Standing Up Straight
Last week’s discussion with a client was a disaster.
Here’s the skinny.
These guys lease space in the leading supermarket chains in North America and install DVD rental kiosks right behind the check out counters. Big traffic, so-so business. The problem is that supermarket shoppers rarely notice anything after they’ve paid and checked out.
So, how do we get their attention?
A solution, they say, is to use their big name ad agency’s advice and begin a week long PPC (pay-per-click) program with a newish publisher who is “doing great in five cities.”
It’s important to note that the agency here is so big that they actually own the publication in question, plus a leading hockey team and everything else Clear Channel doesn’t own.
“Have you or your family ever heard of this site?” I asked.
“Well, no, but our agency is run by a billionaire and he either knows what he’s talking about or can buy whatever we need to succeed," they said.
“Can’t argue with that,” I said.
What I wanted to say was that they are heading into a dark place and are wasting their money by trying to pull eyeballs into unfamiliar places using unfamiliar behavior. Instead, I used all the skill I could muster and said the magic b-school words, “But have you considered…?”
Have you considered creating a program gently informing your customers that there is a very cool and cost effective movie rental machine right there in front of them when they check out? That the message will be found where the shoppers regularly go to see news of their TV shows and movies? Where they research products and services? Places they go to every week without fail? Social media, boys!
I tell them that of all the top 10 sites in the world, maybe half are social media and the rest are search engines. I raise my voice that there are social media activators that can grab a customer’s attention by the throat without leaving any of the tell-tale paid ad marks.
And, if you know what you are doing, it won’t cost nearly as much as paying someone to go where they don’t want to go and click where they really don’t want to click.
So, here is where things got weird.
The client says, “Hey I hear you, but my boss is very impressed with the agency’s cred. If it fails, I can always say I used the best.”
Cut to the sales guy turning red.
