The McRib's Magic Marketing Sauce

McDonald's brought back the McRib this week, but once again just for a limited time. Cruel and unusual? Maybe. It's also brilliant marketing. Here's what you can learn from the country's most in-demand pork sandwich.

Call me strange, but I'm not a huge fan of the McRib. However, there sure are a bunch of folks who are not only fans, but crazy passionate about this boneless pork sandwich.

Inc has some excellent ideas for how to take some of the McRib marketing magic and use it with your own product strategy:

1. Scarcity works, but only if your product is known.
2. Your customers know your products better than you do.
3. Before the buzz dies, engage the community.
4. Don't be a marketing robot.

The big takeaways?
Listen and observe how your customers are *actually* using your product. It might very well be in ways you never intended for it to be used...and that's okay. Users have real-world problems to solve and they'll use whatever tools are available to get the job done. If you pay attention, you might just uncover an untapped market need that only you can meet.

And don't be afraid to give your marketing some quirky personality. Yeah, this is tough because it can be a risk. But boring doesn't cut it anymore so find a way to help your customers have fun with your product and your business.