RIP Original Ideas: Where’s the Fun in Faking a Death?

“Duo is dead” - the three tragic words that spread across social earlier this year. But, in a resurrection that could only be compared to that of Christ himself, he hath returned. This led to an influx of brands following the April Fools bandwagon and killing off their beloved mascots and products, only to bring them back a day or so later.

But do these kinds of stunts build genuine connections with audiences, or are they becoming painfully predictable?

​Duolingo’s stunt attracted widespread accolades in the marketing world, and it was followed by the likes of Lipton, Lynx, Aldi, and Fabulosa. While these brands are embracing the morbidly ‘hilarious’ trend of self-sabotage, there’s limited shelf left. And, once it's in the grave, where do you go from there?

Well, not very far. When you kill off a mascot or product, you are also killing off part of the brand. And, there are only really two options when it comes to bouncing back: create something that is just as good, if not better, than the counterpart you killed off, or bring it back from the dead. The former is difficult, and we have seen brands fail at this a fair few times - the rebirth of Mr Peanut was labelled one of the worst Super Bowl commercials of all time. And the latter is just lazy and nowadays completely expected.

Short life cycles don’t just apply to brand-owned trends, they equally apply to memes. On social, memes are king. They’re bite-sized, fast-moving, and culturally rich. But memes live and die in the hands of the internet - brands have no control.

There’s a very fine line between riding the meme wave and diluting brand identity. While Lipton and Lynx did manage to create some buzz with their 'death' stunts, their time may have been better spent pursuing a more original creative route.

It’s important to remember brands can’t just jump onto every trend and hope for the best. They need a tangible reason behind it beyond just “being there.” That means having a strategy and clear point of view on what to react to - and what to leave alone. More importantly, they should pay attention to where the brand is showing up online and engage in those spaces.

It’s the unexpected that leads to creative goldmines, not following the crowd.

We’ve seen success with brands adopting this type of approach, for example, Currys has seen viral success on TikTok with its gen z targeted content frequently amassing millions of views. While TikTok and Currys never before seemed to go hand in hand, the ability to react to on-brand viral moments is what made it so successful.

The best way for brands to tackle this is through social listening, understanding the randomness of online culture and where your brand might fit in. With an established POV and social strategy, you can be selective about the content you put out there and react where it makes sense for you.

It's easy to get swept up in the rush of a trend, but the brands that stand out are the ones that know who they are, where they belong online, and when to speak up - or keep it zipped.