Laughing At Ronald McDonald

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Mistakes can sometimes create memorable marketing efforts.

Consider a McDonald’s billboard in Australia. Located near Yass (population 6,328), the billboard shows the McDonald’s golden arches, the town’s name, and the statement “Open 6am”.

Logical, right? The firm’s branding is ubiquitous, and one look at the logo on a field of red tells customers all they need to know.

The wrinkle? The arches resemble the letter M. In this case the logo is followed by the town’s name and, read together, comes out as “MYASS.”

Being the cynical sort, I assumed this had been photoshopped by some wag seeking a laugh.  

I was wrong. The Yass Chamber of Commerce shows a photo of the billboard, confirming it’s legitimate.

The sharp-eyed reader sending this to me observed; “Obviously, this wasn’t clearly thought through.”

I agree, and it’s another compelling argument for taking these preventative steps when creating your next marketing materials;

1)     Consider your objective. Beyond “making money,” examine the product or service you’re selling and determine what you’re trying to accomplish (bring customers to your door, make the phone ring, deliver eyeballs to your website, etc.)

2)     Know your audience. Your company’s list of offerings are probably not one size fits all. Services needed by businesses may be different than those needed by consumers. One group of consumers may have different desires than another group’s.

3)     Get advance feedback. Ask a half dozen members of your target audience (preferably trusted customers) to review your marketing ideas before you invest in printing brochures, launching a website, revealing a billboard, or otherwise going public.

As we’ve discussed before, if you’re the person who created something or you’re otherwise overly close to it, you’re probably unlikely to see if something’s gone wrong.

But if there’s a problem like, say, an unexpected hidden message, one of your reviewers will probably catch it for you.

If they spot something you’ve missed, it can be fixed before you’ve wasted money or risked embarrassment. And, with luck, those extra sets of eyes will review your creative ideas and say “I’m lovin’ it!”

Having trusted friends acting as a focus group to examine your work in advance has got to be a smart move. After all, wouldn’t you rather hear about any potential problems from a friend?

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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Get more ideas to love at www.marketbuilding.com.