Marketing executives everywhere know that there is no such thing as adequate, or even too much recognition when it comes to promoting brands and selling products . These same professionals also know that inexpensive , or better yet free, advertising cannot be beat . Sure , there are large companies in the world with the means to pay whatever is necessary to splash the corporate motto across the World Cup and the Final Four , but for those of us without that big budget , a little creativity is necessary in keeping costs down all the while gaining maximum exposure and thus, business.
Tell me how… PLEASE !!!
I will…but first, let me tell you a story. A few weeks ago I was in my automobile driving to my office when my eyes were unknowingly drawn away from the street towards the front yard of a house that I pass by all the time . I see this house every single day , but never once have I actually observed any detail about the house. I could not even tell you the color of the house (I’ve since noticed that it’s yellow) or whether it’s made of brick or wood paneling (wood paneling). Must be something about the house being located on a busy avenue ; or, you could jump to the conclusion that it’s just any old house with no exciting characteristics . Either way, for some reason, on this one particular day, my eyes were drawn towards this yellow house made of wood paneling like a magnet . Something was different, something new that grabbed my attention without even asking me for permission. A metal sign had been placed in the yard with a name, a phone number and the words “For Sale.”
Who cares ? Real estate “For Sale” signs are all around us nowadays !
Yes , but in my own defence, there are other houses on the same block that have metal “For Sale” signs in the yard and I never noticed any of those houses prior to this either! Hmm…very odd . There are several houses with metal “For Sale” signs in the yards on a busy street that I drive down everyday; and yet, for some reason, on this one particular day, and everyday since for that matter, my face is somehow immediately drawn towards this one same yellow house with the wood paneling.
Fill me in already! What is going on ?
The truth is, there really is not one single thing wholly off-the-wall unique about the house. The secret, my friends , is in the shape of the aluminum sign on the lawn . The custom sign is in the shape of an octagon, just like a STOP SIGN!
Wow, that’s so neat ! Wait, why is that awesome ?
Since we are so used to seeing the interesting shape of a stop sign while we are motoring , our minds automatically associate that shape, the octagon, with the action of stopping. So, when I was driving down the same road I always use to get to work and saw that 8 sided metal sign out of my peripheral vision , my attention was drawn to that custom metal sign without me even having to think about it. Once the sign had my attention, I then saw not only that the metal sign was actually a “For Sale” sign, but also that the sign was advertising a yellow, wooden house.
Ohhh, I think I got it!
So you see, advertising does not have to be costly to be effective. By using a mental game into his advertising method, this real estate agent was able to draw attention to the home he is trying to sell without hiring an ad agency and without spending all his money . The guy simply questioned the usual ways of real estate marketing , and, with a bit of creativeness, found a way to make his listing stand out more so than others. Oh, and for the record , I still couldn’t tell you about any of the other homes that are for sale on that street .