At Drift we have a saying – innovate, don’t invent. Why? Because practically every business question has been answered in a book. Because you can take inspiration from anywhere. Because putting your own spin on something is much more efficient – and likely more powerful – than coming up with a brand new idea from scratch.
And this is exactly why we keep a Swipe File at Drift.
It’s a Slack channel of every great campaign, piece of copy, design, deck, website, white paper – you name it – from B2B and consumer brands alike. It doesn’t matter where the inspiration comes from, because you can get inspiration from anywhere.
I was recently combing through the channel for prompts for the Marketing team’s upcoming hackathon. And I thought these ideas are just too great to keep to ourselves. So I’m sharing our favorite recent swipes with all of you. Major props to the companies and marketers that are inspiring us to innovate daily 💡
Here are the Drift Marketing team’s top five swipes from September:
1. Trump Tax Calculator
No matter how you feel about the current Commander in Chief, you have to admit this nifty little calculator from the Biden campaign was a smart move. It’s interactive, it’s quick, it’s highly clickable, and it’s super timely coming on the heels of this New York Times story. We know calculators work (we have our own here) – they’re extremely engaging and when coupled with the right CTA they can be a great lead generator. Or in Biden’s case, fundraiser.
Check it out for yourself here.
2. National Coffee Day from Dunkin’
Next up, a campaign around National Coffee Day from Boston’s favorite coffee purveyor, Dunkin’. We love it because it associates the brand with the day – National Dunkin’ Day – and because it’s highly personalized. Check out the custom response when you respond to the offer. Plus, who can say no to a free ☕️
3. The Future Forum from Slack
In September Slack teamed up with academics from Stanford to launch The Future Forum – it’s their answer to shifting workplace norms in the face of COVID, work from home, and a remote-first workforce. It basically sets Slack up as a think tank and ties the brand to innovation around remote work. Very smart.
4. This is Cyclon 👟
A new sneaker? Really?
Alright, so your B2B company probably isn’t going to start shipping shoes any time soon, but the launch behind On’s new running shoe, Cyclon, is pretty neat. The shoe, which you subscribe to, is made entirely out of beans! The copy is eye-catching. The design is clean and the pre-register option creates FOMO.
5. Register to Vote from Glossier
Okay… so we’re really not trying to get political, but what can we say. It’s that time of year. And pretty much anything direct-to-consumer beauty brand Glossier does is Swipe File gold. Which is why we’re obsessed with their understated, yet super impactful voter registration call-to-action. It’s an easy way to highlight a social issue you care about without taking sides.
What marketing inspiration have you come across lately? What should I add to my list? Let me know by tweeting me @gaxelro.
