What a Tease!

With the increasing importance of viral and word-of-mouth marketing, marketers have upped their game with teaser campaigns. I have noticed more and more teasers every day. This year, more brands than ever used digital media to tease their upcoming Super Bowl spots. Everyone from VW to Newcastle got in on the teasing action.

Just last week, promoters of the film Fifty Shades of Grey released an Instagram video in partnership with Beyoncé as a way to tease the upcoming release of the full trailer. When you think about it, that’s a teaser to announce what is essentially another teaser for the full film!

Polaris recently spent a month releasing teaser videos for the new Polaris Slingshot. Revealing one new video each week, these videos quickly spread across social media, fueling speculation as to what the final product would look like. Hunting for clues, online viewers carefully dissected and freeze-framed each fast-paced shot of the vehicle. They worked all month to get a glimpse of it before the countdown clock hit zero, revealing the vehicle in full.

Why do you think we are seeing so many teasers? Does dragging out announcements help shoppers make more intelligent buying decisions? Does it help them to more deeply engage with the brand, or is it a gimmick?