trendy — A Case Study

Audi’s are brilliant cars, but are probably not viewed in America as being on the same level as a BMW. This billboard ad is brilliant in that it challenges our own premises about Audi’s by arguing that they are actually a level above BMW’s. This ad goes a long way towards convincing those wanting the trendiest car possible.