Masonry Magazine November 2001 Page. 34
RISK/continued from page 32
So at the time, that "failed" risk you just took may not have been such a failure after all. In fact, you may be closer to your goal then ever. I'd submit that many events that (at the time) were viewed as failures were not only not failures, but remarkably (oddly?) effective promotional vehicles. A classic example of this is with actress/singer/Miss America Vanessa Williams. We all know the story and we all know how-at the time Ms. William's scandal seemed destined to plunge her into eternal ostracism.
But she remained confident in herself. She fought through criticism and uncertainty and persevered. She learned from her experience and kept moving forward. Lo and behold, time went on. Public memory and wrath melted away. Negativity faded... but the name-recognition remained. Nowadays, if you were to ask anyone on the street (the post-Mary-Ann-Mobley crowd) who the most successful Miss America was in history, many I'm guessing most would give her name.
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Applications and Apples
But don't go peeling off your clothes just yet, it was only an example of our sometimes misguided view of failure (besides, you look silly and the receptionist could walk in any moment ...). Let's bring this back to some of the basics. What sort of risks are we talking about? Well, every risk doesn't have to be a radical departure from previous paths. It also doesn't have to be in-your-face-screaming-from-the-rooftops blitzkrieg (unless that approach works into your overall marketing plan).
Sometimes, a well-crafted but only small departure from the center can do the trick. One of my favorite examples of this technique was with the soft, subtle yet compellingly attractive marketing program launched by Apple Computers years back when they featured a simple gray-tone photo of their latest computer with the plain, lone caption, "Introducing Lisa" beneath the photo. The ad was like someone whispering your name. The reader's immediate reaction was "who (or what) is Lisa?" That was the hook.
But there was more. Once you did understand that the ad was about a computer, there was the involuntary, inexplicably compelling mental exercise of relating the lifeless collection of circuitry, plastic, and glass on the page to a living woman. This is called personification and writers use it all the time to bring life to the lifeless. You now view the product (and remember, Apple" was mired in steep competition from IBM and others) with the same venerable and romantic perspective as you view the glorious sailing vessels of old (named for ladies) or a beautiful, breathing young lady. Of course it's advertising in its purest and best form, but however skewed from rational thought, you now correlate the Apple product to something inherently pleasant. The marketing people did their job.
Conclusion
But whatever the overall effect, a short venture away from normal may gather the additional attention you seek. This may sound "Dilbert"-esque", but all it takes is "thinking outside the box". It paid big dividends for Apple at the time... and it can work for you. And the good news is that you don't have to be as large as Apple to try it. Both large and small can benefit. But be careful, do some homework, and be sure the risk you're taking is a "calculated" risk. Then, let 'er fly and remain strong. And try it again after that.
34 MASONRY NOVEMBER, 2001