I went to the Fashion Valley Mall in Mission Valley (San Diego) yesterday to go to the new Microsoft Store to check out the new Surface Tablet and Windows 8. As I got off the freeway and headed into the parking lot, I saw at least 6 people standing on different corners and intersections with signs, asking for help or money.
At the first signal I was stopped at, the guy with a small almost unintelligible sign got “donations” from at least three cars around me before the left turn light turned green. Looking in my mirror it looked like the donations were small bills, although one car looked like they gave the guy a twenty. The red light had lasted about a 90 seconds and the guy did pretty well.
Obviously with someone on almost every conceivable location where traffic stopped, this was a good place to make money. However, as with most good things, soon comes the competition.
As my wife and I parked spent a couple of hours at the mall, it looked like business as well as the weather were brisk. We found the Microsoft Store and got a hands on look at the new Surface tablet and operating system. We took a free class and had a pretty good experience at this new location (Review here).
When we left we exited out one of the minor exits. We turned right onto Friars road and had to stop at an intersection for the main exit. There on the corner of the busiest intersection in the whole mall was a guy with a very clever sign. I caught the message in a 5 second glance as I was driving by, but the words stuck in my mind.
It said…
This sign was large, easy to read, with large clear fonts. I instantly got the message.
This sign conformed to my 4H presentation evaluation to a tee…
- Head: Make Me Think. “I’m so Broke it Hurts.”
- Heart: Add Emotion. “It FEELS REALLY BAD to be BROKE”
- Hands: Ask Me to Take Action. “$5 Will Really Help”
- Humor: Make Me Smile. The sign was so well done I couldn’t help but smile
This sign hit me right between the eyes. I actually wanted to fight traffic and go back. It had a strong emotional pull and a clear call to action. Evidently this guy have received some marketing tips from someone.
Is your marketing message this clear? Would I be able to understand it? Would it hit me emotionally? And the really big question… Would I get the message in 5 seconds as I drove by in my car?
Question: What is your marketing message?
