WHAT’S THE POINT?
In the world of business, every entrepreneur wants to believe that they know better than anyone else what will make their company grow. It is part and parcel of being an entrepreneur that you dream big, follow your own lead, make your own rules and believe in yourself.
We in America are inundated with marketing messages. There is a constant barrage of advertising attacking us every day and in almost every way. I went to the dry cleaners the other day to pick up some shirts and out they came, carefully ensconced in that thin plastic. This time though, they carried a message. Not the usual “Dave’s Dry Cleaners,” but rather an ad for “Desperate Housewives.” My first thought was “Oh my god, is nothing safe?” and my second was, what a great ad campaign, “Everyone has a little dirty laundry.”
As I was walking up the street to my car, I noticed a taxi drive by with those new fangled wheel covers with the Virgin Mobile logo on them. Sir Richard Branson, the man that I love to hate, has done it again. Not only is his logo on the wheel of earth bound taxis, but he managed to get it on SpaceshipOne, the winner of the X prize. Given the size of his new Virgin enterprise, Virgin Galactic, it will not be surprising to see the logo plastered all over the place.
When a company needs to grow, there must be a concerted effort to make a name and a logo easily recognizable. The mar-ketplace needs to be inundated with the same information over and over again. That is why commercials are run so many times in the same hour on television. This is why you receive 12 copies of the same boring newsletter from your local realtor. That is why all of Sir Richard’s companies have Virgin in the name — it saves money on the marketing and increases recognizability.
As a small businessperson you need to be creative in the way in which you do your marketing. Obviously, Sir Richard has access to millions of dollars for his advertising campaigns, but anyone who watches him, will quickly note that he does outrageous stunts and innovative marketing because that will get the press involved in covering him and his company for free.
Certainly few people have the resources to make an attempt at a round-the-world air ballooning trip, or purchase the tail spot on a prize winning space flight. But a small business person can create a buzz around his company by utilizing tried and true materials, and by being innovative.
The tried and true T-shirt, ball cap and sign on the side of a truck are all wonderful examples of advertising that works. When I began marketing for my sleep lab, one of the first things that I wanted was a memorable logo. I wanted a logo that would incorporate what we do, and play on a visual cue. Because our labs are located in hotels, we took the international sign for a hotel and added some Z’s to it so it was a bit whimsy and yet retained its iconic stature.
The next step was to put it on quality T-shirts. Because this is a medical company, we needed shirts that we could wear on a casual appointment or around town, and still look nice. Solid color polos with our logo embroidered on the chest were the call of the day.
I have worn mine around town and so has our vice president. Almost every time that we wear one, we get a question from someone who wants to know what it is, where they can get tested, or share a story with me about their test and how it changed their lives for the better. We’ve picked up patients from our very simple, non-intrusive advertising. That makes it a very cost effective marketing tool.
The value of a good name and strong logo make your marketing easier. How do you tell a good name from a bad name? I had a client who was doing this ground breaking medical treatment for people who were stroke victims. They have this very long, extremely descriptive name that is completely worthless in my view. It is one of those “Superior Medical Treatment for the Deleterious Effects of Cranial Seizures in Homo Sapiens” names. Way too academic and not easily marketed. Of course, that is why they came to me for help.
I would have changed the name to “Stroke Survival” or something simple like that. I like company names that either convey a brand to me, like Virgin, or tell me exactly what the company does, like “Tim’s Landscaping Co.” If I have to think too much about what a company does, it makes the message too hard to convey.
The key to a good marketing campaign is simplicity and consistency. Send a clear message over and over again. It also helps to have someone to bounce ideas off of for a second opinion. You never want to send the wrong message inadvertently. I’ve seen it happen with lots of companies. My personal favorite is the lawyer who had misspelled attorney on his business cards, and continued to distribute them.
I love entrepreneurs, but sometimes they need to be saved from themselves. (David Pisarra is a business development lawyer in the Santa Monica firm of Pisarra & Grist. He welcomes your questions and comments. He or (310) 664- 9969).
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 12, 2004. Read the original PDF.