Category
Tech
Automated Upkeep
Trend cluster
Category
Meta-Marketing
Brands thrive for authenticity, making use of self-aware marketing tactics.
3.9
Trend score
Trend
What is the Meta-Marketing trend?
Meta-Marketing: The shift from over-the-top marketing campaigns to more subtle forms of print and television ads has become apparent. Particularly with the rise of millennial purchasing power, brands are looking for ways to appear "real" to this consumer segment and self-mockery is becoming a fast track to become relatable to Gen Y. This form of advertising is now moving beyond marketing and beginning to bleed into other areas such as packaging and retail spaces.
Trend themes
Themes within the Meta-Marketing trend
Three behaviours holding the trend together01
Self-mockery Marketing
Brands use self-mockery to appear authentic, relatable and appealing to Gen Y.
02
Humorous Commercials
Brands create humorous commercials for better engagement with consumers.
03
Disruptive Advertising
Advertising is becoming more subtle and bleeding into other areas like packaging and retail spaces.
Industry implications
What the Meta-Marketing trend means for industry
Where the trend changes the playbookFor
Marketing and Advertising
The advertising industry can leverage self-mockery to engage with Gen Y and use humor for better consumer engagement.
For
Food and Beverage
Restaurants and beverage companies can create humorous commercials to attract customers and market their products in a more subtle way.
For
Retail
Retail spaces can use advertising to create a more engaging environment that taps into self-mockery and humor for better consumer engagement.
Trend signals
Trend signals for Meta-Marketing
Trend score 3.9 out of 10, from popularity 74%, activity 34%, freshness 8%.
Popularity74%
Activity34%
Freshness8%
Audience
50%Men
50%Women
- Gen Alpha (not a primary audience)
- Gen Z
- Millennial
- Gen X (not a primary audience)
- Boomer (not a primary audience)
Market
North America
Europe
Evidence
Examples of the Meta-Marketing trend
5 featured examples from Feb 3 to Dec 4, 2014CategoryTech
Nonsense-Spotting Apps
DDB Tribal Dusseldorf's Bingo App Points Out the BS in Advertising
The advertising industry can benefit from disruptive innovation that challenges the use of dishonest and vague advertising claims.
CategoryLifestyle
Celebrity Parody Beer Ads
Anna Kendrick Lends a Helping Hand in This Newcastle Brown Ale Ad
Craft breweries can use humor and satire to promote their unique flavors and styles of beer in a crowded and competitive market.
CategoryLifestyle
Hilariously Apologetic Commercials
The Arby's We Have Pepsi Campaign Admits the Company Messed Up
Fast food chains can take note of Arby's campaign and use similar tactics to build brand loyalty and engage with customers on social media platforms.
CategoryLifestyle
Hilarious Slo-Mo Booze Ads
Seth & Riley's Garage Hard Lemonade Brands Itself as 'Genius, Kind Of'
Innovating unique and fun flavors for alcoholic beverages can differentiate a brand in a competitive market
CategoryAutos
Car Sale Spoofs
Oak Lawn Toyota's Keys in a Box Parody Riffs Off of a SNL Classic
Opportunity for car dealerships to use creative and humorous marketing strategies to attract customers.
