Impress Me: 10 Unexpected Products and How To Market Them Like a Pro
In an era defined by dazzling innovation and ever-surprising consumer preferences, the art of marketing has truly evolved into a showcase for bold ideas and unconventional products. While it is easy to imagine the strategies behind mainstream consumer electronics, luxury cars, or beauty products, the true test of marketing prowess lies within the world of the unexpected. Here, the challenge is no longer about promoting the familiar; it is about capturing attention, educating the market, and ultimately creating a demand for products that, at first glance, may seem utterly bewildering or even unnecessary.
In this detailed and contemporary exploration, we put the spotlight on ten of the most unexpected products to have captured the market’s imagination in recent years. This is not simply a celebration of quirky entrepreneurship; it is a case study in resourcefulness, adaptability, and the boundless creativity required of marketers where conventional templates do not apply. For each product, we investigate how to approach marketing it like a seasoned professional. Through lessons in market positioning, story crafting, influencer endorsement, and community building, discover how ingenuity turns the unlikely into a new must-have.
1. Edible Insect Snacks: Turning Disgust into Delight
Arguably one of the most unexpected arrivals on Western supermarket shelves, edible insect snacks—think cricket protein bars or roasted mealworm crisps—encounter initial scepticism sparked by years of cultural bias against insects as food. Marketing these snacks requires more than simply persuading customers to try something new; it is about transforming perceptions of what food should be. Successful brands approach the challenge with transparency, focusing on sustainability and protein content. By aligning insects with the narratives of environmentally responsible living and the search for alternative proteins, marketers position these snacks as both a futuristic food and a conscious choice. Key strategies include recruiting nutritionists and eco-influencers to endorse the product, offering free tasting events (to overcome psychological barriers), and telling a brand story rooted in global culinary traditions, thus removing the sense of novelty for novelty’s sake.
2. Pet Furniture for Small Spaces: From Niche to Necessary
Pet ownership continues to rise, even as living spaces shrink, especially in dense urban areas like London or Manchester. Enter pet furniture designed specifically for small homes: foldaway cat climbing trees, wall-mounted dog beds, and convertible litter-box coffee tables. At first, these items seem extravagant—even silly—for the average pet owner. But professionals market them as vital problem-solvers. Instead of emphasising luxury, the narrative focuses on smart living: “Your living room, your pet’s playground,” or “No square foot wasted.” Customer testimonials and social media images showing real living spaces transformed by clever design play a vital role. Collaborative campaigns with interior designers and rental property influencers help shift perceptions from indulgence to necessity, capturing renters and city dwellers alike.
3. Bluetooth-Enabled Plant Pots: Tech for the Houseplant Generation
Bluetooth plant pots, which monitor soil moisture, light, and even play music to your houseplants, hardly seem like an essential item. Their appeal, however, lies in combining two cultural phenomena: the resurgence in houseplant ownership among Millennials and Generation Z, and a passion for “smart” everything. To sell this product like a pro, marketers highlight emotional benefits—happy, thriving plants—with the convenience of remote monitoring. Highly visual digital campaigns dominate, featuring lush, vibrant “before and after” transformations and user-generated content showing results. Partnerships with lifestyle bloggers and urban gardeners provide credibility. Events like “smart plant” pop-ups and workshops build excitement, establishing the tech planter as an indispensable lifestyle upgrade rather than an eccentric gadget.
4. Designer Reusable Sandwich Wraps: Sustainability Meets Style
The movement against single-use plastic has brought about an explosion of reusable products, but few would have expected the rise of designer sandwich wraps—reusable, waxed fabric alternatives to clingfilm. The trick to marketing them lies in aesthetics and environmental conscience. Marketers position wraps as fashion accessories, not just utilitarian objects. Limited-edition artist collaborations, vibrant patterns, and user-submitted lunch photos foster a culture in which carrying a stylish wrap is a statement about values, not just lunch. Influencers in the sustainability, health food, and art worlds offer credibility, while storytelling focuses on how every purchase replaces hundreds of plastic bags. An emphasis on the small, everyday changes building up to a greener future makes these wraps a true conversation starter in every office or classroom canteen.
5. Sleep Pods for Offices: Redefining Workplace Productivity
The concept of taking a nap at work once seemed laughable, perhaps even detrimental to a professional’s reputation. But as research proves the value of rest to productivity, sleep pods—high-tech, semi-private capsules—are making their way into office environments. Marketing these pods is all about re-educating both businesses and staff. The professional approach targets human resources directors, with messages about well-being, healthcare savings, and competitive differentiation in recruitment. Case studies from tech giants, employee testimonials, and data about increased productivity create essential proof points. Visual content shows sleek, stylish pods integrated seamlessly into modern workplaces. By painting the nap as a “power-up”, marketers dispel stigma and align sleep with business leadership and progressive corporate culture.
6. Personal Safety Wearables: Peace of Mind, Stylishly Delivered
Personal safety devices are nothing new, but the latest generation of wearables—fashionable jewellery, app-connected alarms, even discreet panic button rings—face unique marketing hurdles. Their sellers must acknowledge buyers’ fears while making empowerment, rather than anxiety, the emotional mainstay. Professional strategies include collaborating with fashion brands and fitness personalities, sharing stories of real users, and positioning the product as a “confidence boost”. Instead of emphasising worst-case scenarios, campaigns focus on active lifestyles, late-night professionals, or solo travellers using the devices as a fashionable accessory that “just happens” to be powerfully protective. Expert endorsements from security professionals, combined with personalisation options (different styles, sizes, or colours), foster a sense of individuality. Community-building is particularly powerful here, with brands often supporting related causes or events, transforming a simple gadget into a movement of safety and belonging.
7. Plant-Based Leather Alternatives: The Future of Fashion
Leather made from mushrooms, pineapples, or even apples may sound the preserve of eco-warriors or futurists, but this unexpected product is revolutionising the fashion industry’s approach to sustainability. The art of marketing plant-based leathers requires reframing eco-consciousness as aspirational rather than sacrificial. Successful campaigns evoke luxury and innovation, drawing on images of high-end design and meticulous craftsmanship. Collaborations with renowned designers and brands lend prestige, while stories about the positive environmental impact—reduced water usage, lower emissions, cruelty-free processes—run as parallel narratives. Influencers in the vegan, fashion, and environmental sectors provide reach, while pop-up shops and exhibitions empower consumers to touch and feel the materials, challenging any perception that plant-based means inferior. In this way, the unexpected becomes the new gold standard in style and responsibility.
8. Luxury Cat Hotels: The Ultimate Pet Pampering
For many, the concept of a hotel for cats, complete with gourmet meals, music therapy, and even spa treatments, teeters between hilarity and disbelief. Marketing the luxury cat hotel, therefore, requires walking a delicate line between indulgent fantasy and responsible pet ownership. The most effective campaigns target emotional triggers of guilt and care. Hardworking or frequently travelling pet owners are invited to provide their furry friends with a “holiday”, not just a kennel. Success stories and heartwarming video footage showcase contented, pampered cats relaxing while their owners travel stress-free. Partnerships with pet behaviour experts lend authority. To establish credibility, the service is positioned as an extension of a modern lifestyle where pets are family, and their happiness reflects the owner’s values. Loyalty programmes, social sharing, and reviews create a thriving community where pet parents proudly showcase their cats’ luxury “getaway” experiences.
9. Smart Composting Devices: Sustainable Living, Made Effortless
Home composting used to be the reserve of the keen gardener or environmental activist. Enter smart composters: compact, automated devices capable of turning kitchen waste into usable compost in days, not months. Marketing these gadgets is a lesson in eliminating barriers and reimagining green living for a new audience. Marketers focus on ease and integration—“composting at the push of a button”—while highlighting the improvement in household sustainability and even garden yield. Customer testimonials and outcome-oriented content—lush city balconies grown with home-made compost—serve as both proof and inspiration. Influential eco-bloggers and urban garden designers become brand champions, while various payment plans and “trade-up” schemes (for older devices) lower the entry barrier. In all messaging, complexity is made simple, sustainability is made rewarding, and a former chore becomes a point of pride.
10. Personalised Children’s Storybooks: Imagination with a Special Starring Role
Traditional books for children have always been popular, but the sudden boom in personalised storybooks, where each child becomes the protagonist of their own adventure, is an unexpected evolution. The marketing approach turns the notion of “one-size-fits-all” on its head. Campaigns focus on magical experience and personal development: not just a book, but a cherished keepsake and a tool for building self-esteem. High-impact digital advertising uses emotional storytelling, happy children, and proud parents. Marketers collaborate with parenting influencers and educators, creating lesson plans and gift bundles for special occasions. User-generated videos of book-unwrap reactions and bedtime stories delivered by beaming grandparents go viral, while features such as custom dedications and the ability to choose appearance details propel the offering beyond novelty. The product becomes not only a book but a family tradition, an heirloom, and a powerful memory-maker.
Lessons in Professional Marketing for the Unexpected
Bringing obscure or unconventional products to market is a daunting but potentially career-defining challenge for any marketer. There are several lessons that unite professional approaches across all ten examples presented here. First, each product is introduced not as a gimmick, but as an answer to a real—sometimes hidden—need or longing. The marketing message may begin by confronting barriers to adoption, such as scepticism or perceived frivolity, but it quickly pivots to the benefits, whether that is health, convenience, sustainability, or joy.
Second, storytelling is at the heart of every campaign. Since the unexpected by definition demands explanation, the use of narrative and authentic testimonials is a crucial lever. Whether it is the journey of a cat through a luxury hotel, a family’s commitment to reduce waste, or a city dweller reimagining their small space, stories connect emotionally, educate subtly, and inspire action.
Third, credibility and authority are built through partnerships. Unconventional products must earn trust, so marketers draw on experts, public figures, and peer communities to bolster their message. These endorsements can shift public perception from “bizarre” to “breakthrough” swiftly.
Fourth, successful marketers understand the importance of community. They do not merely broadcast—rather, they invite participation, create spaces (both online and physical) for shared experience, and turn buyers into ambassadors. Campaigns centred on user-generated content, social media groups, and loyalty rewards convert fleeting curiosity into sustained engagement.
Fifth, never underestimate the power of beautiful, high-quality visuals. Because these products are not self-explanatory, marketers use media to make benefits tangible and compelling. The digital age offers endless avenues for visual storytelling: Instagram feeds, YouTube demos, virtual tours, and live events ensure products are seen, discussed, and, eventually, desired.
Conclusion
In the end, what sets the professional marketer apart is not the ability to sell the obvious but to redefine expectations around the unexpected. Products once dismissed as fads or eccentricities can find mainstream acceptance and even passionate devotion through empathetic storytelling, authentic engagement, and a relentless focus on user benefits. The future will only bring more novelty, disruption, and surprise; those who master the techniques outlined above will not only survive but thrive—no matter how unlikely the product in question. The world is ready to be impressed; it is up to brilliant marketers to show how.