If I owned a beef jerky company I’d call my brand “Dead stuff on a stick.”
This will never happen, because:
A. I’m a vegetarian.
B. I don’t tend to be that provocative , and I’m generally opposed to indulging in controversy simply for the sake of attention getting (despite what some blog experts say).
Overall, I just don’t think that’s a healthy approach, and most importantly it’s certainly not me so I couldn’t pull it off with any measure of success. Being provocative can have its place however, as with this Target commercial promoting breast cancer awareness:
Still, my carnivore friends, many of whom worship bacon outright, believe in calling it like it is. Maybe they’re humoring me, but they say they’d buy my brand of meat stick just because it’s honest. So here’s my take: don’t rule out something provocative just because people might get offended. On the other hand, don’t shake up the status quo just for the sake of being different. Instead, have something that’s really worth talking about, and don’t be afraid to say why you’re unique.
AfriGadget
Kiva
This is a really great point to raise and you’re totally right—it is a trend we are seeing more and more in marketing lately. I have an online marketing guru friend and one of his tabs on his website is: “Why Your Website Sucks” The guy gets ENORMOUS amounts of traffic and he is really successful. It’s not an approach I have tried too often though I did once write an article entitled: “Top Ten Reasons to Procrastinate Killing Yourself” and it was very popular. I think attention-grabbing headlines don’t necessarily have to be negative & controversial/offensive OR uplifting and funny. They just have to grab attention. Be somewhat original. Which obviously gets harder and harder in the sea of STUFF out there. That’s their main job—to grab attention. The quality of content and stickiness or loyal customer base building comes later. Bottom line….the right customers/connections/resources always find you at the right moment. Always. No matter what you do or don’t do…it’s YOUR internal attitude that draws them to you and your business. The inner alignment is crucial. I am finding this to be more true than ever for me and my business lately. The rest is merely window dressing, imo. Thanks Kai…