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Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble, has always believed in doing things differently. From the very beginning, Bumble used unconventional marketing tactics that might have seemed ridiculous at first but ultimately proved to be highly effective.
Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
In the early days of Bumble, Wolfe Herd and her team came up with a bold idea: they created signs that featured a big "X" over the logos of popular social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, along with Bumble. These signs were posted all over university campuses. The message was clear: "No Facebook, No Instagram, No Snapchat, No Bumble." The goal was to spark curiosity among students who would wonder, "What is Bumble?"
But Wolfe Herd didn't stop there. To heighten the curiosity, Bumble representatives—young women and men wearing Bumble T-shirts—would enter large lecture halls 10 or 15 minutes late, interrupting classes of 300 students by pretending they had walked into the wrong room. This unexpected entrance made everyone in the room notice the Bumble logo. These tactics created a buzz and got people talking about Bumble, even if they had no idea what it was at first.
This unconventional approach reflects Wolfe Herd's belief in the power of psychological curiosity and disruption in marketing. Instead of relying solely on traditional advertising methods, Bumble created a sense of intrigue and conversation among potential users, which helped the app stand out in a crowded market.
Another famous entrepreneur who understood the power of unconventional marketing is Steve Jobs. When Apple was launching the iPhone, Jobs didn't just focus on the product's features; he created a sense of wonder and anticipation. His keynotes were legendary for their dramatic reveals and the famous "one more thing" moments that kept the audience on the edge of their seats. This approach turned product launches into major events and helped build the cult-like following Apple enjoys today.
A similar example of creative marketing comes from Dollar Shave Club. When they launched, they released a hilarious and memorable video featuring their founder, Michael Dubin, walking through a warehouse and humorously explaining why their razors were "f***ing great." The video went viral, garnering millions of views and putting Dollar Shave Club on the map almost overnight.
Both Jobs' and Dubin's approaches to marketing demonstrate that thinking outside the box and creating memorable, shareable experiences can be incredibly effective. Just like Bumble's guerrilla marketing tactics on college campuses, these strategies relied on creating buzz and leveraging curiosity to attract attention and drive engagement.
In conclusion, Whitney Wolfe Herd's early marketing strategies for Bumble illustrate the power of creative and unconventional approaches to building brand awareness. By generating curiosity and conversation, Bumble was able to stand out in a competitive market and attract a loyal user base. This lesson is echoed by other successful entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Michael Dubin, who have shown that a little creativity and boldness can go a long way in capturing the public's imagination and driving business success.
Listen to Whitney: