How to get your customers to advertise for you
By: Michelle Wiles
Tags: Branding, Startup, Business, Advertising, Marketing

Today when I went into the bathroom at work, I spotted a pink, bubble wrap makeup pouch on the counter. My mind jumped immediately to the creator of this bubble wrapper pouch, cosmetics unicorn Glossier. I wondered which Glossier products my coworker uses, and if I should give them a try.

This isn’t the first time I have seen the pink bubble wrapper bag be reused. And everytime I see it, it is a public endorsement for the product, which has to be worth more than an Instagram ad.

Glossier packaging, with pink bubble wrap pouch intact. Source: Hillsdale Collegian, Isabella Redjai

Lululemon is probably the best example to give away something useful to customers. When you purchase something at Lululemon, they give you a trademark laminated bag to tote your expensive new sportswear in. The bags are sturdy, waterproof, and come in the red, white and black shades of Lululemon’s logo. And they’re everywhere. People use them for gym visits, grocery runs, and even moving house. They’re that strong. As I am writing this, a man has walked into the cafe I am in with a white Lululemon tote. Looking at him, I can’t help think that the tote looks more like accessory than advertisement. And yet, while accessory it is for him, it’s a billboard for Lululemon.

A woman with her Lululemon branded tote. Source: Edmonton Journal, John Lucas

How to offer the right advertising to your consumer

On the theme of Glossier and Lululemon’s reusable bags, I can see plenty of opportunities for free branded containers in my work backpack alone. I have pouches for my electronic accessories (mouse, chargers, cords), for my personal items, and for my pens. But, getting a consumer to advertise for you isn’t as simple as offering something a free bag. Most branded items get tossed. Lululemon’s get sold on eBay. So, what turns a free thing into a valuable one?

Glossier’s free giveaway isn’t just reused, it’s purchased for $12

1. Ditch the (blatant) advertising

Isn’t this an article about advertising? Yes. But it's also an article about providing value to consumers. Lululemon’s totes wouldn't be nearly as popular if they just said ‘Lululemon’ on them. Lululemon bags show a myriad of inspiring phrases about health, friendship, and happiness. They're phrases the brand teams wants you to associate with Lululemon, but also things Lulu’s customers generally want to associate with themselves.

Glossier’s pink bubble wrapped packaging doesn't have any words at all, but its design embodies the playfulness and fun that Glossier wants customers to associate with its brand of makeup. These qualities are again, attractive to Glossier’s audience.

So, start by asking yourself what it is about your brand that is inspiring. What is the purpose that your customers get behind when they buy your product? What would customers want to advertise?

2. Decide what to offer by getting in touch with your customer’s needs

For Glossier, the customer need is obvious. Customers who buy makeup will also have a need to carry their makeup. Giveaway idea: a pouch to hold makeup.

In Lululemon’s case, the company targets a wealthy, on the go and active audience. Lululemon’s bags serve multiple needs for this customer. For one, the totes are a status symbol (Lulu products don’t come cheap). But two, the bag is a flexible, pack-able, hold-everything-and-more bag that becomes a staple for Lululemon’s on the go customer.

For your brand, consider your audience: What are their needs? Where are spaces to add value?

The giveaway doesn’t need to be a container, or even related to your brand’s offering. Take Huel, for instance. Huel is a powdered food product that helps customers ‘get the optimum nutrition to aid their physical performance’ without the work of shopping, cooking, et cetera. Each product is nutritionally complete. The need Huel fills? Simplification. Huel takes complex diet regimens and makes them simple to fit into your life.

Huel fills the same need with its giveaway. Each initial order of Huel includes a free t-shirt that makes life simpler by providing a nice-looking option to wear, no shopping or accessorizing needed. The shirts have a ‘nice fit’ according to my boyfriend, who wears his regularly.

Source: #Huel tag search on Instagram

You might be asking yourself, didn’t we just say to not be blatant about advertising? And yet here is Huel with a Huel branded t-shirt. Yes, but consider the design. Huel’s t-shirt is clean, with ‘Huel’ in a designer-friendly font associated with simplicity and Apple products (Helvetica). Despite the branding, the shirt still evokes the associations a customer would not mind showing off (simple, design, tech), and as a result, plenty of customers wear the shirt.

The shirt is also slightly higher quality than the typical free t-shirt.Which brings me to my next point..

3. Invest in your giveaway

It doesn’t need to be a lot. But don’t go producing something cheap and expect customers to use it and advertise your company at the same time. For one, they won’t use it. And two, it’s not a good look to have your goodies end up in the trash.

Lululemon’s bags likely cost a multiple of the cheap plastic bags they could be using. But the cost is low on an absolute basis, and the slightly higher cost translates into high advertising ROI. Huel’s shirts are only slightly nicer than the typical free t-shirt, but it’s this slightly higher quality that makes the difference between wearing until the logo fades and tossing into your pajama drawer.

Takeaways

Okay, so free advertising isn’t totally free. It takes a bit of work to get your customers to advertise for you. But this can translate into high ROI if you do it right. Start by understanding your brand’s associations and purpose. What would customers want to be associated with? Then, get in touch with your customer needs. Where can you add value? This will help you pick an offering, which you can design around the associations from step 1. Finally, be prepared to put a bit of money behind your offering. A branded product in the trash is almost an anti-endorsement. On the other hand, if you deliver for your customers, they will deliver for you.