Make a Badass Marketing Stunt

Marketing is all about attraction. People live in a busy place so you can’t ask them to look at your product, you have to make them look at your product. Normal doesn’t cut it anymore. If you own a TV or read articles on the internet, you could see people like Miley Cyrus and Ted Cruz going the distance for some shock and awe. Some say that what they did was outrageous or distasteful, but you know what? They came out victorious because we’re talking about them. That’s what they wanted to do and they accomplished it, now they are household names.

Now I’m not saying that you should dance in skimpy clothes and give a 21 hour speech, but think in the same lines. What could you do to attract people and make them look at your martial arts school and the products and services that you offer? Make a badass marketing stunt so effective that people can’t ignore you anymore.

Marketing stunts work. Just look at the different companies who successfully pulled a marketing stunt and saw their sales soar. Remember the time when Taco Bell said they bought the Liberty Bell? The headline alone was shocking but when they explained it in their advertisements it really seemed plausible. Taco Bell said that they wanted to buy the Liberty Bell because they wanted to help with the nation’s debt like companies adopting highways. And a lot of people bought it. But the date was, April 1, so it was just a prank, but still, a lot of people paid attention. The prank was covered by numerous broadcast outlets, newspapers, TV stations that reached up to 70 million Americans. Taco Bell saw a surge in their revenue, $500,000 for April 1 and another $600,000 the next day. Lesson is, shock, awe, plus humor can be marketing gold.

Of course, this magnitude cannot exactly be done by small business owners but you can emulate what they’ve done. Here are some pointers.

Make it Shocking

The point of a badass marketing stunt is that it should stand out. Be extraordinary so people can’t help themselves but take notice.

Make it Shareable

People love to share what they see and experience, especially now in the age of the internet. So make a stunt that people can share to their family and friends. Your marketing stunt should inspire people to talk about it.

Be Consistent with Your Brand

Although the Taco Bell prank was effective, some people still didn’t find it funny (even though it was April fool’s day) so to be on the safe side, stay true to your brand. Don’t make a stunt for the sake of making a stunt. Create something that attracts people in a good way, something that’s connected to your martial arts school and feels right.

And although I said you can’t really imitate the size of Taco Bell’s marketing stunt, it doesn’t mean that you can’t go big. If you have a marketing idea right now, make it relevant to the size of your business and your target market.