Pssst! (It's a secret!)

The NYT reports on a new (or renewed) trend in advertising: secrets. Companies are encouraging their customers to share secrets with them and also sharing company "secrets" with customers. The article points to the Post-it and Secret deodorant campaigns among others.

Why would anyone want to share the intimate details of their lives with a corporate entity? I don't know, but apparently it taps into the natural allure of learning and telling secrets. From the company's point of view, secret campaigns, "give giant companies, which are often perceived as impersonal, a chance to address consumers "in an approachable way,"' says one brand manager quoted in the article.

I also believe that this tactic feeds into WOM by giving people something to talk about, and reminds me of the mystery campaigns I've mentioned before.

Perhaps this trend will give librarian-marketers some food for thought. I like the Post-it approach in which customers share their secrets for being successful using the product. Likewise, it could be fun to have patrons share their secrets to doing research and hidden gems they've found. Librarians could turn it into a contest for the best secret and post the secrets on their sites. Also, it could be fun to do a library mystery tour, particularly in older libraries that have lots of stories and secrets to tell.

Want to share your best-kept library marketing secret? Leave it in a comment!

Categories: creativity_and_inspiration | promising_promotions | tips_to_try