Hiding “Easter eggs” in your product/service/advertising

I’m not talking about the chocolate sort, I’m afraid (although that could be quite persuasive too…).

I’m referring to the following kind of Easter egg, as defined by Wikipedia:

“A virtual Easter egg is an intentional hidden message, in-joke or feature in an object such as a movie, book, CD, DVD, computer program, web page or video game.”

For example, “an Easter Egg is found on all Microsoft Windows Operating Systems prior to XP. In the 3D Text screen saver, entering the text “volcano” will display the names of all the volcanoes in the United States.”

In simple terms, it’s a built-in “surprise & delight” mechanism.

Much like the secret rooms that people build into their homes to put a smile on their guests’ faces:

What I like most about “Easter eggs” as a concept is how their impact is proportionate to how long you’ve been living with them, ignorant to the fact that they lurk only a few simple steps away.

Once revealed, the surprise can be so powerful that it forces you to radically reassess the object/experience in which they have been living, unbeknownst to you.

From a marketing perspective, I see “Easter eggs” as a way of generating additional conversations about your product/service/advertising.

I also see them as one solution to the “half-life of excitement” (as opposed to the half-life of knowledge): the amount of time that has to elapse before you’re half as excited with a product/service/advertising initiative as you were when you first experienced it.

Here are a few thoughtstarters:

Product

I purchase a television. Two years into owning said television, and having become quite familiar with it, I accidentally sit on the remote and something very strange happens. A dancing chipmunk appears on the screen for 10 seconds and then disappears.

First I laugh and then am completely lost for words, initially putting it down to the fact that I’ve consumed a few too many beers over the weekend.

However, I reject this as a possible explanation and grab my laptop. Into Google, I type: “Toshiba chipmunk”. The first search result is for a forum where people are discussing the precise phenomenon that I have just witnessed. How exciting is this?!

It turns out that pressing the 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and ‘menu’ buttons in succession, at least two years after the TV was released onto the market, activates the chipmunk.

I then tell all of my friends about it and, better yet, invite them around to show it to them in person.

A TV that had become part of the furniture is now worthy of a conversation.

Service

Over a period of 6 months, I transfer exactly £200 each month into my online savings account.

The moment that the last transaction completes, I’m presented with a personalised video from the Chairman of my bank. He says:

“Nick, I wanted to personally congratulate you for saving £1200 over the past 6 months. It’s a fantastic acheivement. Thank you for continuing to bank with us.”

Needless to say, I’m flabberghasted and tell everyone I know. Some people with the same bank follow suit.

Advertising

There are elements of “Easter egg” thinking that have already found their way into advertising.

“The Beast” Alternate Reality Game for the film A.I. was initially seeded by hiding “rabbit holes” (there’s definitely a recurrent Easter theme with all of this!) in its advertising. From Wikipedia:

“There were three overlapping entry points to the game, or “rabbit holes” in ARG parlance. First, some trailers and posters for A.I. had a credit for Jeanine Salla as Sentient Machine Therapist hidden among the credits for Spielberg and the actors. Second, one of the trailers encoded a telephone number in markings on the promotional text; if a player called this number and followed the given instructions he/she eventually received an email stating in part that “Jeanine is the key” and that “you’ve seen her name before.” Third, an A.I. promotional poster sent to some technology and entertainment media outlets had a very simple code stating “Evan Chan was murdered. Jeanine is the key.”

Also, Pringle’s compelling banner ad rewarded the “clicker” for their continued interaction with an increasingly entertaining response.

However, what’s missing from these examples is the opportunity to surprise and delight people long after the campaign’s bought media budget has been used up.

What if a brand was to sponsor photo booths in popular tourist locations, the twist being that you do not receive the photo of you and your friends there and then but in a year’s time via MMS?

In this instance, you sign up to the fact that the brand will surprise you at some point in the future when you’re least expecting it and when the photo of your holiday with friends in Paris is most likely to stir some kind of emotion?

What do you think? Any more ideas?