Everything Naked Marketing Does Right

We've all done double takes at the green billboards next to highways, got a mild fright at what could possibly be playing on the radio, or given a little chuckle when we saw our friends' names written before "got Naked at...".

But Naked's marketing strategy doesn't just raise eyebrows. It works. 

Taking Risks

Sticking to conventional marketing tactics is a surefire way to get low engagement and slow growth for any brand. If a brand wants to make an impact with its message, the message needs to be unmissable.

Naked's marketing strategy is built on the calculated risk of the brand's very name. It generates curiosity and sparks conversation — two things that are crucial for brand success. 

Getting Personal

While Naked's billboards often include funny phrases like "Get Naked on your bakkie," and "Never phone a call centre when you're Naked," there are also some advertisements that include common names like "Sizwe got Naked at the drive-thru."

This personal touch to the brand's marketing makes people feel connected to the brand because they are being mentioned, even though the brand's copywriters could not possibly have thought of every Sizwe in South Africa when they created the advertisement. 

Additionally, by including recognisable names in its marketing, Naked creates conversation. The personalisation encourages people to share pictures of billboards with friends whose names they recognise and post about the advertisements on social media. Many public figures have shared themselves in front of Naked billboards featuring their names on social media.

In other words, Naked is using paid media to generate earned media, which is a highly cost-effective way to market a brand.

Emphasising Convenience

Each billboard, radio ad, or paid social media ad by Naked states how you can instantly get insurance online, no matter where you are.

South Africans love convenience. It is often a key deciding factor for consumers when choosing a product or service provider. South Africans also love complaining about call centres and customer service.

Naked capitalises on this opportunity by emphasising how easy it is to get insured by Naked in every single ad that goes live. By focusing on this unique selling point, Naked is not just memorable as a brand, but its service is also memorable before you even use it.

Keeping It Simple

It is hard for marketing that communicates a clear message to fail. Naked's marketing does well at keeping the message simple without being boring. Each marketing campaign has a clear goal and all efforts go toward reaching that goal.

Additionally, the simple language used in Naked's advertisements makes the brand more relatable and makes it seem like it's for everyone. "Your best friend purchased Naked insurance in the convenience of her own home" just doesn't hit the same as "Your bestie got Naked at her baby shower."

Fixing Mistakes

Any time a brand commits to unconventional marketing, it risks ruffling some feathers or possibly misstepping.

Naked was set to sponsor the music festival Liefde By Die Dam, which took place in Durbanville in November 2024. Leading up to the festival, a Naked billboard appeared featuring the name of the event's organiser and lead singer of Die Heuwels Fantasties, Pierre Greeff. It read "Pierre got Naked at Liefde By Die Dam" and stood across from Durbanville Primary School. 

Unfortunately, Pierre is also the name of Durbanville Primary School's Principal, which is why the billboard garnered a negative reaction from community members.

Naked took the misunderstanding in its stride by removing the billboard and apologising for the odd coincidence. Additionally, the insurer arranged for the school to receive gifted VIP tickets to the music festival. The school decided to auction off the tickets and Naked matched the amount of money raised with a cash donation to the school.

Responding so positively to an incident surrounding the brand ensured that Naked was not negatively affected by what happened. In fact, their positive response was reported on more than the actual misunderstanding.

Naked proved that admitting fault when something goes wrong doesn't worsen the outcome for a brand.

*Image courtesy of Canva