Krampus Approved Marketing Tactics

You're familiar with Krampus by now. The horned, goat-legged uber-creepy figure from European folklore terrifies kids who misbehave with a basket full of birch switches during the holiday season. Think Elf on the Shelf with the fear factor ramped up to eleven. He's the dark, gritty side to the jovial and loving St. Nicholas, who passes out presents.

We've advised a few of our medical marketing clients on some marketing tactics that have been a bit out of the mainstream, employing unconventional methods designed to evoke surprise and wonder and catch people off guard. We like to call them "Krampus-approved."

Let there be light. Long before the idea of projecting light shows to the sides of the building as a cultural event was de riguer, we had the idea to cast a medical device client's message on the side of a building where an ophthalmology/optometry convention was taking place. Signage inside the convention hall was crazy-expensive and very limiting in what you could say. But our light display, projected from a mobile van onto the building across the street, was eye-catching, attention-grabbing, and, dare we say, far less expensive and much more interesting.

Attack of the peacocks. How about marketing to the audience of an in-progress event to promote a product or service? We had folks dressed up like peacocks infiltrate a convention crowd to show off a range of new product colors.

Banksy-style. Got a prominent medical device convention in town? How about chalk-stenciling your client's logo on the sidewalks all around the convention center? And gamify it by holding a contest to see who can count precisely how many logos there are. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Product placement. Everyone's feeling a bit blurry-eyed by the end of a convention. It could be the fluorescent lighting or possibly the late-night entertainment. How about handing out branded energy drinks and your company's dry-eye solution eyedrops to the walking zombies?

The cool thing about these tactics and others like them is that they can be done at a low cost while having a surprising impact at the grassroots level. The key is to be creative and catch people a bit off-guard, much like a furry, goat-legged, tongue-wagging Christmas nightmare.

Lamborghini Swerves Off Brand

Think of the Lamborghini, the premier Italian sports car brand, and what pops up in your thought bubble? Speed blurs, winsome women, macho men with beard stubble, a big gulp of testosterone and a $400,000 price tag stripped down. The car is a vision, crafted over 59 years, that wraps its customer in high-performance luxury.

Maybe this video started out as a high-performance spot to feature the Hurricane’s unique power train, which rockets from 0- to 60 in under three seconds. As Lamborghini’s PR says, it’s “the first Super Sports Car with a V10 engine and all-wheel drive designed to deliver driving thrills on all terrains. Brave, authentic, and amazingly unexpected.” Really.

Taking names and kicking up the dirt.

So how did the spot devolve into a masterclass in going rogue on a brand? The takeaway is that Lamborghini combines a sleek sports car and a monster truck. The Hurricane goes off-road, tears up gravel, performs donuts in the desert, and chatters on ruts in the road. In between, there are awkward cuts from the attractive woman driver to features on the car navigating through the off-road mess.

Lost in Translation?

The video might be okayish with the sound turned off but check out the copy rendered by a histrionic voiceover.

This one’s for you:

• Concrete yearner
• Tamer of curves
• Master of speed
• Wear your finest suit
• Dirt is made for it
• Let the showoff begin
• On this new concrete
• Spray paint powder on tires
• That thrive on the rim
• Dust is gold
• Dirt’s for the bold
• Block out the sun
• Raising red clouds
• On that dry ground
• Make gravel rain down
• Let adrenaline and fun collide
• Spraying grains of dust aside
• It’s no filth
• This is design
• Any amount of grime is fine
• The more you get dirty
• The more you’ll shine
• Dust is gold
• Dirt’s for the bold
• Dust is gold
• Dirt’s for the bold

(via Adweek)

Perhaps alcohol and recreational drugs were involved, but the creative team likely got bored and abandoned the brand. This won’t dent the Lamborghini brand because the likes of this spot, ridiculed up and down the internet, will not see a second installment.

So, unless you’re seeking a rough and tumble off-road experience with your new 400-thousand-dollar Lamborghini, you’ll find this spot hilarious.

Why are we writing about high-performance sports cars? Hey, we need to get to work, too.