Last month I talked about a local Italian restaurant’s cheap marketing tactic of throwing baggies filled with stones and advertising at the end of driveways. It seems another place has caught onto this method and I’ve got another letter to write.
My original post, Are Your New Customers Really Just a Stone’s Throw Away? (at Practical eCommerce) explains my frustration with marketing tactics that are nothing short of disrespectful.
Another local pizzeria has followed suit, thinking this must be a good way to reach potential customers on the cheap. I say it’s a sure way to irritate the community and increase the percentage of people who will simply toss it in the trash without even reading their menu.
I found this new advertising this morning. I can’t tell you just when it was thrown on my lawn, but it was sometime in the last few days. This bag boasts even more stones than the first, as well as sand. The bag is so flimsy that when I picked it up, sand and rock spilled out of the bottom.
I don’t know what type of response this method garners from the general public. I know that it doesn’t inspire me to do anything but write a letter, telling management that it’s a pathetic means to drum up business. What? They can’t pay some high school kid minimum wage to bike through a community and band it to our doors?
I’m eager to hear what you think about this type of local marketing. Do you think it’s okay for businesses to toss bags filled with rocks onto your lawn or driveway? Does it affect what you think of the establishment? My husband thinks it’s brilliant, but I’m sure I’m not alone in my thoughts.
I’m just glad I didn’t discover this little bag while mowing at dusk.
