What is Contra Marketing and How Is It Applied?

"Everything is known by its opposite," which is one of the simplest and most basic philosophies of life. We also see the rule of thumb in the field of "marketing", which we encounter in almost every phase of life. Contra marketing, an unconventional marketing strategy, has a groundbreaking dynamic, so to speak.

What is Contra Marketing?

Before diving into the details of the subject, let's look for an answer to the question of what contra marketing means. Contra marketing, in short, means counter-marketing. Although it seems to have an intricate structure, its principle is the same: The way it responds to a rival brand when exposed to an attack.

All companies and brands have to play the game according to the rules in their struggle for branding. Even the most well-known and accepted brands today develop some strategies to maintain their position in the market and their ossified mass. We can see this clearly in advertising broadcasts.

We can see that contra marketing is frequently used in many entertaining and immersive commercials that we enjoy watching, especially in the advertisements of giant brands. Contra marketing, which can be summarized as trying to explain that it is much better than that brand without vilifying the rival brand in the same lane, also has a knife-edge feature.

Counter-marketing, a strategy that must be managed very carefully, we can give commercials in which the competition between Coca Cola and Pepsi is underlined with thick lines. These two brands, which have many loyal customers around the world, skillfully use the subtext of "I'm better" in their commercials.

In the contra marketing strategy, which is tried to be emphasized with images, symbols, and indirect expressions, "one of the ways of expressing what something is, drawing attention to what it is not" is at the forefront. Contrasting with the "beliefs about the brand" that are permanently ingrained in the subconscious of consumers can also be considered under the umbrella of contra marketing.

A brand makes it different from others either by explaining itself or by telling a competitor or brand. Things get even easier if the competitor brand also has a bad reputation for a particular issue. In this case, emphasizing the negative side of the competitor rather than explaining itself constitutes the main theme: “We are not like him!”

Contra marketing, which we can translate into Turkish as counter-marketing, is a kind of marketing war as you can see. If we start from the fact that maintaining the place at the top is much more difficult than the journey of climbing to the top, we can say that all the giant companies in the world market are using the contra marketing strategy skillfully.

When the company is targeted by its rival, it needs this counter-stance strategy with the reflex of protecting its brand reputation and continuity. It is a fact that this marketing tactic, which expresses the efforts of all giant companies to answer the question of "how can I protect my presence in the industry", is extremely successful.

Defensive State of Contra Marketing

Contra marketing doesn't always take the form of a relentless war. Sometimes a strategy to prepare for possible attacks can be carried out, which means swimming in the waters of contra marketing. Firms that have declared their dominance in the market also need to be prepared for the attack of second-ranked firms that feel compelled to act with a "challenging" strategy.

In other words, staying on the defensive against the possible attacks of the opponent is also within the limits of contra marketing.

There is one thing that the second-ranking companies should pay attention to in this strategy, which is this: It is necessary to enter into an attack opposite to the company that is in the leading position in the market and to continue on the road by reading and analyzing the competition very well.

In contra marketing, which is based on contrast, some brands are successful by taking a diametrically opposite stance with stereotypical strategies. Because this is a dynamic that attracts the attention of the customer. 

Contra marketing, which has a bold, agile, aggressive, surprising, shocking, assertive side, is a strategy that almost "sounds to the bone", revitalizes the market, activates the consumer and triggers the shopping reflex.

As in every subject and situation, the basic rule to be followed in counter-marketing, or with its global name, contra marketing, should be to avoid illegal expressions and to set a meticulous and careful style while trying to prove that it is superior to the opposing company or brand.

 

In summary, we can say that “good marketing wins”.