When was the last time you surprised your audience?

What do Apple's "One more thing", Beyoncé's self-titled and Lemonade albums, and Adidas and Marimekko's collaborative collection have in common? For those who don't follow brands, none of these may ring a bell, but for their most dedicated audiences, they have been very pleasant surprises.

One of the most effective ways to drive engagement in marketing communications is to surprise and delight. Positive surprises evoke emotion, grab attention and get your socks rolling. It's no coincidence that romance is also often based on surprise, whether it's breakfast in bed or an engagement ring in dessert. Nor is it the first time that a relationship has been compared to a client relationship, or marketing communications to dating. And no wonder, when many of the same rules apply: who doesn't like to be surprised from time to time and feel that an effort has been made?

Surprise is based on the unexpected. To know what's unexpected, you need to know what's expected of your brand. At the heart of a successful surprise is, above all, customer experience. Brands need to know what their customers want, but also what customers don't yet know they want - or don't think they will get. While opportunity may sometimes make the thief, a well-crafted surprise always comes from a few steps ahead. 

A good brand surprise includes plot twists

For more than a decade, the running of Apple's annual launch events was already known by heart. Yet Steve Jobs' jauntily dramatic three words - "one more thing ..." - brought a smile to the faces of Apple fans every time he repeated them, even when the announcements weren't over yet. So much so, in fact, that the words have become an iconic promise of something new and exciting for the brand's followers.

Like Apple fans speculating on product announcements, Beyoncé's fan legion Beyhive used to scour every Instagram photo of the artist for clues to the release of new music, only to eventually find that they were wrong again. Still, the release of an album is always larger than life for the community. The sudden release of Beyoncé's album in 2013 was a shock and an industry-changing concept, while 2016's Lemonade surprised even more with its content and honesty. In both cases, the unexpected was on offer.

Among domestic brands, one of the most talked about in recent years has been Marimekko. The brand's value has been on such an upward trajectory, especially among millennials, that one or two have probably already wondered at what point the brand is becoming over-saturated with its target audience. But not so, because some jaws dropped when Marimekko and Adidas unveiled a collaboration collection in spring 2021. Joining forces with the street fashion superstar bought the brand a ticket to the VIP section and proved once again the brand's ability to innovate and surprise. And, of course, to go where one of its key target audiences is.

The first two examples in particular are united by a charm of secrecy and mysticism that deserves a blog post all its own. For more fanatic audiences, surprises can feel even better when you know what to expect from the past, but not with certainty what, when and where. Digging, analysing and speculating then easily becomes part of the experience. But as Marimekko shows, you can succeed without it.

Come on baby light my fire - ignited by customer insight

So when was the last time you surprised your audience and got them fired up? And how would you make it a habit? It's never too late to start, but when you do, do it by analysing your customer base properly. A bull market can make a big difference to the behaviour and values of your target audience.

Find out at least these things about your audience:

• What environments do they currently spend their time in and what kind of lifestyle do they have? Are they at home, concerts, grocery stores, sporting events or at the cottage?

• What do they love about your product and what do they say about your brand? What do they expect from your brand?

• What is important to them and what makes them tick?

• What could you offer them that intersects with both their lifestyle and your product? Perhaps also with your shared values? And what is in line with your brand?

• What do they not know to expect?

Coming up with mind-blowing ideas can be difficult and, to be honest, they don't always have to be. Sometimes the best surprises are remembering the little details. Sometimes it's telling things a certain way, sometimes it's not telling them until the last minute, sometimes it's something else entirely. And if you're still in doubt, we're happy to help you find your angle and ignite your target audience.