14-Jan-09 1:00 PM CST

Marketing Opportunities Here, There, and Everywhere

My family and I put a little magic in our holiday by escaping for a few days to Disney World in Orlando. It was terribly fun watching my 3-year-old’s head explode as she came up close and personal with all of her favorite characters and princesses. I was equally mesmerized with wonderful sights, but of a different kind.

As a marketing professional, I’m prone to scrutinize every detail of every place I go. I often remark on where a company missed or hit the mark in finding and capitalizing on marketing opportunities. (This drives my family crazy!) Definitely Disney wins the gold star in this regard for a myriad of reasons.

The one I’ll address today is the fact that everywhere you go, the Disney imagineers have given you something to marvel over. Of course we expect the rides and spectacles to be impressive, but I’m talking about the less-expected places--like waiting spaces and areas behind attractions. No matter where you go at Disney--and I do mean no matter where--you’ll find something of interest that makes you laugh or point and tell your companions to "look at that!" Everywhere you wait in line, there are wonderful objects and amusements to keep you occupied.

Disney wants you to look around. They want you to peek behind the pictures and under the carpets and they’ll never disappoint you. There’s even a popular game to find all of the "hidden mickeys" throughout the property begging visitors to pull out their magnifiers. As a tourist, these details kick up my experience manyfold. It’s another part of what makes Disney truly unmatched by anyone else of their kind. They pay attention to every single detail. No exceptions. I’m convinced they have staff whose sole purpose is to walk around looking for more opportunities to humor, inspire, and beguile their guests (as evidenced by this photo with my little Sarah and Cinderella's wicked step-mother and sisters who were unexpectedly lurking around to grumble at all children passing by).

Paying attention to every single detail is a big lesson we should all employ in our own businesses--that is, if we’re interested in being the best.

At Sonnier Marketing, we add surprises anywhere and anytime we can--such as with our invoices and even holiday cards. We work hard to find unexpected places to do something extra or give something unusual so we’re constantly stirring great emotions in our targets.

Today and throughout 2009, I encourage and challenge you to walk around your facility, click around your website, and step into every single process and protocol used by your company. Follow the flow of a prospect or target in every respect and see where you can add some humor, surprises, and other nuances that make people laugh, wonder, point, and look. (After you do it, send us a note about what you did so we can give you big kudos.)

Here are a few quick ideas to get you started:

1. Take advantage of wall space. Scrap the abstract artwork and add some "props" to acquaint visitors with what you do. Pictures of smiley, happy people with testimonials always work well, too.

2. Kick up your signage with creative and and playful sayings. Rude and stilted signs are everywhere barking commands like "no parking" and "no substitutions." Nobody gets a warm fuzzy from those. I saw a "no parking" sign at a bed and breakfast in Gruene, Texas, that said, "Elvis says anyone who parks here will be all shook up." Instead of getting frustrated, I laughed my way to another spot.

3. Incorporate lots of surprises in unexpected places like your bathrooms, invoices, deliveries, etc. All it takes is a little note or cheap gift from the party store to make you memorable.

4. Incorporate humor anywhere and any way you can. As the saying goes, the shortest distance between two people is a laugh.

5. Engage all of the senses to get your target involved. Consider how you can use music, scent, taste, touch, and interaction in everything you do. Obviously some things won't always be practical, but do what you can where you can. (The 4D shows at Disney World are by far the most popular.)

6. Get playful. Remember, "professional" doesn’t have to be boring, and fun isn’t just for kids.