The poster was actually an easter egg for a commercial promoting BMW’s new line of electric cars. The “trailer” premiered on football’s biggest night, pulling a successful bait and switch on those who were keeping an eye out for an actual preview.
Overall, people were impressed with the clever ties between the poster and the commercial itself. It was enough to even bolster consumer social sentiment around electric cars.
Marketing takeaway:
The message in an easter egg doesn’t have to be direct. Adding an additional layer of mystery creates a challenging puzzle for your audience. The greater the effort, the sweeter the reward.
3. Thursday’s hidden logo
In 2021, the UK-based dating app Thursday doubled their app’s weekly downloads. All it took was some shop cardboard, a marker and a few team members willing to participate in an attention-grabbing stunt.
This is just one example of several homemade signs created to build intrigue around the app and its purpose. Commuters familiar with Thursday quickly noticed the stylized “Y” in the signs matched the company logo. Those who weren’t had to do some social media digging to get in on the joke.
Marketing takeaway: Easter eggs aren’t strictly for digital media. Including them in IRL marketing activations can generate conversations both online and off.
4. Google search easter eggs
Google developers have hidden time-sensitive and evergreen easter eggs all over the search engine. For example:
When you search for the term “askew”, the results are shown at a slight tilt.
Searching for “solitaire” unlocks a Google mini-game
Searching for
Loch Ness” on Google Maps turns the pegman button into a tiny monster.
These gags may seem silly but they’ve earned Google a group of devoted fans who are constantly searching for results of the messaging campaign new hidden gems. When they find them, those fans take brand awareness work into their own hands.
Marketing takeaway: Making easter eggs a consistent part of your marketing strategy can build stronger brand connections. Those in the know hong kong phone number will go out of their way to spot them, uncovering something new for more casual fans along the way.
