Temperature Differences in Advertising Driven by Brand Awareness
Scrolling through mass media or social feeds these days reveals a flood of obscure, avant-garde advertisements where it is nearly impossible to tell what is actually being sold. Skipping any explanation of product features, they merely stack bizarre humor, sensory visuals, or grandiose causes.
This postmodern sensorialism is a highly effective strategy for established global corporations like Nike, Apple, or Samsung. The public already knows clearly what these companies produce, making their ads less about product explanation and more about maintaining and refreshing brand image.
However, if an early-stage startup operating from a different starting line imitates this relaxed grammar, it faces the tragedy of being quietly ignored by the market. When an unknown brand suddenly appears throwing obscure vibes, consumers coolly scroll past, thinking, "So what on earth are you actually selling?"
The Core Premise for Startup Ads: Intuitive Essence is the Skeleton
For a new startup, product excellence and intuitive functional delivery are the skeleton for survival. No matter how much the era values sensibility and cause, a startup must first convince consumers in just a few seconds about what problem it solves in the world (the Value Proposition).
A hybrid strategy is necessary: building a strong skeleton that clearly communicates functional essence, and then dressing it in the alluring clothes of hip vibes or wit favored by modern consumers. An ad displaying clothes without a skeleton is a mere mirage, but an ad that drapes trendy clothes over a sturdy skeleton creates an explosive fandom that conglomerate giants can never replicate.
Dollar Shave Club: Proving the Formula of Essence and Wit
A prime international example of this hybrid strategy shaking up a market dominated by massive corporations is the US razor subscription startup, Dollar Shave Club. Launched in 2012, they made a sensational entrance by crashing servers with a single $4,500 YouTube promotional video.
While filled with highly postmodern, B-side humor, the ad never lost sight of its essence as a startup. The founder appeared directly, confidently shouting, "Our blades are fucking great!" while precisely targeting consumer pain points—criticizing legacy razor giants for adding unused, flashy tech just to jack up prices. Delivering their Unique Selling Proposition (USP)—"Just $1 a month"—intuitively through a humorous and sensory format was the core of their success.
Liquid Death: Subculturing Cause and Sensibility
Liquid Death, which achieved a valuation of over $1 billion in the bottled water market where product differentiation is nearly impossible, serves as another great example. Selling canned mountain and sparkling water in beer-like aluminum cans, they launched with the slogan:
"Murder Your Thirst."
At first glance, it looks like a reckless, sensory ad appropriating heavy metal subculture. Yet underneath lies a powerful environmental cause (CSR): "Kill plastic bottles and use infinitely recyclable aluminum." Liquid Death transcended startup limitations by flawlessly translating the essence of a mundane product into the hippest way to save the planet.
Hybrid Branding: Capturing Both Survival and Allure
In South Korea, Baedal Minjok operated on the exact same principles in its early days. While showcasing a kitschy and original aesthetic with the phrase "What kind of nation are we?", it fundamentally grew by clearly communicating its core service essence: "We deliver even from top restaurants that didn’t use to deliver."
Ultimately, riding the wave of modern advertising for a new startup does not mean imitating the opacity of giant corporations. It means putting forth the unmistakable excellence and functionality of your product, while communicating it through the language of sensibility and cause tailored strictly to the eyes of today’s consumers.
Unpacking a rational core (the What) through an emotional approach (the How)—this intelligent hybrid branding is the sole key for startups today to carve out their own territory among legacy corporate giants.
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