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I discovered some great marketing while helping a friend move last weekend.

I’m not talking about fancy advertising or a slick viral campaign. Nope, this was just good old “selling the right thing in the right place at the the right time.”

I call it the U-Haul Mini-bar.

At the back of the truck we rented there was a dolly (or hand truck, depending on where you are from) and a package of furniture pads. Both were strapped securely to the wall.

Each one was covered with a sales pitch and price information.

Finally, there were green plastic ties that had to be snapped in order to access the items.

If the ties were broken, you get charged. It’s as simple as that. Just take what you need and they’d add it to your bill.

The hand truck was $7 and the furniture pads were $5. I think both prices were pretty reasonable (especially compared to a $6 bottle of water found in a traditional mini-bar). I’d love to see data showing how often each one is used.

Overall, I love this upsell tactic because it’s a really simple, yet very effective, way to solve a customer’s problem. You may have snubbed the idea of moving pads while renting the truck, but after hearing your spouse tell you for the 12th time not to scratch the furniture - they may start to look like a good idea.

Brilliant.

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Apparently, BP wasn’t the only oil company to cut proofreading jobs….

This one is hard to read because I snapped it while driving.

It reads:
We support locally owned businesses.
Because we are one.

I know advertising gets a little leeway in regard to proper grammar, but there was really no reason for this. Would the message have had that much less impact if it was all one sentence?

And, while I’m ranting, I really don’t like the way they are presenting their position either. It’s clearly an attempt to convince people that Citgo isn’t a huge faceless corporation ripping them off.  To do that, they are alluding to the fact that most of the stations are franchised (i.e. locally owned).

That’s all fine and good, but it comes off as really shallow. A lemonade stand? Give me a break. I’d like to know HOW exactly they support locally owned businesses? By selling them gas? Right…

I took some time off and headed out to Virgina Beach last week. It was nice not to have an agenda. I really enjoyed doing a whole lot of nothing.

Anyway, we stumbled upon Bloom supermarket and were thoroughly impressed. In addition to hosting a Redbox out front (this is the second vacation in a row that we’ve picked up a $1 movie to watch at the end of our day) they had something incredible on their shopping carts.

Ready for this?

A map of the store.

How cool is that? Being a resort town, they probably get a fair amount of tourist traffic. It makes a lot of sense to show people where everything is. In fact, it makes so much sense that I’m not sure why I haven’t seen it before.

Another cool thing about the carts is that they had two sizes: standard and mini. Again, Brilliant!

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Not as brilliant as maps on shopping carts, but occasionally close.  Subscribe in a reader.

Tony at Zappos twittered last night about seeing one of those crane games that usually retrieve stuffed animals and candy. This one, however, allowed you to catch live lobsters. According to one sign: You catch ‘em, we cook ‘em, and you eat ‘em.

I love unique product ideas, and I’m pretty impressed by this twist on a tired classic. Apparently it does the job, too. According to Tony:

“Lobster game machine at bar is brilliant. Watched people spend $20 in past hour trying to catch a live lobster. “

A little web research brought me to the the site of Lobster Zone, Inc. The company claims to have over 300 such games placed around the US and has been around for roughly 10 years.

The “press section” of the site has an interesting article written back in ‘98. It says that many of the machines (placed primarily in seafood restaurants at the time) were making over $1000 a week. It also estimated that it took a patron 18 tries with the crane before they mastered it.

The price was only $2 a try back then, and after 10 years -it still hasn’t budged. So there, quit your complaining about inflation.

Here’s a YouTube video of the crane in action: Lobster Game

I canceled our cable a few months ago and, for the most part, have been very happy with the decision. I waste much less time on the couch and don’t really miss it all that much. Of course, when I do want to watch some tube - I can always jump online where, thankfully, many networks have decided to post full episodes of their shows.

This weekend I decided to catch up on some of USA’s programing and headed over to their site to watch the built in video player. USA shows one 30 second commercial at the beginning of each episode, and then another every 10 minutes or so. All in all - nothing new. What was interesting though, was the two types of ads I saw.

Saturday morning I pulled the laptop into bed with me and comfortably caught up on season two of Burn Notice. Almost every ad I saw was for Blackberry, so it’s safe to say I saw 12-15 Blackberry spots over the period of three episodes.

Here’s what I remember:
The spot showed a guy with a soccer ball. When he kicked it, it exploded into lots of different pictures and logos. They all came back together to form a Blackberry. Within the array of images I only remember a Facebook logo and a text message (”c u tonite”). At the end there was a slogan, but I can’t remember what it was. Something about Blackberry being able to handle everything in your life, I think.

Sunday night my wife and I watched one episode of Psych before bed. The structure was the same (4-5 total commercials), but these ads, all for the new Honda Pilot, were interactive. They moved for about 10 seconds, and then allowed us to click around for more info, change the car’s color, etc.

Here’s what I remember:
The Pilot has a backup camera, hill start assistance (so you don’t roll backwards), navigation, seating for 8, and comes in 7-8 colors. It looks coolest in Tuxedo Black and has a gear shifter in the interior that I don’t really like.

See the difference?

Even though I may not (OK, I straight out won’t) be rushing out to buy a Pilot, I learned and remembered much more about it than I did about the Blackberry. Remember, I saw three times the amount of Blackberry commercials too.

The other cool thing (from an advertiser’s point of view) about the Pilot spots is that they weren’t limited to 30 seconds. There was a count down clock and when it hit zero it allowed us to click to resume the show. However, we were free to keep exploring the vehicle for as long as we wanted. In fact, most of the time we’d be playing around and then realize that we could be watching the show if we wanted. Who knows how long we actually spent interacting with Honda.

Well, Honda knows - which is yet another great feature. I’m sure they can see how long people stayed, where they clicked, etc. That type of data is gold to marketers trying to evaluate their efforts.

Anyway, I guess it just reinforces that the opportunities online are much different than those in traditional media. It’s cool to see some companies embrace the technology and take advantage of the interactivity that the net offers. On the same token, it’s kind of puzzling to see the ones that haven’t adapted yet.

PS. Speaking of unique internet marketing ploys - check out nograpesnonuts.com.

Most fast food places use the back of their receipts to get you to take a survey, but I thought the Quiznos approach was kind of interesting. Observe:

If you visit the website, you get ten changes to win. TEN! Wow!

Of course, if there is only one winner per day, and everyone gets ten chances - then the odds of winning didn’t really change, did they? Very tricky, Quiznos.

But wait, maybe they did. What about the poor suckers that call to do the survey? They only get one entry into the contest. There’s a cost saving measure if I’ve ever seen one. I’m sure the online survey is much cheaper to administer. Again, well played, Quiznos.

I was going to end the post there, but I decided to do some investigative journalism (just for you), so I took both surveys (and not-so-coincidentally got 11 chances to win).

Last time I took an online survey I was very unimpressed. This one didn’t do much better. It was kind of entertaining though. Here are, without further ado, my top 5 questions / screens.

5) Surprise, I didn’t win.

4) Despite asking the date I visited (two weeks ago), they wanted to know if I had purchased specific items “today.” I was tempted to say no across the board, but I decided to cut them some slack.

3) They nailed it. I come to Quiznos for the visual enjoyment…

2) I’m not very health conscience. Do they really have to rub it in three times?

1) And my favorite question: “Why not?” There was nothing proceeding it. I was just instructed to think about my recent visit.

The phone survey was kind of clumsy as well. It took about 6 minutes and “using my touch tone phone,” I had to type in half the info from my receipt before I could start. There were many of the same questions, but it was definitely shorter. My favorite part was in the middle of the survey when they said:

“Tell us why or why not you enjoyed your visit so that we can improve.” Then, with no warning: beep - it was recording.

My answer? “I liked watching my meal being made.”

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PS. The new site is finally up. Go check it out.

I’m currently reading Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decision by Dan Ariely. Essentially, it looks at common decisions people make that really aren’t rational. I’m about 3/4th of the way, and so far it’s held my attention pretty well.

One of my favorite examples notes that people will drive across town to save $7 on a $25 item. However, given the opportunity to save $7 on a $450 item, they won’t bother. It’s so true, and yet irrational. Saving $7 is saving $7 regardless of the item’s price.

Here’s another one:
Imagine you are walking past someone trying to change a flat tire. How would you you react if they asked for help? How would you act if they offered to pay you $1 to help? If you’re like most people, you would help for free but pass when you were offered low compensation. Is that rational?

If you liked Freakonomics you should check this out. If you never read Freakonomics, but were intrigued by these examples - I’d recommend picking up both books.

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I broke out the clubs and headed to the local golf course a couple days ago. The prices on their sign read as follows:

Resident: $14
Non-resident: $17

I live in the same town as the course so I should pay $14, right? Well, not necessarily. You see, in order to get the resident price – I had to prove I was a resident. Fair enough. Except…

To prove I was a resident, I had to BUY an $8 resident card (good for one year). Know how I proved I was eligible to buy a resident card? I didn’t. I just forked over the cash – no questions asked. Apparently you don’t argue with Lincoln, Washington, Washington, and Washington.

Regardless, now I have to carry this dumb card in my wallet so that when I play golf I can pull it out and show that I’m a resident. Couldn’t my driver’s license serve the same purpose?

The whole thing seems silly. I think it’s the name resident card that annoys me most. I’d resent it less if they called it a discount or loyalty card instead. As is though, it’s just another fee [not so] cleverly disguised as something I don’t really need.

There are a lot of companies that make good money on extra fees. Some hotels charge a $1 per night local phone access charge. It doesn’t matter if you use the phone or not – you have to pay that dollar (which coincidently wasn’t included in the room rate you booked).

Stuff like this is trivial, but frustrating nevertheless. It makes me wonder if the ill-will generated is worth the extra revenue. Considering the money spent building brands, you’d think the answer would be no. I suppose it depends on the circumstance though.

Poll Question: What’s the most ridiculous fee you’ve ever been charged? Did it change your perception of the company?

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First, the end of the story:
On my recent trip to Las Vegas, I, “Mr. actually reads the fine print before signing anything,” pulled out $30 from my wallet and handed it willingly to a guy on the street. And no, he didn’t slip me a baggie of white powder in exchange. In fact, he didn’t give me anything. How did it happen?

Relationship marketing. Thanks for reading.

Oh, you want details? OK, let’s go back to the beginning.

I was standing in line for the Duce (a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip) when the old guy in front of me struck up a conversation. Given the location and his unsavory attire, I kept my initial answers short and tried to avoid eye contact. “Where are you from?” “How long are you in town?” “First time in Vegas?” My “he’s about to ask you for money” alarm was blaring like a fog horn.

And then mentioned that he was from Boston and headed home that night.

Hearing that put me at ease. I figured if he was a fellow tourist that I could probably let my guard down. So, I did - a little. We grumbled together about the wait for the bus. We talked about our games of choice (his was sports betting – and he lost about 5K this trip) and where we were staying. He told me about how he’d been coming here for 30 years and about the old Vegas.

Then, about 5 minutes into the conversation, he asked if I wanted some comped show tickets that he wasn’t going to be able to use. The scamometer started rising again. However, I sure as heck didn’t want to blow potential tickets to Blue Man Group and David Copperfield – so I played along. He was very insistent that if he gave them to me that I wouldn’t let them go to waste. I told him I would definitely go see those shows for free.

It was a done deal. He said he’d give them to me. I still wasn’t holding my breath, but I couldn’t help but imagine that there was a very slight chance that I had hit the jackpot just for being in the right place at the right time.

Our small talk continued. We talked about some of the new casinos on the strip. I asked him what he did back in Boston. (“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. My brother is the biggest bookie in Boston. I work for him.”) We talked about the recent performance of the Cubs and White Sox.

The bus finally came.

As we rode along, he asked me where I was getting off. I told him I was out wandering, so I’d just follow him back to the Bellagio to get the tickets transferred to my name. He said he had already checked out and wasn’t going all the way back there. So, we got off together in front of the Mirage, and he said he’d just call and take care of it.

My fading skepticism kicked back in – secretly of course. He asked to use my cell phone, but instead of dialing himself - just gave me the number. I dialed, and in an attempt to debunk the scam – put the phone to my ear instead of handing it over right away.

“Bellagio. This is Mary. How can I help you?”

Whoa. It was them! A little surprised (and a little excited that it could all be legit), I handed him the phone.

“Hi. Can you transfer me to John Nicks on the floor?”
“John, it’s me - Mike.”
“Not good at all. I busted. It’s okay though, I’ll be back in a few months.”
“No, I’m done. I already checked out. You can close me out.”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, can I have those show tickets transferred to someone else?”
“I want to split them – one and one to Blue Man Group and Copperfield for tomorrow and Thursday night.”
“R-A-U-C-H (he looked to me for guidance at this part). David”
“OK.”
“Yeah, I feel like Santa Clause. Haha.”
“OK. Photo ID and pickup by 5:00.”
“Uh-huh.”
“OK. Thanks. I’ll see you in a few months.”
“Alright. Bye.”

After hanging up, he told me the show times and rows that I’d be sitting in. He told me how important it was that I picked up the tickets by 5:00 the next day.

At this point, he had me. I mean, he hadn’t asked for anything – so why wouldn’t it be real? I thanked him a few times as we continued walking. He continued to downplay it saying he had seen the shows many times and wasn’t able to use the tickets anyway. “It’s no big deal. If you couldn’t use them, wouldn’t you give them away?”

And, just as I was starting to explain how my wife would be jealous of me seeing Blue Man Group without her – it happened.

“Hey, I’m kind of embarrassed to ask, but I busted everything at the sports book today. Think you could spot me a little cash for a cab to the airport?”

The “I just scored $300 in free show tickets” bubble popped.

My mind raced as I tried to figure out how to get out of the situation. I had just chatted it up with this guy for the last 25 minutes. He supposedly just gave me multiple hundreds of dollars worth of show tickets. Did I have the guts to tell him no? What if…what if the tickets were real? If I walked away without helping him I could kiss them goodbye.

I stalled by asking questions cleverly designed to trip him up. I offered to walk back to Bellagio with him. I asked where his luggage was. He had a story for everything – and I couldn’t quite get him to stumble.

So, I admitted my skepticism. “Mike,” I said “I’ve been waiting this whole time for you to ask me for money. The fact that you just did makes me skeptical. Don’t take it personal, it’s just my nature.”

He countered by telling me A) not to be so skeptical, B) he had just given, not sold, me the show tickets, and C) if it was a problem that I didn’t have to worry about it - he’d get it somewhere else.

Ugh, the guilt trip. We strolled on as I thought though my options. Before long I had decided; I was just going to give it to him. After all, I rationalized, I was up $150 at the tables and there still was a slight chance he was telling the truth. And, assuming this was a scam – he earned it.

So, I gave him $30 (for a cab and a pack of cigarettes). We talked a few more minutes about where I should go check out next – and then said goodbye. I returned to the tables and he continued his apparent hunt for someone in the area that owed him money.

Deep down I knew it was a scam, but I couldn’t help but checking the show times online when I returned to my room. Sure enough, one of the start times he told me was wrong. Just to be sure though, I decided to try to claim the tickets the next day. I wasn’t about to walk to the Bellagio to do it in person - so I called the box office. Surprise….nothing.

So what’s the lesson here?

Despite being a lying sack of %@#, Mike’s sales tactic was perfect. He engaged me in conversation and talked about things I was interested in. He invested time in the relationship. He gave me something (supposedly) for free. And, he did it all before asking for anything in return. Then, when the time came, I just handed over my money.

I think we can all take a page out of his book. Not the “focus on dumb tourists and watch the money roll in” page, but the importance of building relationships with prospects and customers. Sometimes you have to give a little up front (non-existent show tickets not recommended) on good faith. People love to do business with people and companies they know, and a solid relationship can often trump a low price or a slightly superior product.

So there it is. Once again, my mistake has become free advice for you. Want to thank me? I’ve always wanted to go see the Blue Man Group…

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Thanks to Redbox’s Free Movie Mondays, last night I brought home the the poker flick All In.

I over paid….by roughly two hours.

The poor acting and cheesy dialog (”Is you in, or is you out?”) - forgivable. The ridiculous yet predictable plot (pre-med student finds herself at the final table of the PartyPoker.com™ All In $5 Million Tournament playing against her cold hearted-scam running-doctor nemesis AND her compulsive gambler-navy seal-supposedly dead since she was ten-father) - overlookable.

Naming the movie after a poker term that the writers didn’t understand - inexcusable. Here’s the scene that put me over the edge:

She had 90% of the chips. Her opponent had 10% of the chips. He calls “all in” (which, for any non-poker players, is just a dramatic way of betting the amount that you have left). She answers with her own “all in.” At this point, the announcer let’s everyone know that both players were “all in” and that this hand would determine the winner.

What? That’s like saying she was putting up $90 to cover his $10 bet. It makes no sense. If he won (which he didn’t…surprise) she would have still had 80% of the total chips.

At this point in the movie I went from being train wreck amused to just annoyed. Clearly, as poker hit its peak of popularity a couple years ago, the producers (probably over a few drinks) decided it would be a good idea to crank out a movie about it. Ugh.

It reminds me of companies that jump on every bandwagon regardless of how well it fits with their product. People don’t buy into these attempts because they clearly lack authenticity. It’s going green just to fit in. It’s starting a Facebook page for your facial wash. It’s the kind of thing Seth talks about all the time.

Customers will excuse a lot of things if you’re sincere. Small businesses especially can get the benefit of the doubt if they treat their customers well and run the company with integrity. When you cross the line though, it’s obvious. The collective wisdom of the crowd is much more than you can expect to fake out. Don’t try it.

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