What can we learn from 3 of the world’s most innovative marketing campaigns?

Instead of getting into the technicalities of response-based marketing, let’s go straight to the heart of the matter. I want to share with you what might be the two best marketing messages I’ve ever seen. Yes, ever. By looking at the psychology of these two examples, you’ll be able to see the path to making your marketing irresistible.

1. An insulation company sends a man up Mount Everest
The Aerogel insulation company sent a mountain climber up Mount Everest wearing a pair of its new insulated sock liners. After the climb, it asked how the climb went. The climber’s response: “The only problem I had was that my feet were too hot.”

2. The true genius of a Viagra ad is the warning at the end

Viagra — and I hope you know what that is — ran a series of television commercials as it grew into one of the most successful drugs in history. You’ve probably heard it. At the end of the commercials, it always issued a health warning in a very serious pharmaceutical talk. It said: If your erection lasts more than four hours, call your doctor.

These are not just examples of good marketing, or even great marketing. These achieve that level of psychological persuasion power that can only be described as impossible to resist. Someone climbs Mt. Everest and comes down to complain that their feet got too hot because the sock liners they were wearing worked too well…?

Anyone that has feet that get cold, or wants to buy clothing to keep them warm will immediately say “those are the socks for me.” The warning says to call your doctor if your erection lasts more than four hours. Imagine that you’re a guy who hasn’t been able to perform sexually for months or years, and you hear that “warning.” There’s not much you could say that would get his attention faster or more “perfectly.”

3. FedEx changes delivery overnight

Let’s discuss FedEx. Its original unique selling proposition of “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” is pretty stellar. I think it might qualify to make the list of best marketing ever.

At the time it started this marketing campaign, the idea of overnight package delivery was brand-new. It was an option that people didn’t have before, and they had a big opportunity if they could get into the minds of their potential customers with an action-oriented message. And the words “absolutely, positively”… well, they absolutely, positively did it.

What do these three messages have in common?

Now let’s break down what these messages have in common — and particularly, what they have in common that you can use to super-charge your marketing.

The first thing that they’ve done is to “zoom in” on a specific, human desire that a lot of people have. Next, they created a communication that broadcasts two unmistakable messages:

1. Our product gets you the result that you want
2. It works, definitely

And notice how each of them does it in a way that doesn’t sound like “ego” or like it’s all about the company that’s promoting the product. They keep the focus on the customer and the customer’s need. There’s no interruption of the customer’s realization that they need to get the product or service, so they can get the result they want.