Develop a Creative Strategy: Hijack a Moment
What is the Hijack a Moment Strategy and when should I use it?
Look, the Hijack a Moment strategy isn't about being 'innovative'—it's about being a vulture with a better sense of timing than your competitors. Use it when the internet is collectively losing its mind over a dumpster fire and your brand can throw a witty match into the pile without getting burned. It’s for those rare windows where speed is more valuable than your bloated quarterly budget. If you wait for three levels of legal approval, the moment is dead, buried, and turned into a cringe LinkedIn think-piece. Don't be that guy. Be the one who strikes while the iron is hot. Got it? Good.
How to execute this strategy effectively
Execution requires you to stop acting like a corporation and start acting like a person with a pulse and a Twitter account. You need a 'war room' that isn't just a fancy name for a meeting where people eat expensive catering. It’s about radical trust. Your social lead needs the keys to the kingdom to post before the trend peaks. If you’re checking brand guidelines for the exact hex code of your logo while a cultural phenomenon is happening, you’ve already lost. Monitor the noise, find the tension, and insert your brand as the punchline or the hero. Just don't make it weird. Cool?
Example: Aviation Gin – Ryan Reynolds reacting to the Peloton Wife ad (2019)
When Peloton’s 2019 holiday ad went viral for all the wrong reasons—looking like a hostage video—Aviation Gin didn’t write a press release. They found the actress, put a martini in her hand, and filmed a 'sequel' in about 48 hours. It didn't need a Super Bowl budget; it just needed to acknowledge the shared cultural cringe of the internet. By the time Peloton’s PR team woke up, Reynolds had already won the entire news cycle for pennies. Smart.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed in 4C Framework
Company INSIGHT
Aviation Gin has a nimble team and a celebrity owner who understands that his personal brand is built on self-aware, fast-paced humor.
Category INSIGHT
The spirits category usually relies on lifestyle imagery and slow-motion pours, which makes a fast, reactive response feel incredibly refreshing and human.
Strategy:
Use reactive storytelling to position the brand as the witty alternative to tone-deaf corporate giants.
Customer INSIGHT
Customers were already mocking the Peloton ad's weird energy; they wanted someone to acknowledge how bizarre it was without being mean-spirited.
Culture INSIGHT
The 'Peloton Wife' became a symbol of out-of-touch luxury marketing, creating a perfect vacuum for a 'sequel' that offered her an escape.
Strategy:
Use reactive storytelling to position the brand as the witty alternative to tone-deaf corporate giants.
Company INSIGHT
Aviation Gin has a nimble team and a celebrity owner who understands that his personal brand is built on self-aware, fast-paced humor.
Category INSIGHT
The spirits category usually relies on lifestyle imagery and slow-motion pours, which makes a fast, reactive response feel incredibly refreshing and human.
Customer INSIGHT
Customers were already mocking the Peloton ad's weird energy; they wanted someone to acknowledge how bizarre it was without being mean-spirited.
Culture INSIGHT
The 'Peloton Wife' became a symbol of out-of-touch luxury marketing, creating a perfect vacuum for a 'sequel' that offered her an escape.
Why is Hijack a Moment a Great Strategy?
It turns a competitor's massive PR disaster into your own low-cost victory lap.
It bypasses expensive media buy algorithms
Authenticity beats high-end production value
Speed creates massive organic reach
Capitalizes on existing audience attention
This strategy works because it treats your audience like they actually live in the real world. You aren't forcing a message; you're joining a conversation that's already happening. It proves your brand has a pulse and isn't just a collection of spreadsheets.
! When not to use the "Hijack a Moment" Strategy
If the cultural moment involves a tragedy, stay in your lane unless you want this Strategy to make you the main character of a cancellation thread.
Steps to implement: How to move fast without breaking your brand.
Set up a culture watch list
Stop looking at your own metrics for five minutes and look at what people are actually complaining about on Reddit and Twitter. You need to spot the fire before the smoke clears. If you're seeing it on the morning news, you're already too late to the party. Assign someone to be the designated 'vibe checker' who actually understands internet subtext.
Identify the tension you can solve
Not every viral moment is for you. Find the specific point of friction—like the 'hostage' vibe in the Peloton ad—and figure out how your brand can offer a release valve. Aviation Gin didn't mock the bike; they offered the actress a drink. It’s about being the cool friend at the party, not the annoying heckler in the back row.
Slash the approval chain immediately
This is where most strategies go to die. You cannot wait for the CMO’s assistant to check their calendar. You need a pre-approved 'fast-track' process where one or two people have the final say. If your legal team needs a week to review a thirty-second clip, just delete the file and go back to making boring banner ads. Speed is your only leverage here.
Produce for the platform, not TV
Nobody cares about 4K resolution when they're watching a meme on their phone. Aviation Gin’s ad looked like a real life encounter because it was. Use the tools you have on hand. High production value actually hurts you here because it makes the 'hijack' look calculated and corporate. Keep it raw, keep it real, and for the love of god, keep it brief.
Seed it and get out
Drop the content where the conversation is happening and let the internet do the heavy lifting. Don't over-promote it with paid spend immediately—if it's good, it'll move. If it doesn't move, learn from it and wait for the next disaster. The goal is to be a part of the moment, not to try and own the moment forever. Move on.
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