Kittens and Lemonade and Offer Testing
As I drove through my neighborhood on a recent Saturday morning, I passed a lemonade stand run by a 5 or 6 year-old little girl. I thought, how neat, another lemonade stand with a cute little child probably trying to make enough money to get an iPhone or PlayStation (you know, the essentials for today’s tech savvy kids!).
Then I noticed something that told me this was no ordinary lemonade stand, and no ordinary little girl running the lemonade stand.
There was a large box sitting next to her lemonade stand. She had written on the side of the box with a crayon. It read “Free kitten with lemonade”. I thought, what a clever marketing idea from such a young mind! (Maybe her parents had something to do with the idea, but I’d like to think it was all hers.)
In theory, mixing kittens with lemonade is an “apples and oranges” situation – not exactly an intuitive combo. But in this case, it was so wonderfully unique (not to mention adorable), that it caught my attention. (This is not easy to do, since I’m knee-deep in marketing every workday!)
I’ve worked on tons of direct marketing campaigns over the years, and many times we’ve found that “apples and oranges” marketing offers – e.g., open a checking account and get free luggage – can grab attention and drive increased response for our clients.
The beauty with direct marketing is that you can test and measure the impact of stuff like this. That keeps my team busy building different versions of creative for testing.
If you’re trying to boost your results and break through the clutter, it may be worth taking a look at testing offers in the “apples and oranges” category. Give it a try – you may be surprised.
I wonder how many kittens went home with refreshed lemonade customers that day…
Have you ever tested a marketing offer that had a “kittens and lemonade” feel to it? I bet there are some great examples out there. Please share!
Ray Brooks
About the author
Ray Brooks serves as HF Direct’s Creative Services guru. With 20+ years in the direct marketing industry, he’s created countless promotions and developed a well-honed sense of “what works”. Still, he loves to keep it fresh by pushing the envelope and trying new approaches to help clients improve results with their marketing efforts. On a related note, he’s still trying to figure out “what works” when it comes to his golf swing.
