The annual tradition of decorating eggs in colours or going on a search for these hidden eggs during Easter has definitely gone beyond child’s play to inspire a very effective marketing strategy – with a potential to go viral.
Now that I’ve piqued your interest, let’s get started!
You know how we used to hunt for brightly coloured chocolate eggs as a child? It’s amazing how that same thrill of hunting for these Easter eggs has now transcended from the physical space to the digital realm! In movies, we often see Easter eggs making an appearance in the form of hidden references, like an IYKYK kind of thing. One iconic example I can think of would be, hands down, the cameo appearances of Stan Lee in Marvel movies for me. That certainly became a highlight that viewers like myself looked forward to – apart from the movie itself – even if I had not been following the series closely.
Outside of movie references, they act as hidden messages or secret features that only the tech-savvy and true fans would know. Especially since there is no actual know-how or fixed manual to uncovering these Easter eggs, it adds to the excitement when you stumble upon one by chance. Just like how a child looks forward to the toy in their Kinder Surprise or any typical treasure hunt. Try clicking on the hedgehog in the image here! Or Google ‘askew’ in the search bar.
Why Do Easter Egg Marketing?
“Is there really a need to send people on a wild goose chase an Easter egg hunt? What can this ‘Easter egg marketing’ do for my brand?” – These are some questions you may ask. It may be hard to fathom how Easter eggs can enhance your marketing efforts since they aren’t usually promoted, but that’s what we are here for!
#1 BUILD A CONNECTION
Like all inside jokes we share with our friends and family, Easter eggs work the same way between your brand and your target audience in increasing affinity. Apart from building a connection, this exclusive knowledge helps to identify true fans of your brand. It is also a great way for you to share your brand personality with new audiences as you humanise and reveal the not-so-serious side to your brand.
When it comes to building any connection, it is of paramount importance that you know your audience. Supposing your audience isn’t the most tech-savvy, then Easter eggs hidden on e-commerce platforms might not be well-received and may very well go unnoticed by them. Apart from that, you also want to make sure your Easter egg is optimised for all types of screens since smartphones have become an integral (and indispensable) part of our lives.
#2 GO VIRAL
Many brands are always talking about going viral. Easter eggs used to be so well hidden that only the tech-savvy were meant to find them. However, as the news started to spread from one person to another, via word of mouth, it gave rise to a viral phenomenon. And I mean viral for the right reasons!
No doubt, Easter egg marketing has the potential to go viral by bringing referral traffic to your website, getting your brand ranked higher in search engines, acquiring new followers on your social accounts and increasing engagement among the audience through interactions with your content. All you have to do is to make it hidden just enough – not too obvious nor too deep in the closet – and let an exclusive few in on the secret.
#3 ACHIEVE OBJECTIVES
There should always be an objective set before you launch your marketing efforts. Same with Easter egg marketing, think about what you hope to achieve for your brand. For example, converting new leads into sales.
This is where Easter egg marketing is extremely useful. People generally go through a lot to find the Easter egg, especially when it is only available for a time-limited period. I certainly can’t forget how invested many of us were in Google Pay’s Huat Pals, a mini game held during Chinese New Year where users get a chance to win up to $88.88 (and coupons) on collection of the 6 different Huat Pals. This makes them more likely to utilise their Easter egg, for example, a coupon that entitles them to discounts with purchase from your brand – instead of letting it (and their efforts spent hunting) go to waste.
How do you ‘plant’ Easter Eggs in Your Brand?
So here’s how you can integrate Easter eggs into your marketing plan!
Social media marketing is the rage in this digital age and the use of ephemeral content such as your Facebook and Instagram stories creates a sense of urgency for audiences to view your content before it expires. Exclusive discount codes and insider news can be used as a draw to get people constantly checking your accounts for the latest updates.
Likewise, the same can be done with video advertisements and in fact, this might be something you are more familiar with. In a Mercedes-Benz ad, the potential customer is portrayed to be holding the marque’s magazine and is completely absorbed – not the least paying attention to the pitch. If you look close enough, there is a naked man running across the stadium but even an incident like that isn’t enough to distract the reader. By planting Easter eggs in such videos, you encourage replays as the audience tries to spot these hidden references. And you can surely count on them to share it with their friends – yay, engagement!
It’s okay if your brand isn’t big on social media or isn’t exploring the usage of video ads – this is your chance to get creative with Easter eggs! Especially when it comes to optimising the user experience of your website. You could create an egg hunt detailing the different steps in using your e-commerce site to get people to read information that is usually missed out when they shop online.
Or be that welcoming interruption!
Regular tasks can get mundane but you can make the boring fun by breaking this monotony with Easter eggs! This also helps to interrupt choice fatigue and moves your shopper down the marketing funnel to take action. You could also inject a little fun with audio and visual effects (while staying on brand) when they land on a certain page or after a set number of clicks so don’t limit yourself to doing what other brands have been doing!
I hope these tips helped you discover the limitless possibilities in marketing. Don’t be a stranger – write to us or drop us a message on our socials if you need a little more guidance in planning your next campaign.
As the Content Marketing Executive at The Outsiders Co. (now Superminted), Jasmine is a storyteller who translates her love for learning into content that is entertaining and relatable for the audience. She believes in connecting with the audience through the words she pens – or types.
