Category — Marketing Mistakes and Solutions

A friend in Colorado (where apparently, this is common) stopped at the grocery store the other day to buy gas.  There’s a speaker next to the pump – which immediately started urging her to buy some fuel additive. 

She hit the button to make it stop.  It kept going… and going.  She stood there muttering at the thing, ‘Didn’t I just tell you to shut up? Stop it! Be quiet!”

Congratulations, gas company. You’ve just invented “grocery spam.”

Just because you can use technology to talk directly to people doesn’t mean  you should – or that they want to hear what you’re saying.  

That’s not permission marketing.  Ask first.  Before you send your newsletter to someone, ask if they’re interested. Same with cell phone text messages (which are illegal in the US without express permission). Or, my personal least favorite, commercials (on monitors) in public restrooms. Don’t invent new and different kinds of spam.