Joyful rebellion; why brands need more mischievous marketing in 2024​

To use the words of the inspiring and recently passed writer, poet and actor, Benjamin Zephaniah; “If we didn’t have troublemakers, most women wouldn’t have the right to vote, a Black person wouldn’t be talking to a white person.”

This is something we must constantly remind ourselves of. Progress, change, innovation, growth - they all require a little bit of troublemaking. A little bit of a rebellion.

Why abide by the rules if you believe them to be broken?

Why abide by the rules if you believe them to be broken, wrong or immoral? Blind adherence can stifle creativity and hinder essential change.

It was Nelson Mandela who said, “It ALWAYS seems impossible until it’s done”.

Above: Joan Jett was told she couldn’t play the guitar because she was a girl.

Thomas Edison was told the lightbulb was impossible.

Joan Jett was told she couldn’t play the guitar because she was a girl.

Liquid nail polish? Once thought to be a passing fad. Now, a 16.2 billion dollar industry.

Talkies (films with, you know, talking in them) were claimed to be ‘a gimmick’ by actress Mary Astor in 1967.

It’s a crowded marketplace full of choice and, unfortunately, a lot of 'sameness'.

I could go on. And I wish I could, as it’s kind of wild to read about all of this. But my point is, without doing something new, pushing boundaries, or rebelling against the expected, it’s kinda hard to create change.

Or, in the case of brands, make campaigns that resonate, stand up, speak out, get noticed, be remembered and be human.

It’s a crowded marketplace full of choice and, unfortunately, a lot of 'sameness'. A place where we often find brands copying their more successful competitors in order to ‘get noticed’. And, while these tried-and-true methods may feel safe, they often result in work that's predictable and, honestly, a bit dull. 

Most importantly, it was entirely unmemorable for the audience.

Above: JOAN's work for Luna Daily was daring, and wasn’t shy about what it was trying to achieve.

The ironic thing is that the work our industry celebrates, and where success lives far beyond our industry, is when a brand is willing to go against the grain and try the unconventional route. These trailblazers are vital, as they pave the way for others to follow in their footsteps and drive change, challenge norms and create growth.

So, what can we learn from brands that have fearlessly embraced rebellion in their marketing?

Challenging the status quo

I might be biassed, and apologies for the shameless plug, but our Vulva Therapy campaign for bodycare brand Luna Daily wasn’t shy about what it was trying to achieve. It was affronting and it was daring (as ridiculous as that is to say. Really, it’s just an anatomically correct word!). But, if we didn’t start this conversation and address the societally induced shame around the word, the women’s health crisis we find ourselves in would perpetuate.

The work our industry celebrates, and where success lives far beyond our industry, is when a brand is willing to go against the grain and try the unconventional route.

It takes a brand like Luna Daily to rebel and drive change, but what was most interesting about working on this campaign is the alignment of Luna Daily’s and JOAN’s ambition for positivity. At JOAN, our lens is one of joyful rebellion and, with that, we didn't want to shame women for not using the word vulva or for feeling uncomfortable. No, our ambition was for women and people with vulvas to feel more confident about using that word. Weaving some humour in can help the subject matter resonate more, creating shareability.

And you know what? There was a 35% increase in searches for 'vulva' on campaign launch day, and it drove nearly a million organic social impressions. Let’s hope this this surge in curiosity and engagement continues to break down the barriers surrounding discussions about women's health.

Above: Libresse's BloodNormal garnered passionate reactions but pushed the brands, and the conversations, to the forefront.

Challenging conversations

IKEA made headlines in 1994 with its American advertisement Dining Room Table, which featured a gay couple. The advertisement, created in collaboration with Deutsch New York, featured gay men shopping for a dining table. Until that point, only a few advertisements had even acknowledged the LGBTQ+ lifestyle in marketing, and no one had run a gay-focused mainstream television commercial. 

These ads have demonstrated their ability to spark conversation and drive cultural progress.

While the LGBTQ+ community has come a long way in terms of representation since the 1990s, IKEA was chastised at the time for publicly recognising its gay customers. Nonetheless, the commercial demonstrated that everyone was welcome in its stores, and it worked - it has continued to grow in the US, and America is its second largest market. In the decades since, IKEA has continued this legacy with its marketing, defying convention in order to appear modern, human and memorable.

Why, then, should brands incorporate rebellion into their marketing campaigns? In the short term, these ads have demonstrated their ability to spark conversation and drive cultural progress. Like IKEA’s ad, Libresse's BloodNormal also inspired passionate reactions — both from supporters and critics - and this discussion brought the brands to the forefront, providing opportunities for them to appear unexpectedly.