FOCUS: BRAND ENGAGEMENT DROP | AUDIENCE: STEWARDS OF PLATEAUED BRANDS
BY: SHOBHA PONNAPPA | BRAND BREAKTHROUGH STRATEGIST | 45 YEARS | 125+ CLIENTS
I helped a futuristic consumer electronics startup see that innovation meant zilch if its digital voice was looping.
The consumer electronics startup had launched with cutting-edge products that excited early adopters. Yet on social media, its presence was robotic, dominated by polished product shots and repetitive launch updates. The audience stopped engaging, scrolling past what looked like an endless sequence of announcements.
This predictability created the impression that the brand was technically advanced but emotionally tone-deaf. Followers who once expected fresh sparks began to tune out, leading to declining comments, shares, and even website click-throughs. For a startup relying on visibility, this was a dangerous plateau.
I discovered that what the brand considered “consistency” was being read as repetition. The posts were framed around specs, performance charts, and price points. What was missing was human narrative … the brand’s personality, behind-the-scenes moments, and the thrill of discovery that electronics can inspire.
Audiences don’t simply buy products … they buy stories, experiences, and identity markers. The startup had accidentally trained its followers to expect more of the same, and the absence of surprise or delight meant they stopped paying attention.
My brand breakthrough for this startup was simple but powerful: pattern disruption. Instead of staying in the safe lane of announcements, the brand could use its social channels as a stage for discovery, curiosity, and co-creation. Audiences needed to feel the rhythm of something new unfolding, not just the flat repeat of technical brochures.
The idea was to reframe the brand as a curiosity companion … showing not just products but the lifestyle, experiments, and sparks of creativity they enabled. By breaking the loop and weaving in formats audiences didn’t expect, the startup could regain its lost connection.
I designed a strategy built on alternating predictability with surprise. The startup would still share essential updates but would balance them with unexpected stories, human touches, and participatory content. Every third post became an “interruption” that broke the pattern and refreshed attention.
The guiding principle was to showcase human contexts, not just product contexts. Instead of posting another spec sheet, the brand introduced demo diaries, customer hacks, and playful challenges. The repetition broke, and engagement began to rise steadily.
Here are 10 strategic ideas developed (and several executed) to support the new brand direction:
Founder’s Workbench Diaries: Short videos where the founder shared design inspirations and early prototypes, making innovation feel accessible.
Customer Hack Showcases: Posts highlighting clever ways customers used devices in daily life, encouraging co-creation.
Live Unboxings: Scheduled live streams of product openings, where audiences could ask spontaneous questions in real time.
Behind-the-Scenes Glimpses: Stories from the R&D lab, showing human faces behind the gadgets.
Interactive Polls: Asking audiences to vote on colour options, accessories, or future feature upgrades.
Tech Myth Busting Reels: Short clips debunking common misconceptions in the electronics space, positioned as fun learning.
Weekend Use Cases: Lifestyle content showing products in unexpected places … camping trips, family kitchens, or remote work setups.
Co-Created Playlists: Spotify playlists curated by users while using the product, creating shared cultural touchpoints.
Flash Creative Challenges: 48-hour online contests where users shared their quirkiest use-case videos.
Curiosity Capsules: Bite-sized posts posing unusual “what if” questions about the future of tech, sparking dialogue.
Average post engagement rate increased by 45%.
Weekly follower growth climbed from 200 to 650 new accounts.
Click-throughs to the online store rose by 38%.
Social shares of brand content nearly doubled, creating new organic reach.
CONFIDENTIALITY CAVEAT: This case study represents a confidential engagement. For privacy, specific brand identifiers, campaign names, and project phases have been withheld. It has been shared with permission while preserving client discretion.
If you’re an investor seeking momentum for your portfolio brands, this Case Study Post I wrote could interest you: “When a Health Brand That Shipped Boxes Forgot to Ship Trust.“
And if you’re a solo expert looking to sharpen traction, this Case Study Post I worked on may resonate: “How an SEO Brand With Bright Results Hid Behind Dim Stories.“
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