Get More Bang for Your Marketing Buck!

06 Oct Get More Bang for Your Marketing Buck!

Forbes recently wrote a great article entitled; “Marketing Tactics Worth the Money” that is worth drawing attention to.  In the strained economic environment we are all adjusting to, the reality that we can’t do EVERYTHING is settling in. The challenge for businesses today is to do more with less, and to do that, businesses need to be smart about where and how they are spending their marketing dollars.  The tactics in the article give clear examples of marketing ideas with power, and most are quantifiable…which helps you see your return on investment.

What marketing tactics do you the ARE NOT worth the money?   Discuss.  And just to get the discussion going, here are some world-famous marketing blunders…Enjoy!

5 Worst Marketing Ideas … Ever

• While some campaigns are notable for their brilliance, others, well, not so much. Here are five marketing efforts we could have done without.
• Worst campaign to trigger a bomb scare: Aqua Teen Hunger Force In January 2007, Turner Broadcasting System Inc.’s promotion of its TV show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which featured small electronic light boards with one of the series’ characters, triggered a bomb scare in Boston.
• Worst use of body parts in marketing: Logo tattoos In the 1990s, California eatery Casa Sanchez offered free lunch for life to anyone who got a tattoo of their logo. Nervous about how quickly people were getting inked, the eatery limited the offer to the first 50 people.
• Worst sponsorship idea: Bidding for baby naming rights The dotcom era ushered in a (thankfully small) rash of people trying to sell off their children’s names for extra dough. Poor little Widget Smith.
• Worst campaign character: The Quiznos creatures Superimposed over a Quiznos sub shop were two disturbing, singing rat-like creatures. Fortunately, the shop got wise and ditched them after public outcry. But it’s an image that stays with you. Go ahead, look them up on YouTube–but don’t say we didn’t warn you.
• Worst plague-like sweep of viral marketing: Starbucks’ viral marketing fiasco A free-coffee coupon sent by baristas with no restrictions circulated the internet, causing an overwhelming rate of renewal. Ultimately the coffee purveyor stopped honoring the coupon, causing a mini controversy.