Virgil Winston:Marketing Guru
My daughter, who is a few months shy of her 18th birthday, recently announced her desire to get a tattoo. As someone familiar with branding and four-color imprints, this was a day I dreaded but knew was imminent. As a father, I was appropriately horrified but as a marketer, I found it difficult to argue with her logic that “ink” is an ancient form of branding and she simply wanted to express her unique point of view by imprinting herself in a memorable way. It’s pretty hard to argue with solid logic. Since she is about to become a legal adult, my days of being able to tell her what to do are numbered. So, I did what any parent in my position would do—I offered her a bribe. If she agreed to remain ink free until her 21st birthday, I’d not only give my blessing, I’d pay for the tattoo. I also made her promise not to get a “tramp stamp” (a tattoo placed on the lower back) and asked her to at least consider placing her ink in a place that can be easily hidden just in case she ever decided to go in to politics. Oh, and I promised to give her the Kate Spade purse she had her eye on as a show of good faith.
I’m sure many experts would frown upon bribery as an effective parenting technique but sometimes you’ve just got to be practical and do what works. I’m hoping that she’ll forget all about wanting a tattoo in three years but if not, I’m prepared to up the ante. Which brings me to today’s marketing lesson. When you are considering what kind of gift, tradeshow give away or promotional product to purchase, don’t be afraid to up the ante. Rush Imprint’s products come with one-color imprint, but think about going the extra mile and getting a four-color imprint. Sure it costs a little more, but that extra pop of color goes a long way. Try adding a tag line to your logo for some extra punch or go with a gift with a little more weight like the Covington Bowl, made of 24% lead crystal and crafted by old world artisans; it is the perfect symbol of company pride and will show your clients you mean business.
I’m off to meet my daughter at the mall—it’s time to make good on my promise. Until next time, remember, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.”