Boring marketing is so last season.

Brands that are winning on social aren’t playing it safe. They’re going full-on chaotic energy, embracing their weird side, and creating content that makes you stop mid-scroll and go “wait, what the...?!”

Welcome to the era of unhinged marketing. Where brands are ditching corporate speak and instead choosing violence (the good kind). With strategies that feel more like your unfiltered group chat. And so *not* like a boardroom presentation.

via GIPHY

Top 12 Most Unhinged Marketing Strategies

1. Scrub Daddy: When Your Cleaning Product Has More Personality Than Most Influencers

Scrub Daddy turned a sponge. Yes, a SPONGE, into a social media personality with more fans than some reality TV stars. Their anthropomorphized yellow smiley sponge has no business being this entertaining. But here we are, emotionally invested in cleaning products.

In short, their TikTok presence feels like that chaotic friend. You know, the one who always brings the party energy. With videos featuring their products in bizarre scenarios and collaborations with unlikely influencers. So their content makes you forget you’re watching ads for cleaning supplies!

2. Liquid Death: Making Water Metal AF

Selling water in tall cans that look like beer? And marketing it with death metal aesthetics and slogans like “Murder Your Thirst”? In sum, that’s *exactly* the kind of unhinged marketing genius we live for.

Liquid Death took the most basic necessity of life and said, “hydration, but make it hardcore.” And their aggressive anti-plastic, pro-environment stance wrapped in death metal packaging? It’s created a cult following that transcends typical beverage demographics.

We LOVE their “Sell Your Soul” contracts and consistent commitment to the bit. For example: Actual death metal albums made from hate comments! It shows that when you go unhinged, you go all the way.

3. Duolingo: When Your Mascot Becomes the Ultimate Menace

The Duolingo owl has gone from being a helpful language-learning companion. And into being an unhinged stalker who threatens users if they miss their lessons. And somehow this strategy made everyone love the brand MORE?

In short, Duo’s TikTok presence is pure chaotic energy. With videos of their mascot twerking and throwing shade at users. *And* developing parasocial relationships with celebrities. The owl has even shown up at major events *just* to intimidate people in real life.

4. Nutter Butter: TikTok’s Fever Dream Peanut

The best way to describe Nutter Butter’s TikTok presence? Like a bad hallucinogenic trip! In other words, their content makes absolutely no sense. Random peanut-shaped cookies in surreal scenarios. Inexplicable editing choices. And storylines that feel like they’re generated by AI having a fever dream.

There’s no logical explanation for it. How can videos of a peanut butter cookie with existential dread work as marketing? And also not to mention the warped audio tracks. But their strategy of “make it make less sense”? It somehow perfectly resonates with TikTok’s chaotic algorithm.

5. PineSol: 3D Dancing Nightmares

PineSol’s TikTok strategy takes the unhinged factor to a whole new dimension. With 3D animated characters. Ones that would make even the boldest creative directors question their life choices.

These bizarre 3D characters dance through surreal cleaning scenarios. Delivering obscure messages that sometimes relate to cleaning. And sometimes *don’t at all*. So the animation style sits somewhere between “rejected anime character”. And “fever dream from the cleaning aisle”. But somehow, they’ve racked up millions of views.

6. Brita: The Menacing Left Shark of Hydration

Brita’s TikTok strategy is where they’ve truly embraced unhinged marketing genius. Taking cues from both Duolingo’s threatening mascot energy. And PineSol’s bizarre animations. Brita created a shark mascot. One that bears a striking resemblance to the internet-famous Left Shark. And they appear in both animated content and as a costume character in public.

What makes this strategy brilliantly unhinged is the unexpected combination. The cat character sometimes appears wearing the shark costume. Thus creating a bizarre *mascot within mascot* scenario that keeps viewers guessing.

7. Drumsticks: Strategic Chaos Trend-Jackers

On TikTok, Drumsticks has managed to be *unhinged* in a surprisingly strategic way. Unlike brands that embrace complete chaos, Drumsticks has perfected the art of trend-jacking. *With* an ice cream twist. They take the most outrageous, random trending formats. And somehow make them about ice cream cones in ways that feel both completely unexpected. And oddly fitting.

When a dance trend takes over TikTok, you can count on seeing a Drumstick cone doing it within days. When a storytelling format goes viral, Drumsticks will adapt it to tell the tale of an ice cream cone’s journey. The truly unhinged aspect? It’s how quickly and seamlessly they insert their product into trends. Ones that have absolutely no logical connection to ice cream.

8. Ryanair: When Your Airline Chooses Violence

Ryanair transformed its budget airline reputation. And how? By creating what could be the most unhinged corporate social media presence ever. They often roast their own customers and make fun of their no-frills service. In short, they create content that feels like absolutely no one in legal approved it.

Their strategy? Embracing their reputation as the airline version of a chaotic Uber ride. But make it fly. And turning it into a personality trait. In other words, it’s marketing brilliance. They’ve also turned complaints into content. And made their budget limitations part of their charm.

9. Wendy’s: The OG Unhinged Marketing Queen

No list of unhinged marketing would be complete without Wendy’s. The brand that pretty much invented the “corporate account with attitude” approach. Their strategy of roasting competitors and customers alike? It created a whole new blueprint for brand voice on social.

Every year, they hold a National Roast Day. One where they savagely take down anyone who asks for it. And it has become an actual social media holiday that people mark on their calendars. The way they’ve maintained their sassy, unhinged energy? All while still promoting square burgers? It’s a masterclass in brand consistency.

10. Steak-Umm: Existential Frozen Meat

Steak-umm could have stayed in its lane promoting frozen beef sheets. Instead, they chose to have philosophical breakdowns on Twitter (X). Tackling misinformation and becoming an unlikely voice of reason during social crises.

Their strategy? Having a frozen meat product. One that discusses media literacy, existential dread, and social theory. It’s created such whiplash that people couldn’t help but pay attention. The contrast between their product (literal frozen beef) and their unhinged intellectual content? It sparks a fascinating dissonance that has built a devoted following.

11. Slim Jim: The Meat Stick Cult Leader

Back in 2019, Slim Jim created an entire online personality. It revolves around the unhinged “Long Boi Gang” leader. Building what is pretty much a processed meat cult on social media. Their approach? Speaking entirely in bizarre slang and calling their followers “savage animals”. And also, creating increasingly strange lore around meat sticks? It has no business being as successful as it is.

So their strategy? Posting content that feels like it got scrapped together at 3 AM after too many energy drinks. But somehow it perfectly matches their product. And by embracing complete chaos and creating their own weird vernacular? They’ve built a community of devoted followers who actively identify as part of the “Long Boi Gang.”

12. M&M’s: Candy Character Drama

M&M’s took their anthropomorphic candy characters. And gave them elaborate personalities, storylines, and even political controversies. What started as simple mascots evolved into a full-blown candy soap opera. One that got people genuinely invested in the lives of chocolate pieces.

Their strategy of creating fictional drama around their candy characters?

Including redesigns, “retirements,” and the introduction of new M&M personalities. It all generated endless organic conversation and media coverage. And by creating artificial controversy around candy spokescharacters? They also managed to get everyone talking about chocolate. In ways that traditional advertising never could.

The Psychology Behind Unhinged Marketing That Actually Works

What makes these strategies so effective isn’t only their shock value. In short, it’s their authenticity and commitment to the bit. These brands aren’t being so weird for weird’s sake. They’re creating consistent, strategic weirdness. And it also aligns with their brand in unexpected ways.

In short, unhinged marketing works because it:

Creates genuine emotional reactions (even if that emotion is “WTF did I just watch?”)
Makes brands more memorable than their “professional” competitors
Builds communities of people who feel in on the joke
Humanizes brands by showing they don’t take themselves too seriously
Generates organic shares. Because people want to *show* others the crazy content they found!

Unleash Your Brand’s Chaotic Good Era

Last thing. Is your social media strategy feeling a little too sane? Then maybe it’s time to inject some controlled chaos. At Scott Social, we’re experts at helping brands find their unique voice. Even if that voice occasionally chooses violence (the marketing kind).

We take a less-is-more approach to social. Because that one perfectly unhinged post that gets shared everywhere? It’s worth so much more than 20 forgettable corporate updates.

Want to find out if your brand has what it takes to join the unhinged marketing hall of fame? Let’s chat about how we can help you. So you can break free from boring corporate content! And create social media that people actually want to engage with.

Book a discovery call and let’s get social. The unhinged way.

Top 12 Most Unhinged Marketing Strategies

Top 12 Most Unhinged Marketing Strategies