Creating Brand Hype With A Teaser Marketing Campaign
Teaser marketing campaigns can be extremely successful. Why? Because human curiosity is a powerful force.
True to its name, a teaser marketing campaign is designed to share just enough information to build anticipation around a product launch, future event, new feature, or recent company update. Also known as a pre-launch campaign, a teaser campaign offers up a series of clues that leaves consumers eager to learn more. It’s equivalent to a “coming soon” page on a website.
Teasers can be extremely vague, leaving plenty of room to consumers for interpretation, or they may tell you exactly what’s coming and when. Whichever form is used, the primary goal is to build intrigue and anticipation for the unknown launch or event.
Are you thinking of launching a teaser marketing campaign for your product or brand? In this article, we cover seven steps that will help you craft the perfect teaser campaign.
Set A Goal
What action do you want consumers to take when they open your email? Often, teaser emails ask something of readers — whether it’s to stay tuned for more information, mark their calendars for a certain date, or preview a product that isn’t available to purchase yet.
If you’re telling readers to “stay tuned”, you’ll want to be sure you’ll eventually — and sooner rather than later — offer them information of value. Otherwise, you may break their trust and be a victim to the dreaded unsubscribe.
When we think of brands that have fully mastered product launch and teaser email campaigns, Apple is the first to come to mind. Their email templates are well-designed and straightforward, their high-quality images reflect the quality of their products, and most importantly, they consistently set concrete goals for the reader.
Take a look at this email from Apple: The line “Friday can’t come soon enough” — combines with the creative announcement on the Apple Watch screen — explicitly tells consumers to save a certain date. Consumers know exactly what they’re being asked to do, and no additional information is needed.
Another teaser email from Apple: Rather than asking people to save a date, Apple is asking people to pre-order their product. They also tell consumers the exact date the product will be available in stores, if the reader decides they’d rather purchase it later.
Establish Suspense In The Subject Line
You could have an amazing teaser email planned, but without a subject line that does it justice, people may not even open it. That being said, your campaign’s message should be carefully expressed in the subject line.
We know this as much as anyone does: everyone hates clickbait. But ironically enough, it works.
Viral websites like Buzzfeed skyrocketed their once small followings and traffic rates by using clickbait subject lines and headlines like “Which Taco Bell Menu Item Speaks To You On A Spiritual Level?”
Through tactics like rhetorical questions, pressing commands, and friendly suggestions, you can help entice your consumers to open your emails.
Implement The “Rule of Three”
The “rule of three” applies to every marketing medium and strategy, but studies have found it works exceptionally well with email content.
Three is the smallest number needed to create a recognizable pattern. The “rule of three” stems from the premise that things grouped in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, and more memorable — which makes it a great rule in marketing.
Just think about some of the fairytales you read growing up: The Three Blind Mice, The Three Little Pigs, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The number “three” is present everywhere you look, and for good reason.
But how does the rule pertain to teaser marketing? Copywriters can use it for subject lines, headlines, and slogans, the same way graphic designers can use it to group design elements together in a layout. Consider these iconic taglines from some of the world’s leading brands:
By implementing the “rule of three”, you can easily promote recall among your target audience.
Supplement Your Campaign With Social Media Content
Email teasers are great. But when a consumer goes to open Instagram to a picture visually hinting at your new product
Nike teased the launch of their React running shoe with a visual breakdown of the shoe in their Instagram campaign. The picture featured the foot of a mannequin set on a stack of sponges, pillows, and springs, which was meant to hint at the comfort the new footwear would provide.
After the initial teaser photo, Nike then posted an Instagram video of the shoe that also introduced its name. In fact, it is the most viewed of all Nike’s videos in 2018.
Another brand that leveraged this approach is Beauty Blender. When launching their first ever line of foundations in 2018, they took to Instagram to cleverly tease the unveiling of new products.
Beauty Blender thought strategically about what would excite their audience for a new product launch. For them, it was pop culture references, emojis, and the pairing of avocado and toast. The main message the brand was aiming to convey was that some things naturally go together — like avocado and toast or champagne and orange juice.
Think In Layers
The nature of a teaser campaign is that it has multiple layers. With each layer of awareness, consumers are privy to more and more information.
Remember how we talked about setting a goal? The hallmark of a good teaser campaign is to build momentum as you get closer to launch day.
When we refer to this “layer” philosophy, let’s consider the Super Bowl. With about 100 million people across the globe watching the big game, brands have a lot on the line when it comes to crafting the perfect 30-second TV spot — especially since these spots cost upwards of $4 million.
But creating even the best Super Bowl commercial isn’t enough anymore. These days, brands have adopted a focus on teaser marketing, which means they’re starting their Super Bowl campaigns weeks — sometimes months — prior to the actual Super Bowl itself.
Sometimes this layer philosophy is referred to as an email sequence. Like the name implies, an email sequence is a series of emails automatically sent to specific segments of people on your email list. The emails can either be based on pre-set time intervals or trigger-based automations, like browsing behavior.
Here’s an example of email sequence you could implement for a teaser campaign:
Email 1 (Problem Unaware): Discuss a common problem that consumers in your target audience have, and refer to the fact that you have a product, solution, or approach that will help them solve this problem.
Email 2 (Problem Aware): Discuss the consequences that arise when this problem is not addressed.
Email 3 (Solution Aware): Discuss the different ways people can solve the problem addressed (make them aware of the solutions).
Email 4 (Product Aware): Introduce the ways your product can solve this pain point better than competitors.
Email 5 (Recommendation): Finally, it’s time to announce your product launch and introduce a call-to-action with recommended next steps.
Email 6 (Offer): Give a time-sensitive offer.
Be Vague — But Not Too Vague
Teaser campaigns often work because they are just vague enough to keep consumers thinking of all the possibilities, but not so vague that they lose interest. Couple this with a minimalist design, and you’ll have a winning teaser campaign.
Let’s dissect the element of this email from beauty brand Glossier:
The header takes on a big, bold font and immediately informs the reader that this email is about sunscreen. It also follows the “rule of three” by including three impactful words.
The body copy gives away various attributes of the new product, hinting that not having a good sunscreen on hand “changes this week.” The text — which takes the form of short sentences — does the heavy-lifting, making the content easily digestible and scannable.
As we mentioned before, this email is an example of a Problem Aware email in an email sequence. It addresses the problem with regular sunscreen (that it’s greasy, sticky, and dries out skin) and emphasizes the consequences of not finding an alternative.
The design is delightfully minimalist, with just a logo and a simple yellow hue that contributes to the overarching theme of summertime.
No CTA is even needed, just a short and sweet sign-off: That changes this week.
Now, consider this email from protein drink company, Soylent: The body copy is very vague, but the headline, “An exciting sequel in the franchise” hints at what consumers can expect: a new protein beverage product. Soylent makes use of conversational language and rhetorical questions to spark engagement with their consumers, instead of more formal language.
Soylent also does a lot with what seems like a very basic email design. The simple layout encourages consumers to primarily focus on the body copy, which uses humor to tease at the impending product launch.
Offer An Incentive And Benefits
When you tease a new product or new features, it’s important to offer an incentive so consumers are enticed to keep an eye out.
Consider offering free shipping, a discount, or exclusivity for pre-ordering a product or signing up early for an event.
Similarly, make sure you explain the value or benefits of your new product — without giving away the actual product, of course. While you don’t want to give too much away in your pre-launch or teaser campaign, it’s important to at least touch on the pros. How will this new product or upcoming event help your audience?
Do Your Research
While teaser campaigns can be extremely successful, they don’t work for every product, industry, or audience. That’s why it’s vital to conduct pre-campaign research to ensure your teaser campaign makes sense.
Pancake chain IHOP launched a teaser campaign calling itself IHOb with no explanation. In the days leading up to the big reveal, IHOP asked consumers what they thought the “b” in IHOb stood for.
The brand’s pre-campaign research confirmed its reputation as just a breakfast joint. Few respondents associated the brand with anything other than breakfast, with most answers citing that the mysterious “b” stood for brunch, biscuits, and bacon.
Conclusion
There’s no question that a well-executed teaser campaign can generate buzz and organic word-of-mouth marketing around your brand. People love mysteries, and curiosity is a strong psychological concept to employ in marketing.
Through careful research, planning, and goal-setting, you can create a campaign that will keep your audience on the edges of their seats, eager for more.