Our Favorite Strange Marketing Ideas From 2022

2022 was full of unique, creative, (and honestly, strange) marketing ideas. The key for all of these marketing strategies is that they WORKED! To get you inspired for 2023, we've rounded up our favorite campaigns from the last year.

1. Hidden Valley Ranch Redefines Holiday Tradition

Hidden Valley Ranch’s Christmas marketing campaign was a favorite for us because they combined their beloved dressing with holiday tradition. The brand swapped out the traditional “Elf on a Shelf” for their own unique spinoff: “Ranch on a Branch.” While ranch doesn't usually come to mind when people think of the holidays, it just might this year thanks to this unique marketing campaign. 

2. McDonald’s Capitalizes on Nostalgia 

Another favorite was McDonald’s adult happy meal. By catering to the older generation with nostalgia and the younger generation with fashion (enter Cactus Plant Flea Market), McDonald’s was able to tap into a huge demographic with this campaign. Because—no matter your age—who doesn’t want to get a happy meal one more time? Genius.

P.S. If you have a spare $300 around, you can buy the full collection of the collectible adult happy meal toys on Ebay…

3. Chipotle Makes Lemonade Out of Lemons

Chipotle blew us away with a clever and creative way to make lemonade out of lemons (literally)! For National Lemonade Day, they released a lemonade-scented candle that looks like a Chipotle water cup. Instead of trying to prevent the petty theft, Chipotle acknowledged those that "accidentally" fill their free water cups with lemonade in a humorous (and relevant) way. It’s comical, it connects with most consumers, (we know you’ve at least tasted the lemonade with your water cup), and it works. Bravo, Chipotle!

4. Jelly Belly Dresses to Impress

Another unusual trend from 2022 was Jelly Belly’s Jelly Bean tuxedo and dress advertised on Instagram ads. It’s not for everyone, but it is eye-catching! Anyone who saw this ad will undoubtedly think of Jelly Bean clothing when they see Jelly Beans. Although the clothing is far from simple, the campaign idea is simple—and that's why it works.

5. Birddogs Unusual Cyber Monday Approach

Last but certainly not least is our friends over at Birddogs. They launched a hilarious Cyber Monday marketing campaign advertising blankets for fish because, simply put, “The ocean is freezing.” They ended their ad with a question that deserves some serious thought: “When was the last time you thought about how cold fish must be? They’re not just cold, but also wet.” The brand leaned heavily on humor by encouraging consumers to buy a blanket so that Birddogs would donate a blanket to a cold fish in need. It’s funny, it’s eye-catching, and it does its job of drawing people to the brand.

These are just a few of our favorite wacky marketing campaigns from this past year. Sometimes, the weirder, the better when it comes to drawing attention to your brand. 

What stuck out to you? We’d love to hear your reactions to these creative marketing ploys. We hope that this serves as an inspiration to you and your brand or company for 2023. 

Follow us on Instagram @digitalgrowthmastery for more tips and strategies! 

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