Guerilla Marketing Strategy: Parking Angels

If you are needing to create some lightning quick and positive “buzz” for your brand, and don’t want to spend a ton on old-fashioned media advertising, you may want to look into a concept called a Parking Angel campaign that not only gets people talking about your company, but might stir up an insane amount of FREE publicity if done correctly. Allow me to explain.

The concept is simple.

First, drive down to your local bank and get yourself $50 worth of dimes. This should be your only expense for this campaign.

Next, find a high-traffic/pedestrian area (ex: downtown) and begin walking around looking for expired or soon-to-be expired meters that cars are still occupying.

If you find one, drop a dime or two in the parking meter to eliminate a possible parking ticket for the car owner and place one of your business cards on their windshield along with a short hand-written note on the back explaining that they were visited by the Parking Angel courtesy of (insert your business name here). Explain that you saw their meter expired and wanted to step in and help them avoid a costly parking ticket.

The response will be huge.

It’s absolutely crazy the amount of buzz you can create by spending one simple dime!
People will be absolutely amazed that you (your company) took the liberty to go out of your way to help them out in a random act of kindness.

At the very least, they will go out of their way to tell someone else about what had happened. Who knows, you might even make a new customer. Maybe even drive some good web traffic to your website.

All for only 10 cents!

As I said, the concept is simple but the results are awesome.
The more creative you are with your campaign, the greater the chances for added publicity.

Paul Dickens, a millionaire businessman, did just that by hiring a group of beautiful girls to walk around town and had them refill expired parking meters. He got the idea after reading about the original 1960s Meter Maids service in Surfers' Paradise, Australia, where bikini-wearing girls worked to attract consumers back into the city centre

Time to take it to the streets.

Cost: $$
Time: 5 hours
Effort: Medium
Effectiveness: High

Nutrition labels now the HOT new advertising area?

According to a recent Neilsen Poll, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of US consumers notice nutritional information on food packaging more often now compared to two years ago.

Sixty-five percent!

If I were in charge of food package branding for my company, I would be scurrying to make sure the prime space area around the nutrition label is being exploited to full extent. Hell I might even think about moving the humble ol' nutrition label to the front of the box.

That would get their attention.

How To Be A Better Marketer (advice from a hooker)

It was the best $50 I've ever spent.

Her name was Amber and she about the same height I was. Never had I thought that a "lady of the night" could be so authentically stunning and genuinely captivating as her. She gently smiled, ordered a drink and seductively pulled a cigarette out of her purse.

What happened next was one of the most remarkable learning experiences I've ever had in my life.

Among the smoke, beer and mindless background bar chatter, that night, I learned 3 raw, undisclosed secrets of marketing, from a Las Vegas hooker.

And I'm going to share them with you.

Is it getting hot in here?

Lesson #1

Not every satisfied customer is completely satisfied.

To me, the basic agreement and interaction between a hooker and a customer is pretty elementary. Guy pays girl. Girl has sex with guy. Guy leaves happy. Simple stuff. But as Amber pointed out, "Just because you get their money doesn't mean you'll get their business."

What you can learn from a hooker: When a customer purchases your product or service, most marketing execs view that as a met goal. They get their money, the customer gets the brand. It's a win-win. In essence, the sale begins at the purchase. Finicky is the buyer and most customers (including myself) don't believe in brand loyalty these days and are quick to not only betray a brand, but also make sure others know why we have decided to take our business elsewhere. Just because a customer chooses to initially buy your product does not mean you've earned their business. You have to have them wanting to return to your brand. How do you do this? By knowing what they want, before they want it. Give them comfort in your brand by continuously giving them different options from the newest developing trends in your industry. Customers love knowing their brands are making an effort to keep them "in-the-know" on the latest craze or fad. You don't have to be hip, you just have to be aware.

Lesson #2

The higher heels, the higher chances.

This one made me smile at the simplicity of it. Amber mentioned that competition in the "escort" industry is pretty fierce and cut throat when it comes down to lining up potential clients over a given night. The standard tactic most of the women prefer is to pursue potential customers by making an effort in seeking them out and proactively asking them directly for their business. Amber has a different idea. Instead of being one of the "herd" (her own words), she stands out by letting her shoes do the talking. She considers her 7" black stiletto heels her very own trademark and has potential customers specifically seeking her out because of those famous black stilettos.

What you can learn from a hooker: You need to think bigger. Gone are the days of boring marketing meetings where old-fashion execs sit around a complain about how the "younger" generation just doesn't know what they want anymore. Marketing meetings these days are lively braingasms of spewing trend information where collaboration is respected more than individualistic achievements. Your department needs to be driven by trends. Every idea that rolls out of your marketing department should bring an aura of giddiness and excitement for the intended end results. If you don't get giddy, then you need to get back to the drawing board. Most of the time, an entire restructure of the strategy is not needed, simply a well-placed boost. Stand out from the rest. Build your brand with excitement. Show them your best assets. Ask yourself: "What does my company want to be known for?". Start to build from there.

Lesson #3

To be the best, you've got to be flexible

Don't lie, this one made you smile. I'll let this one be.

What you can learn from a hooker: Being flexible means more than being able to effectively adjust to a situation. When a professional marketer is flexible, he/she not only relies on the pulse of the masses to steer their overall strategy but also is smart enough to re-evaluate the trend on a constant basis and adjust by sometimes delaying or tweaking an upcoming marketing effort. Take advantage of being flexible in your marketing campaigns by leveraging your ability to effectively change key factors at a moments notice and still achieve the same or better results. In other words, spend as much time on your backup plan as you do your final campaign. Having to be flexible should be expected.

So there you have it. Marketing advice from a hooker. What's funny is that Amber is probably twice as dedicated to finding out what her customer's desires are than most entire marketing department staffs. She doesn't have brainstorming sessions or complicated focus groups, but she does have a grasp on how to brand herself in a crowded market. Remember, focus efforts on consistent satisfaction of your customer base, stand out by making bold moves and embrace being able to adjust at a moment's notice without having it be a major undertaking.

As for the $50, I didn't actually pay Amber for any services rendered, I simply bought her drinks while we chatted. I consider it an investment.

Wonder how I'll expense that?