Being in the Right Place at the Right Time: How Moment Marketing Works

Moment marketing is a savvy tactic brands use to get your attention. It’s simply a brand jumping into a conversation that everyone else is already having online, whether it’s a viral video that’s funny, major news, or a meme. It can also be called real-time marketing because the moment is happening in ‘real-time’ as something is trending.

Instead of planning a big, elaborate advertisement over the course of months, moment marketing is about being quick and smart. Brand sees something that is a huge talking point on social media, they formulate a post, ad, or joke quickly. This makes the brand appear cool, relevant, and be firmly in touch with what’s happening in the world. The brand becomes part of the fun.

The primary reason moment marketing is so effective is because of its timing. When a brand publishes content about a trending topic at the moment when people are talking about that subject, the brand’s post will reach more people improving brand visibility and awareness. It is like contributing a clever joke to a conversation in a crowded room—everyone turns to pay attention.

In the digital age, we see hundreds of ads every day. Moment marketing cuts through the noise of brands vying for our attention. Since the moment post is based on something you are already interested in, it does not feel like a disruption; it feels like a friendly, quick, clever reply. This builds trust and connection with the brand and makes the post more likely to be shared with their friends.

The “Sorry” Trend: Making a Joke out of an Apology

Recently, the Internet exploded with a trend involving companies issuing fake, formal apology letters, which is a prime example of clever, entertaining moment marketing.

These are not real apologies for mistakes. They are faux apologies that are literally humble brags in disguise, that were constructed as regrets. For example, a shoe company might apologize for making shoes so comfortable that people have “refused to wear anything else.” Likewise, a food company might apologize for making their snacks so “delicious,” that they created an “unintended addiction.”

The humor came from using a very formal, corporate-style correspondence—complete with a formal company logo and official tone—to convey something silly. It worked because it was relatable and funny. It was immediately noticeable when brands executed it well, and it showed their followers they were aware of the brand joke and it humanized the brand while also making it friendlier. It was also a cheap and easy way to gain so many shares and attention.

Prada pin moment marketing

Not every moment marketing ideas are humorous. Some moments happen from controversy. A classic example of this in the field of luxury fashion is the Prada pin moment.

Prada is a well-known luxury brand that sold a small brooch, basically a safety pin covered in a crochet cord with their logo stamped on it. But the price was crazy – hundreds of dollars! People use safety pins as a way to repair clothing for a few cents on a daily basis.

The internet exploded. People were shocked, confused, and made loads of sarcastic jokes and memes comparing the new, expensive Prada pin to other safety pins they had at home. The debate raged everywhere.

Prada took advantage of the ongoing conversation about their product. They weren’t selling a safety pin; they sold the Prada logo and luxury. The outrage went viral, and Prada got a huge amount of free advertising around the world for it. The item became a representation of luxury and wealth. This is how luxury brands want their items to be perceived. The conversations, even the negative ones, worked to market the brand.

Look before you leap

While moment marketing can be tremendously successful, it’s also a risky endeavor. Because brands are so quick to respond, they don’t have the time to thoroughly consider their response.

When brands leverage sensitive or tragic news simply to sell a product, they can look like they are being insensitive to the topic at hand. This is what we call being “tone deaf”, and it can cause rapid and serious backlash from the community, damaging the brand immeasurably.

Brands must ensure that their quick response still feels authentic and resonates with the brand value proposition. Imagine a brand who is serious and quiet, that suddenly flirts with some loud and silly joke, in the context of a meme. It could feel completely fake and desperate. The best teams are incredibly fast, but they also just have to be very sharp and sensitive to what’s happening in the world as well.

Making the Buzz Last

Moment marketing is usually just a short burst of energy—it gets a lot of attention for a few days or few weeks, and then the trend dies down. The real challenge for companies is to turn that quick buzz into something that lasts.

The most successful brands, like the Indian dairy company Amul or the food delivery app Zomato, use moment marketing consistently. These brands don’t simply jump on a singular moment marketing trend, they tend to do it across all seasons, making their brand famous for its cleverness, relevance, and quick engagement.

Those brands are leveraging all of those moment marketing temporal moments, to reinforce their brand personality overall, and solidify themselves as top-of-mind brands that show a consistent strong identity. It all comes down to turning that short-term burst of attention into lengthier success and loyalty..

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