Big Space With Little Room
Recently playing tourist in New York, we found ourselves in Times Square at midnight.
So bright it feels like noon, Times Square at night is impressive. Of course you should still watch your wallet and avoid the three card monte games, but New York authorities have cleaned out much of yesterday’s riffraff.
Today the hookers are less conspicuous, the police more obvious, and the atmosphere relatively wholesome. Though sensitized to my surroundings, I didn’t worry for my life every moment…unlike during my tenure there in the eighties.
Messages screamed for our attention from billboards, storefronts, and subway entrances. Millions of lights sought attention from every angle, announcing “Broadway’s Biggest Party”, bus tours, streaming shows, fashion and perfume.
Despite this unceasing multi-hued assault on my senses, one marketing effort grabbed my eye. Astride a building just above bus level was a QR code for LG OLED Art.
This graphic delivered me to a website for a virtual digital art exhibition by amazing artists using 3D technology to create phenomenal artwork.
Consider that for a second: hundreds of colorful messages were vying for my attention. The black and white QR code was the one I responded to…because it was different.
Regardless of what you sell, you too can stand out from the crowd. Nike, Aleve, and other big names periodically put out B&W television commercials guaranteed to stand out from all the full color spots their competition’s presenting. The movie The Artist was a cinematic sensation, presenting a story that was both B&W and silent.
Many people have trouble thinking differently, believing there’s a reason nobody is doing X. That reason is typically because nobody’s previously thought of it.
However, the marketer who’s both imaginative and gutsy enough to try something different is likely to reap the benefits of being noticed. Investors call it a first-mover advantage. And assuming your follow-up (website, social media, sales team) are all equally creative and well-developed, you can garner attention AND be successful.
When strategizing your next communications effort, consider doing something radically different. True, it may seem crazy in the moment. Then again, if it’s significantly distinctive from everything else in the marketplace, it may be just enough to give you that edge you’re seeking.
And that’s what it’s all about, no?
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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Get more new ideas at www.marketbuilding.com.
