We often feature stories about marketing campaigns run by small neighborhood businesses—ones you’ve never met but that might have a lot in common with you. But this time we’ve found two examples from larger companies, names that you may well recognize. They may be playing with somewhat higher stakes, but they line up with somewhat higher rewards.

Citrix recently launched a program to assist companies with digital security. The target audience was chief technology officers, and they compiled a list of about 1000 people. These tend to be very busy people who are bombarded with information about new technology constantly. Getting their attention isn’t easy. The new product was introduced via a video—but getting someone to take the time to watch the video was a challenge. They put together a package in a campaign called “Shine a light on security”. The box contained a branded black light, and the box was printed with a black light-reactive ink. Hidden information was revealed with the black light was shined on the box—a reference to the way that security holes can be easily hidden from sight. This interactive method led the reader to take the next step and view the informational video, which then led to qualified leads and sales. The complete marketing campaign required a $35,000 investment, which led to $150,000 in sales. That amounts to a 328% return on investment. Who wouldn't be happy to achieve that?

2020 saw a big upswing in interest in jigsaw puzzles. Families spending some many more hours together were eager for any kind of diversion that might stave off boredom. Heinz took advantage of this interest with a challenging twist. They created a 570-piece puzzle that depicted the contents of their world-famous ketchup bottles. Every piece was solid red! Of course, they launched the product over social media, where it captured the eyeballs of masses of people, and spread like wildfire. They even created a contest for the “privilege” of purchasing one of these limited edition puzzles. Even though few people would have the patience to tackle the challenge, countless others were curious, and buzz was the main objective of the campaign. Even huge brands need a buzz once in a while, and this one exceeded all expectations.

“We’re always looking to deliver fun, contextually relevant ways to give our consumers a smile, and this ridiculously slow, all-red Heinz ketchup puzzle seemed like the perfect fit,” commented Senior Brand Manager Brian Neumann.