There are a number of things in life that bring a big smile to my face: My wife and kids, “special time” with my wife and a different kind of special time with my kids (LOL), excellence specific to my work, a fantastic workout at the gym, a long motorcycle ride on a perfect day, and…discovering major marketing blunders.
Huh?
What can I tell you? I enjoy observing marketing blunders and then using someone else’s error to illustrate what not to do.What’s even more satisfying is when the party that made the error is a huge company that employes lots of “marketing experts.” Oh – the joy!
Please take a look at the image below. It’s not the best photo (taken by a friend with their phone), but it will serve this discussion to the degree required.
As you can guess, and hopefully see, this is a window display that is advertising a special sale (taking place over the weekend). The sale is titled “Friends & Family” – and, as one would guess, if you are a “friend” or a “family member,” you get to save 25% on your purchase. Very nice.
This window display belongs to a very famous clothier, and this image is taken outside one of their “premium” outlet stores. In contrast to most of the other outlet stores, the store at which this photo was taken was not very busy. As they later discovered, they had made a significant marketing error.
Because they had LIMITED the sale to “Friends & Family,” they in turn, disqualified the better percentage of prospective customers. They offered 25% off for “Friends & Family,” thus excluding anyone who didn’t fit either category and wasn’t willing to pay 25% more for the same items.
Could the definition of a “Friend” simply mean anyone?
Could you or I be a “Friend”?
If they were going to run a sale that was just for “Friends & Family,” then doing so on a Monday or Wednesday (typically slower days for retail) would have been better than a Saturday and Sunday.
How does this relate to you?
My hope is that this blunder gets you to take a second look at what you are putting out there with regard to any aspect of your business. Sometimes the road to misfortune is paved with the best of intentions.
Have A GREAT Day!
…Dr. Marc & The Mind Virus Team