Kids love stickers. We know this. There are aisles in toy and crafts stores full of stickers. Grocery store clerks keep them on hand for kids seated in parents’ shopping carts, doctor’s offices use them as rewards after a visit, and no potty-training approach would be incomplete without a sticker chart. Unlike some of the other simple joys of childhood the love of stickers, seems to, well, stick, into adulthood.
In the last decade or so, more and more brands seem to have jumped onto adults’ love of stickers, turning it into a marketing trend. A successful one at that. “One of the strongest indicators of a marketing method going very, very well is the booming secondary market for these stickers on resale sites like eBay, Poshmark, and Depop,” writes Oset Barbur in a 2018 article titled “Why do so many millennial brands think adults want stickers?” And that was in 2018 — the trend is continuing to grow.
“Ultimately, companies are eager to lean into stickers as a marketing tool because of the creative agency and opportunity customers have to turn literally anything they own — from phone cases to lighters to water bottles — into a branded item they’re excited about,” writes Barbur. Customer engagement and word of mouth for the price of a $0.05 (or less) per sticker.
While it may be trendy, sticker marketing isn’t new. Branded stickers, sports team stickers, political stickers, etc. were a method of pre-social media influencer or word-of-mouth marketing. Car stickers, decals, stickers on shirts or bags or street signs have been around for decades.
So why does it work and how can we apply the benefits of sticker marketing to other tactics?
Maybe it’s the nostalgia factor, but stickers are fun no matter how old you are. You can use stickers or decals to personalize your water bottle, laptop, car, etc. so that it is unique to you, in a way that’s easy, cheap and often removable.
When it’s a brand that’s providing the sticker, it’s also a way to show your brand affiliations.
For brands, it’s a word of mouth / customer referral tactic. When someone places your brand sticker on their item, they’ve committed to a level of engagement and affinity with you and are raising their hand to say “yes, I’m comfortable being associated with you.” This is #marketinggoals and isn’t exclusive to stickers. Think about what ways your brand can support individual self expression and as a result drive customer engagement.
A proud alumnus might have a sticker from their alma mater on the back of their car; a sports fan a logo sticker on their laptop or an NPR listener a decal on their water bottle, etc. etc. Stickers can be a way to indicate your group affiliations or community values.
Look no further than the iconic American “I Voted” stickers to understand the power of signaling community belonging through things like stickers — people have been reported to be influenced or encouraged to vote because of the promise of that sticker. And social media has exacerbated this. Now it’s not just the neighbors or friends you run into at the grocery store who you can flaunt your sticker to, but your entire friends list on Instagram.
How can your brand create a sense of community? Either through a specific campaign or through the messaging and positioning you adopt, you can work to create a consumer community.
Liking or using a brand sticker could be as simple as “I like the way this looks.” Still a good reason! People like pretty things, they like to beautify the things around them and stickers are an easy, cheap and accessible way to do so. Whether you’re decorating your water bottle or signaling affinity with a car decal, stickers also add an aesthetic element to any surface.
And what is any advertising without a good design? Don’t skimp on design. Brand logos, ads, etc. should follow brand guidelines for a consistent experience and ideally, one that’s visually appealing too.
Stickers are timeless. People know what to expect from them, how to use them and what they like about them (or not). They’re often small and therefore require you to hit the message home in very, very few words. There’s no “read more” or “click through” option with stickers, just one opportunity to connect with the content (or not).
How does this apply with more complex content? You can never go wrong with simplifying your message. Keeping your web content to a middle school reading level, shortening headlines to less than 7 words, or focusing on one differentiator/value per ad can dramatically improve your rates of engagement. When customers understand your message, they’re more likely to engage with it.
Applying the tenants of sticker marketing to your overall marketing strategy, may have you considering what tactics can be used to create a similar effect. For instance:
Using what you learn from this trendy marketing play, you just might find something that sticks.
August 15, 2022
Hi! I'm Colleen.
I’m a strategic marketing professional with over a decade of experience and a passion for mission-based brands.
I’m also a trained writer who loves teaching people and organizations how to improve their communication to achieve their goals. Part marketing leader, part communications instructor, 100% focused on YOUR growth.