Teaser campaign

Teaser campaigns are used over traditional advertising technique by brands and companies who wish to launch new products into the relevant market, often before the product is finalized in production in order to create a buzz (the degree of attention a brand gains in the market) and gain headway before the product is released. By doing this, brands can gain knowledge on how consumers are responding to aspects of the product before it is finalized and make changes if needed (Trehan and Maan, 2012). Studies have found that advertisements that immediately introduce the brand name have less of an association building effect between the brand and product category, than advertisements that evoke mystery and only reveal brand names once the viewer is hooked (Fazio, Herr and Powell, 1992). Teasers can also be used to draw attention to a unique element of a brand rather than separate it completely from the market and inform consumers about a differentiated selling proposition.

Brands that already have a position in the market can use teaser campaigns to create new brand imagery especially if they have gone through managerial changes, rebranding or decided to target a new market due to attention from an unexplored segment. Teaser campaigns allow brands to introduce themselves in a controlled and desired way in an attempt to possibly change the publics current perception of the brand. Teaser campaigns from known brands give space for both the advertiser and the consumer to feel out the market before rebranding. When companies decided to present a product to the market again in a different light, teasers can be successful in rebranding and creating fresh excitement for their products and services (Trehan and Maan, 2012).

Teaser campaigns are the ultimate creative advertising strategy which bodes well if a brand wants to be perceived as innovative, original or imaginative. Through inter-related advertising content, the brand has the chance to reveal to the consumer small parts of the final message at its own pace. Often, the messages the audience are receiving are so imaginative, that they create interest but don’t get figured out easily. A good example of this was internet campaign "Got Milk". In the US, viral messages about how cow abductions were said to be increasing were being shared around and as people speculated and theorized as to why this way happening, the campaign revealed the punch line; aliens were stealing the cows as they knew the benefits of drinking milk! This served as a sort of public service announcement to increase nutritional awareness and boost the milk industry (Trehan and Maan, 2012).

Teaser campaigns increase business to consumer interaction through dialogue. The advertisements start discussions between consumers, media outlets and on social media. A successful teaser ad initiates interpersonal communication between friends, group communication in workplaces and social situations and in the virtual world such as on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Campaigns can all have different objectives whether it be to entice consumers to seek out more information and reward them with the gratification of figuring out the punch line, or business’ communicating with customers by delivering small tidbits of information and allowing them to respond (Trehan and Maan, 2012).

Teaser campaigns are a good way to create a business to consumer bond by forcing the audience to follow the campaign's journey in order to piece together the message. Because these advertisements are based on curiosity in order to promote a product, the audience looks forward and seeks out the next piece of the puzzle which forms an attraction to that brand over again due to the repeated messages delivered through the teaser campaign (Trehan and Maan, 2012).