It was a stunning application of the old real estate adage Location. Location. Location.
My kids and I were leaving church this morning, and right outside the sanctuary was a lady with a massive cardboard box marked FREE KITTENS. By design, the box was impossible to miss -- especially for my kids, all four of whom have been pissing and moaning this summer for us to get a pet. Actually, Alene and I caved-in and bought them a goldfish in June, but that only lasted two weeks, fragile that a goldfish's life is.
Immediately, I could see what W.C. Fields meant when he said "There's no such thing as free kittens." As Jack and Camille each held a kitten -- none of which had been declawed -- the furry little critters began to pill the kids' church clothes.
The Cat Lady was a Master Salesman, at once asking Camille (hypothetically, of course) what she would name the kitten she held. After Camille replied "Lucy," the Cat Lady thereafter referred to Camille's kitten as Lucy -- and psychologically transferred ownership of the animal to my petless six-year old daughter. It was all I could do to get the kids back in the car empty-handed without them calling me "Hitler" or something.
As we drove home in a frosty silence, I began to think about what a great marketing strategy it would be for a pet food company or cat litter maker to send out people to churches and grocery stores to give away kittens. Aside from the ancillary PR benefits (Headline: "Whiska's catfood company teams up with local Humane Society to find homes for thousands of kittens!"), what better way to sell cat litter than to stimulate the primary demand for it? Let face it: A well-loved cat is a well-fed cat. And a well-fed cat needs a litter box -- and a lifetime supply of cat litter.
Marketers: Can you think of any ways to apply this logic to your product or service? Gillette did it by selling razor handles cheap and making money on replacement blade sales. HP did it by selling printers cheap and making money on printer cartridge sales. Does this post inspire any cooperative marketing ideas? Ask yourself: "When I create a customer for myself -- who else am I creating a customer for?" Then contact these companies about a possible joint venture.
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Q: Need the number of a recruiter who "gets it?"
A: Download Harry's contact info for future reference.
