Advertising & Sales – Keep your eyes open for ideas
October 12, 2014
By Jerry Bellune
Keep your eyes open for ideas
Everywhere I go, I see marketing ideas.
Some are excellent and worth stealing.
Many are not but there’s a lesson in them, too.
Don’t make the same stupid mistakes others make.
Especially BDCs (Big Dumb Corporations).
They have more money than brains.
And they waste 99% of it on Big Dumb Campaigns.
One that really turns me off is for a place I like.
They have great burgers and shakes.
On my diet, I get to go there occasionally as a treat.
But their TV commercials are awful.
Two dumb guys in a car arguing about their order.
Both should have been drowned at birth.
So should the copy writer and producer.
And the nitwit who bought the ad campaign.
MaryEllen Tribby is a marketing explorer.
She admits marketing ideas find her wherever she is.
She loves Whole Foods because “they do things right.”
Ask where a product may be, they take you to it.
They ask if you need help finding anything else.
But they goofed up on a discount offer recently.
The more you bought, the less you saved.
In buying more, she was being penalized.
When you offer discounts, to do them right.
You can make it scientific and methodical.
For example, digital or print publication rates.
Lets say yours is $99 for a year or 12 monthly issues.
A good rule of thumb is a 30% discount for two years. Then 10% a year discount until the
fiveyear mark.
Don’t offer more than five years due to the liability.
That’s $178 for two years ($79 for the second year).
Multiple discounts are inflation beaters.
You’re getting paid in highervalue 2014 dollars.
Use variations on this for goods and services.
30% off on the second item, 10% off up to five items.
Recommended reading
Ever wonder “What It Costs to Be the Boss”?
It costs a lot — but the payoff is incredible.
My new book is about leadership in business.
It gives you a blueprint for success.
For a copy, email me at [email protected]
Next: Stealing from Walt Disney.
© 2014 The Bellune Company, Inc.
Neither MidlandsBiz.com nor The Bellune Company, Inc. makes any warranty as to the results that may be achieved from using this information. Requests for permission to reprint or circulate may be obtained by emailing [email protected]
