What is Reverse Marketing

Reverse marketing is one of those things we hear about a lot these days, but often don't know what it means. You know how there are some of these specific 'cocktail party topics' which someone initiates and the others just nod along, offering no opinion because they don't know what it means! But it is a truly global phenomenon today and several companies across the world have used it to good effect.

Basics of Reverse Marketing

Well I love to start with an example, so this article is going to be pretty much a 'reverse article' with the examples coming first and the theory coming in a bit later.

The most commonly talked about example must be of the cosmetics company 'Dove'. Now cosmetics companies usually talk about how their products will add to your flawed looks. If you're dark, they'll make you fair. If you're pimply, they'll clear it up. If your skin is dry, they'll moisten it. And so on. Cosmetic companies tend to pick and criticize your looks and create this impression that you're quite ugly overall, and the only way to make yourself more desirable is to use their products. As if their products actually make a beauty of a beast.

But Dove chose a different path altogether. Instead of pointing at the little flaws which your skin might have, Dove asked women to come together and celebrate their beauty. You will now notice, how very less coercive Dove ads seem as compared to the ads of other cosmetics brands. It's a completely different, novel approach to marketing altogether. Dove rarely uses models, who are viewed as plastic and artificial. Dove uses 'real women', beautiful, but not extremely so, to add a touch of realism to the ad. And it is this appeal, the seeming genuineness of women, the lack of coercion, and the lack of this artificially created sense of inferiority of women to the models in terms of looks, that drew more and more women towards using the products of Dove. And yes, it has been successful.

The example probably told you a bit about what reverse marketing strategies are. It is a sort of assertion to the people that they don't really need to use the products of a particular company. It is sort of like reverse psychology-which loosely means that you get people to do something by asking them not to. Of course, it doesn't forbid the people from using their products or any such thing, but reverse marketing tells people that they're awesome overall even without using any of the artificial add-ons which they sell.

It may seem illogical that this approach should work. On one hand companies practicing reverse marketing seem to be telling you not to use their products, and on the other hand, we see people going out and buying them. So what is reverse marketing's whole appeal?

Why Reverse Marketing Works

Yes, reverse marketing has seen quite a few success stories, even with its fairly unusual approach. Why so? In my opinion, this is because it is a breath of fresh air from the otherwise fear-inducing advertising techniques. How many times have you gone and purchased something because its advertising campaign had some thinly veiled gory eventuality, should you not use the product? It's happened almost too many times. Lets continue the example of cosmetics. How many of those wrinkle-reducing products ads show women frowned upon just because age is catching up with them. The ad runs as, "see what happened to this lady who didn't use the wrinkle reducing cream when she should have? Now she's old, ugly and no one likes her. You want to be this way?". People started seeing this approach as an open threat and didn't like it. No one wants to be told what to do. And this is where reverse marketing has been successful. Don't tell people what to do. It appeals to the people's sensibilities, the result of this is that people warm up to these products. They want to use a product that doesn't poke fun at them, or threatens them. They want one which makes them feel good about themselves, doesn't brag and yes, is effective.

Of course, there are some important caveats to using these tips. Of course, a new entrant in a market ought not to try this. Dove and other reverse marketers have been successful because they are already established brands and people know how good they are. Secondly, the products have to be so good that they speak for themselves!