Regaining the Competivite Edge
In today’s fast-paced business world in the age of the Internet, doesn’t it seem like many businesses have lost their competitive edge? There are a lot of companies offering very worthwhile products and services. However, they can’t seem to win over a skeptical consumer because the message is being diluted because of so many others offering similar wares that make them all seem just like the other.
With so many products and services being offered to the public, it is of utmost importance for companies to develop branding and marketing strategies that can disseminate a unique message to the consumer and make them say, “Yes, I think I am going to buy that and try it.”
The challenge many times is to come up with a strategy that works — that is unique. Sometimes companies just need to throw out the box and create a whole new one in another universe. Today’s competitive business world dictates the need to develop new paradigms that go beyond the traditional and mundane marketing strategies that many companies have, up until now, been able to use effectively.
Unconventional marketing strategies are worth the effort and investment since they tend to be memorable which often times allows them to succeed.
Case Study: “You aren’t you when you’re hungry”
There are many case studies that drive the point home that a more unconventional means of getting the word out is effective. A case in point is the Snickers commercial where folks seem confused and dazed because they are hungry. When the confused person is given a Snickers bar they miraculously become themselves again. A key component of Snickers’ “you aren’t you when you’re hungry” campaign was the utilization of Google where they targeted “hungry” people each time they made a spelling mistake.
In her article entitled, “Unconventional Marketing Strategies and Campaigns” dated June 12, 2014, Selena Jordan of Stream:20 states that Snickers “used an algorithm to find the most common spelling mistakes. As a result in just two days they reached their target of appealing to over half a million people, 558,589 people to be exact.”
Unconventional marketing does work!
Key to Effective Branding and Marketing
The key to effective branding and marketing is to develop strategies that will get consumers talking about a product or service around the water cooler, at a social gathering or in simple conversations over dinner and/or cocktails. A marketing and branding campaign that can create a “buzz” about what is being offered and multiply that over and over again is almost guarantee to be effective. The following highlights some ideas that can get folks talking and induce others to want to buy the product or service.
∙ Utilizing Social Media
Using social media outlets in a company’s branding and marketing efforts is requisite to success.
∙ Visual Displays
Murals can be a fun and exciting way to promote a brand and help to clearly identify a business and its location.
∙ Use of Vacant Lots for “Pop-Up” Activities
An innovative way to bring attention to a particular business is through use of vacant lots to host an activity or some other event.
∙ Use of Interns/Students to Test Products
Creating and/or utilizing internship programs for marketing and research purposes can assist a company in developing cutting edge products, services and technology.
∙ Champion a Social Cause
There is no better way for businesses to garner great public relations exposure than to champion a social cause that is important to a large sector of society or one that is important to a small community in which a particular business is located.
∙ Give It Away
Consumers love to see companies helping those in need as well as undertaking pro-bono jobs to help spread the word about their services and products.
Key Question
When developing a marketing plan you need to keep in mind this key question. What marketing techniques can be used in my company that can create consumer satisfaction with our product or service that will give my company the competitive edge that other companies have not really utilized, as well as induce others to recommend our product or service to friends and family?
