PureStone Partners LLC

I noticed an ad today absolutely worth noting…it simply and succinctly said:  “Does your marketing suck?”

At first I was shocked and appalled, but the more I looked at it I found myself compelled to click on the ad.  Who in there right mind would start an ad that way – probably someone willing to try something different.

It also jostled an old memory from one of marketing professors about a similar incident.  As he was driving to a client one day he passed a sign that said “Hot Arple Pie.”  He knew it was an apple pie, and was not really all that interested in apple pie, yet the sign got him thinking enough that he turned around to actually see if it was “apple” or “arple.”  And as you guessed it, 30 miles and one sale later and it was confirmed “Hot Apple Pie.”  And 20 years later, I am still thinking about “Arple Pie”

So back to “Does your marketing suck?”  It was catchy, adversarial, and in the end it moved me from unknowing to slightly informed. Perhaps in this case, the ends certainly justified the means.

Take a look at your marketing material:

• Does it intrigue?
• Does it invite action?
• Is it any different than your competition’s?
• When was the last time you changed up your marketing campaings, slogans, taglines, etc?
• Can you afford for your programs to perform at the rate they are performing?
• Would you consider your company competitive in terms of adaptability?

Interestingly enough, once I clicked on the ad I was taken to the company’s home page where I found a great quote:

“It is not the strongest species that survives,

nor the most intelligent;

but rather the most adaptable to change.”

Charles Darwin