Marketing ideas gone bad...

Name recognition is a goal for most people in business. Everyone in the real estate industry is always looking for ways to get their names in front of the consumer.

I was driving down a stretch on Interstate today when I noticed a local competitor had "adopted" the stretch of highway.  What a great idea I thought.  Here was a sign with the guy's name and company right there for all the passer-bys to see.  Thousands of cars travel by each day, many do so daily. What an opportunity to garner recognition.

Ah but wait, as I sped by at 70 mph I couldn't help but  notice the litter lining the freeway!  Trash was everywhere!  What kind of advertisement is that?

Granted I have no idea how much time and attention it must take to maintain a busy strip of highway.  For all I know it turned into a weekly job.  In all fairness we had snow on the ground for nearly two months, so maybe that's the problem.  In any event if I were the guys who's name is on that sign, I'd be worried about my image.  Maybe it's time to hire some high school kids to get the place back in shape. Removing the sign is another option... 

The other form of advertising I see on the road are the signs on cars.  Sometimes I think the drivers of the cars forget that having your Name and Company on your car means you must mind your P's and Q's. If you aren't the most courteous, pleasant and talented parker, perhaps you should fore go having your name plastered all over your car.

Another form of marketing that can go bad is something you find in urban areas; bus benches.  Having your name and perhaps your photo on a bus bench can be very risky.  How many times do you see bus benches defaced?  I guess if you look really good with a mustache and horns, then bus bench advertising might be for you.  If not, I'd be sure I had a bus bench located where I drove by it frequently, just to check the condition.

Sometimes our best laid plans aren't all that great.  Evaluating the actual result vs the desired result is important to both your reputation and your piece of mind.