case studycampaignsgrowth

Case Study: Brands That Shaped Demand Before Search — Tactics You Can Steal

cconquering

2026-02-06

10 min read

How top brands in 2026 created demand before search — and the short, repeatable experiments your small brand can run next quarter.

Hook: Stop Waiting for Search—Make People Want You Before They Google

If you run a small business or lead buyer ops, your worst bottleneck is unpredictable demand. You pour budget into search, paid ads, and generic creative—and still wait for the phone to ring. That’s because audiences today increasingly form preferences before they search. In 2026, the playbook that wins is the one that shapes desire earlier in the journey: on social feeds, in earned coverage, and inside the AI-powered assistants people trust.

Bottom Line First: What This Case Study Pack Gives You

Read this and you’ll get:

Clear tactics top brands used in late 2025–early 2026 to create pre-search demand.
Step-by-step experiments a small brand can run next quarter with time, cost, and KPI targets.
A concise measurement checklist to prove that pre-search moves translate into leads and sales.

Why Pre-Search Demand Matters in 2026

Search is no longer the first touch. Audiences discover and decide across TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, X, newsletters, and the new crop of AI-powered assistants. As Search Engine Land summarized in January 2026:

"Audiences form preferences before they search. Learn how authority shows up across social, search, and AI-powered answers."

Brands that create preference early — what we call pre-search demand — capture higher CTR, lower CAC, and more loyal customers because the buyer shows up already biased toward the brand.

Three Brands That Demonstrated Pre-Search Mastery (and Why They Worked)

1) Netflix — The Tarot “What Next” Slate (Jan 2026)

What they did: Netflix announced its 2026 slate with a tarot-themed campaign, launching a hero film, an immersive "Discover Your Future" hub on Tudum, lifelike activations, and a global rollout across 34 markets.

Impact (public metrics): 104 million owned social impressions, 1,000+ press stories, and Tudum’s best-ever traffic day with 2.5M visits.

Why it created pre-search demand:

Narrative-first creative got people talking before they ever searched for titles.
Owned hub (Tudum) centralized media, editorial, and search signals—so when AI assistants crawled summaries, Netflix controlled the narrative.
Global scale + local tweaks made the campaign culturally sticky in many markets, multiplying earned media and social shares.

2) Lego — “We Trust in Kids” Conversation Starter

What they did: Lego reframed the AI debate by handing the conversation to kids, connecting brand purpose (education & safety) to an urgent cultural moment.

Why it created pre-search demand:

Contextual positioning: Tackling an anxiety (AI in schools) meant people searched for opinions and solutions—and Lego appeared as part of the solution set.
Thought-led PR + social clips: Short-form video seeded viewpoints that drove media coverage and social debate.

3) E.l.f. & Liquid Death — Goth Musical & Stunt Partnerships

What they did: High-contrast creative (a goth musical), unexpected collaborations, and repeatable social assets that begged to be remixed and meme’d.

Why it created pre-search demand:

Shareable friction: The campaign created a UGC loop: people made parodies and reaction videos — which amplified discoverability.
Social-first creative system: Designed to live natively on TikTok and Reels where audience preference is made, not just measured.

Common Mechanics Behind These Wins

Across big and bold examples you'll see a common engine: audience shaping — not just audience targeting. Here are the repeatable mechanics:

Narrative-led hooks: Single-sentence ideas people can repeat and react to (e.g., "Discover Your Future").
Owned content hubs: A destination that collects signals for search and AI (like Tudum or a press hub).
Social-first assets: Short clips built to be remixed and stitched into UGC.
Stunts & earned media: A surprising act that forces commentary from press and influencers.
Measurement loops: Real-time brand lift + search-intent monitoring to iterate quickly.

How Small Brands Can Steal These Tactics Next Quarter

Below are bite-sized, budget-aware experiments you can run in a 90-day sprint. Each experiment includes the concept, execution steps, timeline, budget band, and KPIs.

Experiment 1 — The Micro-Hub (30–45 days)

Goal: Control the narrative that AI or social assistants will surface when prospects ask about your category.

Concept: Create a focused mini-hub (three pages) that answers the single question your audience will ask. Use an editorial lead — e.g., "The Small Business Guide to Portable Ketchup Solutions" — tied to your product or service.
Execution steps:

Pick one search intent phrase or conversational prompt your customers use in DMs or comments.
Create a hero article (900–1,200 words), one FAQ page (structured with Q&A), and a one-page press kit with shareable assets.
Publish and distribute: short vertical video, two X/Twitter threads, and pitch to 10 niche publications or newsletters.
Tag the hub with schema and a clear meta description for AI snippets.

Timeline: 30–45 days
Budget band: $1k–$4k (content + small PR outreach tool + 2 boosted social posts)
KPIs: impressions, shares, 500–2,000 hub visits, 10–30 backlink mentions, measurable increase in branded searches for that phrase.

Goal: Seed short-form social creative that triggers UGC and pre-search queries.

Concept: Launch a 3-part social creative system with a repeatable hook people can imitate (sound, action, or phrase).
Execution steps:

Write a one-line hook tied to an emotion or problem (e.g., "That moment your desk stops working for you").
Produce 4–6 short clips (10–30s) demonstrating the hook in different contexts.
Seed the content with micro-influencers (10–15 creators, $200–$800 each) and run a paid boost for the top two pieces.
Instruct creators to add a branded hashtag and a CTA that leads to the micro-hub.

Timeline: 45–60 days
Budget band: $2k–$8k (creator fees + production + paid boosts)
KPIs: hashtag uses, UGC volume, branded search lift, CTR to hub, cost-per-engagement.

Experiment 3 — Micro-Stunt for Earned Media (60–90 days)

Goal: Generate press and social chatter without a Super Bowl budget.

Concept: Invent a small, newsworthy stunt that aligns with your product truth — think convenience, safety, or surprise.
Execution steps:

Identify an everyday friction customers mention (e.g., "ketchup spills in bags").
Design a playful physical activation or study (e.g., hand-delivered sample kits in an unexpected place, or a micro-survey with surprising results).
Prep a short press release and 4–6 targeted pitches to local and niche outlets. Use a visual hook for journalists (video or stunts).
Amplify with a social video recap and influencer reactions.

Timeline: 60–90 days
Budget band: $3k–$12k (production + PR outreach + shipping of kits)
KPIs: press pickups (target 5–20), social impressions, referral traffic spikes, backlink count.

Experiment 4 — Prediction Engine (30 days)

Goal: Get people to make public predictions or take a quiz that ties to your offering—then own the follow-up narrative.

Concept: A short interactive quiz or prediction widget that prompts sharing ("Will remote teams go 100% asynchronous in 2026?").
Execution steps:

Create a 5-question quiz using a no-code tool and embed results on your micro-hub.
Write one-click share text for social that includes the branded hashtag.
Run the quiz with email capture and a small paid social push to seed initial responses.

Timeline: 30 days
Budget band: $500–$2k
KPIs: quiz completions, shares, email captures, referral visits from social.

Experiment 5 — Partnered Reveal (90 days)

Goal: Use a partner (non-competing) to co-create buzz and borrow trust.

Concept: Co-launch a limited product or guide with a complementary brand that already owns your target audience.
Execution steps:

Map 12 ideal partners (audience overlap >30%).
Propose a low-friction collaboration: co-branded masterclass, bundle, or a joint live event.
Split storytelling: each partner publishes short-form content and a shared micro-hub entry.

Timeline: 60–90 days
Budget band: $1k–$6k
KPIs: shared email signups, cross-referrals, registered attendees, press mentions.

Practical Templates & Quick Copy You Can Use

Below are bite-sized templates — copy you can paste and adapt.

Micro-PR Pitch (Short)

Subject: Quick idea for [Publication]—small study shows [insight]

Hi [Name],

We ran a quick study of [n=250] shoppers and found [surprising stat]. It points to a smart fix for [reader problem]. Would you be interested in a short exclusive and visuals? We can patch you into the team and ship samples.

Best,

[Your name]

"You didn’t know you needed this until—"

Measurement Checklist — Prove Pre-Search Works

Set up these signals before you launch so you can prove ROI.

Baseline: weekly branded search volume and direct traffic (2 weeks pre-launch).
Media hits: track unique placements and estimated reach.
Social: impressions, shares, hashtag uses, and UGC count.
Hub traffic: sessions, time-on-page, scroll depth.
Conversion signals: email captures, demo requests, sales (track attribution via UTM + first-touch vs last-touch).
Brand lift: quick 2-question pop survey (awareness and preference) to a 500-person panel.
Search lift: % increase in brand queries and category queries tied to your hook.

Recent developments (late 2025 to early 2026) changed the game:

AI assistants prioritize consolidated, authoritative answers. That rewards brands that own an editorial hub with clear Q&A and schema.
Social search has matured—TikTok and Threads results increasingly show inside search suggestions. Design clips that answer the query, not just entertain.
Earned media now shapes AI snippets. If your press kit and explainers are the top sources, AI tools will cite them when recommending brands.

Practical application:

Author every micro-hub page like it's an answer rather than an ad. Use question-first headings.
Include short transcript text for every video so AI can parse the answer directly.
Ask journalists for an "official quote" paragraph you can republish verbatim—AI and search like canonical phrasing.

Realistic Expectations & Pitfalls

Not every stunt becomes viral. Pre-search campaigns are about compounding small wins:

Don't expect overnight sales spikes from a single experiment; expect brand lift and search lift first.
Measure what compounds: backlinks, repeat UGC, and repeated press pickups are stronger signals than one-off impressions.
Avoid generic creative. The most effective assets are specific, repeatable, and invite imitation.

Mini Case Example — How a 10-Person Brand Used the Playbook

Context: A niche B2B ops tool (10-person team) launched a micro-hub about "asynchronous meeting templates." They combined a quiz (Experiment 4) with a social creative loop (Experiment 2) and a focused press pitch to a top industry newsletter.

Execution highlights:

Published a 1,000-word hub + 3 short videos.
Seeded five micro-influencers and pitched one industry newsletter.
Captured 1,300 emails, 18 backlinks, and a 42% increase in branded searches over 60 days.

Outcome: Within three months they lowered CAC by 21% for trial signups and created a repeatable content + PR cadence.

Checklist — Launch Your First Pre-Search Sprint (90 Days)

Pick the narrative hook (one sentence).
Build the micro-hub (publish by week 3).
Create 4 social-first assets (weeks 2–5).
Recruit 5–10 creators or partners (weeks 3–6).
Run a micro-stunt or quiz (weeks 6–9).
Measure weekly and iterate (weeks 1–12).

Final Thoughts: Make Pre-Search a Core Growth Lever

By late 2025 and into 2026, the evidence is clear: brands that control early-stage preference win. You don’t need Netflix-level budgets to shape demand—just a system that marries narrative, social-first creative, owned hubs, and small stunts that generate earned coverage. Start small, measure constantly, and scale the experiments that create repeatable lifts in branded search and acquisition.

Call to Action

If you want a ready-to-run 90-day experiment plan tailored to your business, download our 90-day Pre-Search Sprint kit or book a 20-minute strategy session. We’ll map your narrative hook, pick the right experiment mix, and set measurable KPIs you can hit next quarter.

conquering

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.