I was in San Francisco for meetings the past few days and one of the city’s growing number of panhandler’s offered up a marketing lesson in cutting through the clutter.
As we were walking to a restaurant on the wharf we encountered no less than eight or nine individuals asking for money. Some had cups they simply held out, some were standing, and others sitting and making a general motion in our direction, suggesting what they wanted.
But one guy had a sign that read: “Why lie. I’m gonna spend it on booze.”
This is not to minimize the struggle of those who find themselves in desperate situations or the issue of alcoholism
But, this particular individual was grabbing the attention of everyone who passed by and his cup was full. Talk about effective direct marketing.
The point is that if you are in a highly competitive, cluttered market, you need to make sure that your message manages to stand out, and as a result you boost your marketing ROI.
