I had a startling dose of reality today.  In search of the latest buzz in digital marketing I came across this story from a small-town ad guy in Waco, Texas.

One of his clients is a large car dealership.  Located on a major stretch of highway, the owner has decided to spend 3,000 bucks a month to put this dinger on the dealership’s roof:

Jay Ehret, the small town ad guy, had this to say about his client’s decision:

“Why do they do it? I think they learn it in car dealer school. They fly balloons, they fly banners, and have phony liquidation sales. They think that’s what they’re supposed to do because everyone does it. They are trapped by their own industry-think. The same dealership that spends $3000 a month on balloons won’t spend $1200 a quarter to send a newsletter to its existing customers with money-saving service coupons. Why should they? That’s just not how it’s done.”

Fair question. He goes on, asking “What balloons are you flying over your business…is there some marketing technique you are using just because everyone else in your industry does it? Maybe it’s time to try something else. Look at other non-related industries for marketing techniques that you could apply to your business. Why not be unique instead of just like everyone else?”

The power of differentiation.  The term late-capitalism has a lot of baggage, but one reality of it is many of our great industries and institutions are playing in the world of parody.  Often the largest, most established corporations react to competitive pressure by mirroring techniques.  Raising the bar is often just an effort to maintain status quo.

The question Jay poses applies to companies much more powerful than a local car dealership.   It seems balloons are flying over many businesses, and as tempting as it may seem to trump the competition with an inflatable pink gorilla, a more novel approach may be to look at other “marketing techniques that you could apply to your business.”

For the auto dealership scenario, how could the owner best use his $3,000?  What other techniques could he incorporate from other industries?

I was thinking of possible solutions while driving myself to the doc-in-the box later in the day (cut my finger with a kitchen knife).  On the way I passed by a new car dealership in Austin, Shock Value.

They don’t have a balloon, but what they do have is a live band playing in front of their dealership.  The bumper-to-bumper traffic creeping down South Lamar was a perfect audience.  It captured attention in a way no balloon could have.  I wasn’t compelled to pull over, after all my finger was bleeding on the steering wheel.  But I recognized the dealership and will remember it if ever in the market for an electric car (which may be a reality when my ‘94 Camry heads to the grave).  One Austin band x 4 rush-hour fridays = less than $3,000.