“ My mama always said, life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
Ever notice how predictable most marketing feels these days? Same tone. Same playbook. Same “personalized” offers that all start to blur together.
That’s why the WSJ story about Labubu grabbed me. It’s this quirky little toy from Pop Mart, sold in “blind boxes” — so you never know which one you’ll get. And that’s exactly why people can’t get enough.
It’s not just a toy; it’s a moment. The thrill of not knowing. The anticipation. The reveal. Each box delivers a little hit of emotion — curiosity, excitement, and joy. Pop Mart turned that feeling into a billion-dollar brand.
And here’s what we can all take from that: when everything else feels formulaic, surprise becomes strategy.
You can see it in how brands like:
- WestJet gave holiday travellers the exact gifts they wished for mid-flight.
- Lego sent a handwritten note and replacement toy to a kid who lost his favorite one.
- Taco Bell once flew 10,000 tacos to a tiny town in Alaska just for fun.
These weren’t just campaigns — they were moments of joy. They broke the pattern, caught people off guard, and sparked a real emotional connection.
So for product marketers, maybe it’s time to design a little unpredictability into the experience. How?
Think smaller than stunts and bigger than mechanics. Start by designing moments of unexpected delight within the customer journey.
- Introduce limited-run variations that customers don’t fully expect.
- Add one hidden feature, bonus, or “unlocked” experience in your next product lineup. Slip an unexpected extra into your product. Launch a “mystery drop.” Or give a few customers something delightfully unplanned to talk about.
- Build anticipation through mystery drops instead of overexposure.
- Most of all—design for reveal moments. That’s where emotion lives.
Surprise, done right, isn’t random.
It is deliberate unpredictability that builds trust and emotional memory.
And yes, this isn’t just for B2C brands. B2B brands can do it too! Last I checked, humans still are responsible for buying technology, machinery, and industrial resources.
Because in an era of algorithms and data-driven precision, the most human thing a brand can do… is surprise us.
As Tom Hanks said in Forrest Gump,
