We live in an era of commercialisation; it is an unavoidable fact of life. This kind of secondary and tertiary industry is by far the most prevalent in the western world where manufacturing has been in decline for decades.Basically everywhere we look someone is trying to sell us something. It is not hard to understand that many people quickly reach saturation point with all of the “traditional” advertising that surrounds them and soon stop paying attention. This is not to say that it doesn’t work, obviously it does or it wouldn’t be as prolific as it is, it is more that people are used to this approach and it is not as effective as it potentially once was.
Thinking outside the box
So, with regular advertising not having the impact it may once have done, advertisers are forced to get creative. This has given way to a whole new subindustry of innovative advertising ideas; you have probably heard of viral advertising, well this is simply a ploy to get people’s attention with a stunt of some kind and then provide a link to the product or service. They don’t even have to be related, the idea is that the attention holds the power and that can then be directed wherever the campaign organisers desire.
Attracting attention
Now there are many ways to get attention, some definitely more effective than others, but you have to factor in your brand image. Do you really want your brand associated with a public disruption such as a flash mob? Many companies will have no issue with this, but even if you ignore the cost, it might not be a good fit for your company. Ask yourself, what can I do to get attention, what do people like? Two sure fire winners are candy and freebees.
Corporate candy
Why not promote your business with customised candy that has your company’s information on it. Pass out free mini chocolate bars with your logo and web address on the wrapper or sweet boxes branded with your logo. It is almost guaranteed that people will accept free candy and they have to look at your advertisement if they want to eat it. There are a host of different websites and companies out there that can handle such an advertising campaign on your behalf, but instead of paying someone to run it for you, it is very possible to handle it in house. Businesses such as Candy Kitchen are custom candy makers and they will be able to produce whatever type of advertising candy you could possibly imagine. It is this kind of lateral thinking that is taking ever increasing prominence in the advertising industry and as things continue to evolve such approaches are going to become much more commonplace. Get ahead of the curve and start an alternative advertising campaign today; and if you do, why not give your potential customers a sweet treat.
