I’m facing an interesting marketing challenge with one of my newer clients.
We’re launching a device that installs inside a musical instrument — and might never be seen again after installation.
No casual observer will notice it. Not even fellow band members. Once it’s in place, it’s completely invisible.
How do you create growth for something people can’t even see?
This question sent me exploring brands that have mastered this exact challenge. Their approaches offer valuable lessons for any product that operates behind the scenes.
Cochlear offers perhaps the most profound example. Their hearing implants are surgically placed inside the recipient’s head — completely invisible to the outside world. Yet the Australia-based product maker has built remarkable brand awareness.
My friend Caroline, who works in marketing for Cochlear and has an implant herself, works hard to create visibility through community. Recipients proudly identify as part of the “Cochlear family,” wearing branded merchandise and awareness pins. Her husband even 3D prints cochlea-shaped lapel pins that recipients wear to spark conversations. (They’re an incredibly cool couple. Check out their podcast here.)
The invisible becomes visible through community pride.
Invisible Fence took a different approach, turning its name (and the quality of invisibility itself) into a brilliant marketing asset. Their pet containment systems are buried underground and completely out of sight, but they’ve made them “visible” through distinctive yard signs that homeowners display. These signs serve dual purposes — warning other pet owners about the boundary while advertising the product to neighbors.
The invisible becomes visible through environmental signals:
Intel transformed an internal computer component that no one would ever see into a household name with its “Intel Inside” campaign. By creating a co-marketing program with computer manufacturers, Intel got its logo prominently displayed on devices it didn’t make and in other companies’ advertisements. That little insignia turned an invisible processor into a coveted quality and status signal.
The invisible becomes visible through partnership branding:
Bluetooth created something freaking astonishing — a universally recognized symbol for wireless connectivity. Their distinctive runic-inspired logo appears on billions of devices worldwide, from car dashboards to the corner of my monitor as I type this. Though the technology itself is completely invisible, the symbol has become ubiquitous shorthand for wireless connection. It’s like owning the wifi symbol as your brand logo!
The invisible becomes visible through symbolic representation:
Dolby mastered another, similar approach years earlier. Its audio processing technology is entirely hidden, but Dolby created powerful brand recognition through that distinctive double-D logo that appeared at the beginning of films, on stereo equipment, and even on cassette tapes (for folks who remember those). The logo became synonymous with superior sound quality, despite no one ever seeing the actual technology, or otherwise even knowing they were hearing it in action.
The invisible becomes visible through quality association:
In I Need That, I discuss how products succeed when they connect with customers on multiple levels beyond basic functionality. These invisible technologies all found ways to create tangible touchpoints that engage emotions and identity.
Product Payoff: Shure used this strategy brilliantly with its high-end in-ear monitors. Though the devices disappear into musicians’ ears during performances, they’ve created transparent models that showcase the internal components and offer custom-molded options in distinctive colors. Professional musicians proudly discuss their Shure monitors in interviews and social media, despite audiences never seeing them during performances. This approach has helped them maintain premium pricing (easily $1,000+) and brand loyalty in a crowded audio market.
Action for today: If your product operates behind the scenes, identify opportunities to make its presence known through:
- Community identity markers (merchandise, membership symbols)
- Environmental signals (signs, certificates, badges)
- Partner co-branding opportunities
- Distinctive symbology or iconography
- Quality association through visible touchpoints
Remember: What can’t be seen can still (and must) be SHOWN. The key is creating meaningful symbols and experiences that make the invisible not just visible, but valuable.
Have you encountered products that remain hidden but maintain strong brand presence?
Or struggled with marketing something that’s not visible to end users? Tap that reply arrow and share your experiences with invisible innovation.
Or reach out to my amazing team of product brand strategists at Graphos Product.