The most successful use of easter eggs in digital marketing campaigns

When you hear the term ‘easter eggs’ your mind probably automatically goes to the chocolate eggs brought to children worldwide by a certain bunny this time of year! In marketing, the term has more fondly come to represent hidden messages, features, or surprises embedded in campaigns to engage audiences in a unique way.

The purpose is to create a sense of discovery and reward for audiences, encouraging them to actively participate and explore your brand, project, or upcoming launch – and share their findings online.

We have compiled a list of some of the best uses of ‘easter eggs’ in digital marketing campaigns that brands have used in recent years to create immersive and engaging experiences for their digital audiences!

Disney, Pixar & the MCU

Over the years Walt Disney Studios have perfected the way they outreach to audiences, and drum up hype and buzz for their upcoming films and projects. A key strategy in their success is the clever placement of easter eggs, which delight fans and build anticipation.

Going back decades, Pixar have dropped a hint for their following movie in the credits of their latest film:

• In 2003, we see Mike Wazowski from the 2004 animated movie Monster’s Inc, swimming through the credits of Finding Nemo

@rileysuddarthim sorry? mike wasowski??Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) – Kate Bush

• This TikTok shows some of Disney’s latest credit easter eggs – from butterflies relating to Disney’s Encanto, to Moana shaped by the stars in the credits of Wish

@its_ivanmars How did I miss this?!#moana #disney #disneyplus #disneyprincess #fyp #foryoupage Secrets of Movies_____ – Ivan Mars – Movie Detective

Similarly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is filled with easter eggs that connect its vast multiverse, delighting fans who meticulously uncover each one and share their findings online, creating intricate webs of connections and timelines while speculating about future storylines.

While these are not examples of traditional marketing campaigns, they undeniably generate significant amounts of user-generated content (UGC) on social media. This UGC is incredibly valuable as it acts as authentic, organic promotion, driving engagement and extending the reach of the brand’s message. When fans create content about their discoveries, it amplifies the excitement and encourages others to participate in the hunt, ultimately creating a self-sustaining cycle of authentic engagement.

Google’s interactive search features

Google is renowned for embedding easter eggs within its search engine results. These range from playful animations, like the page tilting when searching ‘askew’ or spinning with ‘do a barrel roll’ (give them a try!), to interactive features such as playing “solitaire” or “tic-tac-toe” directly in the results.

Through partnerships with Google to leverage this feature, brands have created both notable and creative easter eggs, effectively encouraging a spike in users organically searching for key terms during strategically chosen moments.

The Barbie movie (2023)

The 2023 Barbie movie launch saw Google implement a vibrant easter egg. Fans of the franchise found a fun surprise in the search results for the following terms:

• Barbie
• Margot Robbie
• Ryan Gosling
• Greta Gerwig

Searching for these keywords triggered the search results page to turn pink, with glitter or confetti animating across the screen. This tied directly to the movie’s aesthetic and served as a playful, time-limited promotional campaign.

@nicoleorcii20 GOOGLE… THE BARBIE MOVIE AND WATCH YOUR SCREEN TURN PINK#google #googletricks #barbie #barbiegirl #barbieri #fyp #like #followfor #tryit #trending original sound – void

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

During the build up to the highly anticipated release of Avengers: Endgame, searching for the term “Thanos” on Google, would make the character’s iconic infinity gauntlet appear at the top of the search results. Clicking this gauntlet would trigger a snap and, much like Thanos’s actions at the end of Infinity War, this would cause half of the search results to disappear.

This was a clever and interactive way to build hype for the film.

@jo75113Google tricksoriginal sound – Joe

Friends 25th anniversary (2019)

A similar campaign to the above was launched to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the iconic TV show Friends. Google implemented several character-specific easter eggs; searching for each of the main characters’ names would reveal a small icon related to a memorable moment for that character. Clicking the icon would trigger a short animation or sound effect.

@nhuggetss OMG!!! NOT GOOGLE MADE THESE CUTE AND COOL EFFECTS WHEN YOU SEARCH EACH OF FRIENDS CHARACTER!#googleeffects #friendstvshow #monicageller #rossgeller #phoebebuffay #rachelgreen #chandlerbing #joeytribbiani friends opening song –

Taylor Swift’s vault (2023)

If anyone is a ‘mastermind’ for the intricate use of Easter Eggs throughout their marketing, it’s Taylor Swift! The singer-songwriter is famous for embedding cryptic messages, symbols, and references in her music videos, lyrics, social media posts, and even her clothing. These hidden clues often foreshadow upcoming projects, reveal deeper meanings in her work, or reference past events, creating a sense of mystery and encouraging fans to actively decode them.

In 2023 Taylor launched one of her best easter eggs to date!

In the lead-up to the release of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’, fans discovered a digital vault that appeared on the screen when they searched her name into Google. It was revealed that unlocking this vault required solving 89 unscrambling puzzles, and a collective 33 million puzzles needed to be solved by fans worldwide.

Successfully completing these puzzles eventually unlocked the new track titles from the album for previously unreleased songs, creating a highly interactive and engaging experience that built anticipation and excitement for the release.

@1989vinyl Here is how you access and solve the 1989 taylor’s version vault! Thank @ Jess by a thousand cuts , hayley, hillary for your help! #1989taylorsversionvault #1989vault #1989tvvault #vaulttracks #taylorswiftvault #fromthevault #1989vaulttracks #1989taylorsversion #1989tv #1989taylorswift #swifttok #swiftie Mastermind – Taylor Swift

Batman (2022)

Before the release of the 2022 film ‘Batman’ fans noticed unusual symbols in promotional materials which, when decoded, led them to a secret website featuring challenges and puzzles created by the infamous DC villain, The Riddler. The website was periodically updated in the lead up to the film with new riddles, rewarding successful solvers with exclusive clips and images from the movie.

Following the release of the movie, it was revealed that this website also existed within the film itself – making fans feel immersed within the DC universe, and included within the story.

Currently, the website displays a message stating it has been ‘seized’ by the Gotham City Police Department, adding another layer to the immersive experience.

Onyx Storm cover reveal (2024)

In anticipation of the cover reveal for the third book in the Empyrean series, author Rebecca Yarros strategically changed her profile picture three times, in the three days leading up to the launch:

• Three days before launch: header image of chapter three of Fourth Wing
• Two days before launch: header image of chapter twenty-two of Fourth Wing, with the ‘twenty’ blurred out
• One day before launch: header image of chapter thirty-one of Iron Flame, with the ‘thirty’ blurred out

While this served as a countdown to the cover reveal, it also sparked intense speculation among fans. They questioned the significance of these specific chapters, wondering why she didn’t use a simple ‘three, two, one’ countdown. This led to extensive online discussions, theories, and analyses of the chosen chapters as fans tried to uncover clues about what to expect in the upcoming book, which was eventually launched in January 2025.

@unhingedbooktalk im totally fine being wrong, but here’s my two cents #booktok #bookishthoughts #booktokgirlies #booktoker #bookish #booktokrecs #bookclub #booktokfyp #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #fourthwing #romantasy #fantasybooktok #romantasybooks #fantasybooks #dragons #fourthwingrebeccayarros #ironflame original sound – Sierra

Summary & final remarks

The examples we’ve explored demonstrate the remarkable power of easter egg marketing. These hidden gems are strategic tools that nurture engagement, build anticipation, and reward audience attention. These campaigns generate valuable user-generated content and amplify brand messages organically.

Whether it’s Disney’s subtle movie connections, Google’s interactive search features, or Taylor Swift’s intricate puzzles, successful easter egg campaigns all create memorable interactive experiences that resonate long after the initial discovery.