Some of the most compelling marketing doesn’t come from luxury brands or flashy gadgets. It comes from the products that quietly shape our lives – the ones that rarely get attention until something goes wrong.

Early in my career, I learned that marketers don’t always get to tell stories about glamorous products. Sometimes, our job is to find beauty and meaning in the overlooked. And in many ways, those are the most rewarding assignments. Recently, I had the opportunity to lead a campaign to promote the miniature circuit breaker, which acts as an automatic safety switch by cutting off power in your home, which prevents electrical damage and fire hazards.

While most people never think about the role the miniature circuit breaker plays in home safety, it was an opportunity to transform the campaign into a story that captured hearts, engaged new generations, and earned global recognition.

This experience reinforced that with the right mix of storytelling, creativity, and marketing, even “unsexy” products can gain cultural recognition. Here are the top tips and takeaways I want to share with other marketers who are tasked with making otherwise invisible products seen in their marketplace.

1. Start With a Universal Human Truth

Every strong campaign begins not with the product itself, but with the people it serves. In our case, the insight was simple: many people don’t know how their homes are protected from electrical hazards, and younger generations often don’t even know where their electrical panel is. That lack of awareness is a safety risk.

We uncovered this gap through research: in a survey we found that 42% of Gen Z respondents admitted they had no idea where their electrical panel was located. That data point gave us not only a human truth but also a clear safety narrative to build around.

Instead of leading with technical features, we reframed the product as a lifelong protector. Through research, we saw an opportunity to tell a story about safety, reliability, and the unseen guardianship that allows families to enjoy everyday life. That universal truth — that we all want to feel safe at home — became the emotional foundation of the campaign.

The key takeaway here is to look for the human stakes hidden in every product. If you can connect the product’s function to a core human need, you can build resonance even in unexpected categories.

2. Use Storytelling to Elevate the Invisible

The heart of the campaign was a cinematic animated short film. It personified the product as an unsung hero, quietly protecting a boy as he grew into adulthood, from family dinners to late-night movies to caring for his own child.

We chose this medium because animation can transcend cultural boundaries. It is emotionally evocative, universally understandable, and adaptable across markets. Paired with a carefully crafted soundtrack, the story moved audiences beyond the technical to the emotional.

And because we could track engagement in real time by measuring watch time, share rates, and demographic breakdowns across platforms, we could see exactly which audiences were leaning in.

Storytelling is not just about content creation; it’s about making the invisible visible, especially those in complex or technical industries, visual storytelling is one of the most powerful tools to bridge that gap.

3. Build Campaigns That Bridge Audiences

Another challenge was that we weren’t speaking to a single audience. On one hand, there were professionals — electricians whose pride and trust in the brand had declined in some regions. On the other hand, there were consumers, especially Gen Z, who had little awareness of how home energy systems work.

We realized the same story could serve both. For electricians, the campaign became a recognition of their essential role celebrated through dedicated events, app activations, and professional awards. For consumers, it was an educational introduction to a hidden safety feature, made relatable through emotional storytelling.

The takeaway: don’t silo B2B and B2C unnecessarily. Sometimes the most impactful campaigns are those that unite stakeholders across the value chain with a single, adaptable narrative.

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4. Lean on Cultural Adaptability and Multi-Channel Reach

No matter how strong the story, execution determines whether it scales. We invested in making the campaign highly adaptable by translating the film into more than 15 languages, building interactive AR exhibits for live events, and creating contests and merchandise that audiences could share and personalize.

What surprised us was how much of the reach came organically. More than 70% of video views and interactions came from unpaid channels. That’s a reminder that when content is emotionally resonant and culturally flexible, it travels further with less paid amplification.

For marketers navigating global campaigns, cultural adaptability should be designed in from the start. That might mean using universally human imagery, building modular creative assets, or leaning on formats (like animation) that translate well across borders.

5. Think Long-Term, Not Just in Quick Wins

The campaign achieved millions of views, boosted awareness among younger audiences, and re-engaged professionals. But what mattered most was not just the metrics. It was how the campaign repositioned a century-old product as a relevant, emotionally resonant innovation.

In a world where we are often under pressure to deliver instant ROI, it’s tempting to chase only short-term gains. But enduring brand equity is built by making people care. Campaigns like this remind us that long-term brand building often delivers the most sustainable value.

Having lived through this journey, I’ve distilled a few principles that I believe are transferable to any marketer facing a similar challenge:

• Find the human truth: Even technical products serve core human needs. Start there.
• Tell stories, not specs: Emotional narratives make invisible products visible.
• Unite audiences: Look for strategies that bridge professional and consumer worlds.
• Design for adaptability: Global resonance depends on culturally neutral, scalable content.
• Invest in brand building: Don’t underestimate the long-term payoff of emotional connection.

Turning the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary

The products we market may not always be glamorous. But that doesn’t mean the stories we tell can’t be. By finding the emotional core, leveraging storytelling, and embracing martech to deliver at scale, marketers can transform hidden products into heroes.

For me, leading this campaign was a reminder that our job as marketers isn’t just to sell products, but to help people see meaning where they never thought to look. And when you succeed at that, even the smallest product can make the biggest impact.