90% of the briefs I receive ask that the final idea is ‘surprising’. We want to create ideas which our consumers haven’t seen before. The ideas which stop people in their tracks; the ones they share and can’t wait to tell their friends about. That is the Holy Grail.
However, surprising a super savvy audience is no easy challenge. Your audience can smell fakery or self-indulgence a mile off and they want nothing to do with it.
So what are the principles of a great surprise?
- It must be simple
- It must have a purpose
- It must give back to your consumer
- It must be in the right place at the right time
If you can follow those four steps then you’ll have a pretty great surprise on your hands! But, that doesn’t really bring it to life. Here are two of my favourite surprises from this week;
- A TV advert which you had to pause to win
I like this because it flips the boring copy everybody hates and turns it into a fun mechanism to win. - A billboard which gave you a McFlurry when it got too hot outside
This is lovely because it ties in the environment and technology to ensure consumers are being rewarded at the exact point that they need one.
