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Woman Shares The Most Ridiculous And Crazy Facts From The Marketing World, Her Series Goes Viral (10 Pics)
Interview With Author
We all know that brands and companies don’t quite play with their cards open. And while we can only suspect what happens behind their tightly shut doors, TikToker Selena Wright, @selenawrightcreative, has a lot to say on the matter. In fact, she has made a whole series of videos listing the craziest marketing facts that have amassed hundreds of thousands of views.
The social media manager from New Zealand covers anything marketing-related, from failures our fave brands can’t afford to make but they did to smart design strategies, smart trickeries, and clever product inventions.
Selena’s selection of facts reveals a whole new world of marketing we didn’t know, where every tiny detail has its purpose, and where brands fight in an ongoing Mortal Kombat to get our attention. Let’s read Bored Panda’s interview with the author of these videos right below!
@selenawrightcreative Who knew this?! #socialmediamanager #instagrammarketing #marketinghack
♬ original sound - selenawrightcreative
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Original Sears catalogues were purposefully smaller than Montgomery Ward catalogues so housewives would naturally stack them on top.
We reached out to Selena Wright, a freelance photographer and social media manager from New Zealand who loves all things creative. “I work with brands to create custom content and get their socials looking perfectly unique to their brand,” she said and added: “I am a self-taught photographer that began shooting on my Mum's DSLR years ago and went from there.”
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#2
In 2012 Dunkin Donuts released a marketing campaign in Seoul, Korea where scent spray devices on buses would release the aroma of warm coffee when triggered by the sound of Dunkin Donuts radio jingle. The marketing campaign reached more than 350,000 people and sales by bus stops increased by 29%.
#3
In 2008 Shreddies launched a marketing campaign launching their new "Diamond Shreddies". The company was pretty open about the fact that this was basically a joke since they had just just rotated the image of the square Shreddies and it that it was more about getting people talking about Shreddies again. It seems pretty succesful as they got an 18% rise in sales.
#4
The T-shirt was invented in 1904 and marketed to bachelors that couldn't sew or replace buttons.
When asked how she got an idea for her 'Crazy Marketing Facts' series, Selena said it was inspired by “a similar series she saw many other creators doing about different things you can do on Canva. I liked the idea of teaching in my own niche while adding a little entertainment value as well.”
And it’s specifically the creative side of things that got the TikToker interested in the marketing industry. “Paid advertising has its place but I really enjoy creating and engaging with high-quality content that tells a story and has a lot of character for brands,” she said.
#5
Joanne Rowling, better known as J.K. Rowling, doesn't have a middle name according to her birth certificate. The decision to use initials on her book covers was designed so it was more acceptable for the boys to read, who were less likely to read a book written by a women.
#6
In 2009 Tropicana invested $35 million to change the packaging of their Orange Juice. Within 2 months their sales dropped by 20% and they lost significant market share. So they switched back to the old packaging. The failed marketing campaign cost them over $50 million!
SykesDaMan 3 years ago
more... More... MOre... MORe... MORE... MOOOOOOOORE!! I WANT MOOOOOOOORE! I NEED MOOOOOOOORE!
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Jo Choto 3 years ago
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The first thing any focus group would have said about the new design is that it looked like a cheap store brand. Duh!
Jamma 3 years ago
Yes, it looks like a generic brand, and somehow the color of yellow-orange makes it look cheaper! Not that rich red-orange.
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Sur Mer 3 years ago (edited)
When profits stop increasing, you try to improve/change something about the product/design. Sometimes it works (Starbucks, LEGO, Apple, Google, Mc Donald's...). Sometimes it doesn't (Kraft, Pepsi, BP, Gap, Subway...). Whether it works or not can never be accurately predicted. If consumer behavior could be forecasted so exactly, multi-billion dollar corporations wouldn't produce flops. But they do, too.
Neil Bidle 3 years ago
Tropicana with bits has around twice as many bits as it should have, because they take it out of ALL the juice at the start, and then put it back in the "with bits" juice later on, leaving the rest "smooth". That's my Tropicana fact
CrunChewy McSandybutt 3 years ago
I think it's because the new packaging looks like a generic store brand.
Heather Evans 3 years ago
Ohmygosh... Imagine being the person responsible for this decision or design...
Elizabeth Molloy 3 years ago
I imagine it would be a committee. Committee designs usually fail terribly.
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CatWoman312 3 years ago
The updated version reminds me of the value brand so I can see why it didn’t work
Jaguarundi 3 years ago
The "new package" made them almost invisible among the store brands and competition.
ThoughtsAreNotFacts 3 years ago
I feel like all that marketing research could've been done with asking actual customers what they thought... before rebranding.
Neill Powell 3 years ago
Mainly for women though. the older a brand is for men, the more we tend to trust it.
#7
Philadelphia cream cheese was invented in New York, and was never produced in Philadelphia. In the 1880s it was known as a marketing trick, because Philadelphia was known for high quality dairy products.
From the marketing facts Selena has posted so far, the fact that she finds the most fascinating is that “Blackberry paid actresses to flirt with men in bars to promote their phones by ladies getting men's phone numbers and showing off their Blackberries when they saved them.”
#8
In 2011 Jell-O monitored the amount of smiley faces and frowny faces posted on Twitter. When the national average for smiley faces was below 51% Jell-O would release discount coupons for those who had recently tweeted frowny faces.
#9
There's a rumour that BlackBerry hired actresses to flirt with men in bars in order to push Blackberries on the public. Referred to as stealth marketing, so they would go to bars to get phone numbers and them to put their numbers in their Blackberries, trying to show off how cool they were.
Bob Stuart 3 years ago
When it was illegal to advertise beer in Canada, Molson's brewery had a very sociable guy going around making friends, buying them drinks, and telling them it was courtesy of his company.
And as for Selena’s plans for the future, the social media manager said that she has “a big passion project announcement coming soon that will be documented all over my social media and TikTok,” so keep your eyes out! Also, be sure to check out her awesome photography work right here.
#10
Before mass marketing of tobacco, doctors considered lung cancer a rare disease. The amount that large tobacco companies spend per HOUR has reached $940,000.
What do you think ?
Kevin Hickey 3 years ago
When I worked as a stock clerk in a grocery store, I was told that cans of Spaghettios were going on sale and that I should change the price from 49 cents to "2 for a dollar". They sold like crazy.
Chris DiFonso 3 years ago
It seems to me this is a thinly disguised marketing campaign for Selena Wright. "And as for Selena’s plans for the future, the social media manager said that she has 'a big passion project announcement coming soon that will be documented all over my social media and TikTok,' so keep your eyes out!" Bored Panda should be ashamed.
Jace 3 years ago
I’m fairly sure this is a myth, but it was banned just in case because of panic. Studies have shown that images that are too subtle to be consciously noted have no impact over desires. Direct displays of product are much more impactful and easier to edit.
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Kevin Hickey 3 years ago
When I worked as a stock clerk in a grocery store, I was told that cans of Spaghettios were going on sale and that I should change the price from 49 cents to "2 for a dollar". They sold like crazy.
Chris DiFonso 3 years ago
It seems to me this is a thinly disguised marketing campaign for Selena Wright. "And as for Selena’s plans for the future, the social media manager said that she has 'a big passion project announcement coming soon that will be documented all over my social media and TikTok,' so keep your eyes out!" Bored Panda should be ashamed.
Jace 3 years ago
I’m fairly sure this is a myth, but it was banned just in case because of panic. Studies have shown that images that are too subtle to be consciously noted have no impact over desires. Direct displays of product are much more impactful and easier to edit.
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