In marketing, and especially in advertising, repetition does the trick. The more times we hear and see something, the higher the chances that we’re going to remember the message. Calvo tuna for example (I could also say ‘Amen’, but Calvo tuna shows the principle well enough).
City authorities in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, have opted for an amusing way of prohibiting car traffic. At what times is the street closed for traffic?
People are different and while some of us get the message, others don’t. That’s why clever sellers say the same thing in many ways, and more than once, and then repeat it. The photo is from the book Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works.
Tonight I’ll be staying in a hotel in the Czech Republic. I agreed to book the room although they only take cash. I’ve just received this e-mail:
Hello again,
payment: cash only.
please if something changes, call us.
with many thanks
Zámeček pod hradem – HOTEL
Starý Jičín 111
74231
tel.: +420 556 752 262
fax.:+420 556 752 261
http://www.zamecek-hotel.cz/
So I’ll have to find an ATM on the way there. A four-star hotel plus a restaurant and they only accept cash. Interesting, isn’t it?
I have no problem with this, but some people would say that it’s not exactly customer friendly. A marketing moral to it?
If you’re selling a good quality product, which is not easily obtained, you are the one who sets the rules, not your customers. And the way you set the rules is to make as much money as possible, with minimum problems. Bravo Czechs.
I can give two words of advice to those whose customers keep asking for bigger discounts and other benefits. Change something!
Because it seems your customers can’t see why they should buy from you. That’s the reason for the price blackmail. If you offer something that’s hard to get, something different, something better, it’s you who sets the rules of the game, not the customers.
You need to be different; you need to be unique to dictate conditions. You can even be the cheapest (think Ryanair), but you’re still the boss.
You’ll be the worst off if you sell something that can be bought at every corner.
Have you noticed 3 new things in the marketing guru’s diary?
NEW #1: The category “New entries on your e-mail”. If you submit your e-mail address, you’ll automatically receive my blog entries. Whenever I write something new, you’re the first to learn about it. How simple and convenient! If you like this category, submit your e-mail.
NEW #2: RSS feeds. Those who’ve heard of RSS feeds know what it’s all about. The others don’t bother.
NEW #3: Look at the category in the upper right corner: “Latest comments”. Click and read the latest comments to my blog entries. The newest comment is on the top. Handy, isn’t it? This category was added because of popular demand.
A marketing lesson? The word NEW has a magical effect. But you already know that. If you sell new things, don’t forget to let your customers know! That’s the second marketing moral to this entry. Doing something good and NEW isn’t enough; you have to communicate this to your customers.
Advertisers used to tell their potential customers what they needed to do.
The advertisers of today bet on creativity and forget that the advertisement’s main goal is to SELL.
Which boy is more likely to get a date? The one who’s just looking, or the one who’s got something clever to say? The latter will always win! If in doubt, watch this duel– a tall guy against a short guy who’s not much to look at and has a dildo stuck to his head. They both swing into action and the shorter one picks out the right words. Because he’s read the book I’ve told you about – The Game. It’s words that sell!
Today’s moral? Tell your customers what they need to do.
If you sell drinks, tell them they need to drink. If you sell baby food, tell parents to feed their children. I know it sounds simple and boring, but it works.
Better hotels provide sewing kits for their guests. Thoughtful, isn’t it? You never know when you might lose a button.
Key note speaker – Do you know why the kit I got in Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace really impressed me? The needle is already threaded! A person who made the kit knows that some of us can’t see well and that it’s difficult to pass thread through the eye of a needle.
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Proud owners of black credit cards received the following letter from Slovenia’s Diners Club:
3 short free marketing ideas:
1. Choosing the right target group is important. This offer can’t be sent to everyone. The response would be good of course – lots of people would like to go for a free weekend ride in a Hummer or a Cadillac (plus a snowmobile or an AWD). But if you offer it to someone who can’t afford it, you haven’t achieved much. Black Diners Card owners are supposed to be rich, and most of them probably are.
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Americans are masters of signs – Free marketing ideas. They have a way of labeling every product, every gadget, every object, etc. We Europeans find it all a bit too much. Does every car mirror really need a sign “Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear”? Does a taxi window really have to be written all over, so that it’s almost impossible to see through?
Lawyers are probably to blame for the signs, and, of course, Americans know that words sell. That’s why there are so many signs saying something and selling something. I’m famous for taking photos in public toilets. I saw this one on a hand drier. If you want to save a tree, dry your hands rather than wipe them with a paper towel!
A moral? There’s always room for delivering a message, for advertising. But like with food, we need to be moderate. So be moderate, please.
