Last Saturday my son called and asked if I wanted to go to one of the beach parks in Boca Raton for a couple hours. It was a beautiful day so I said “sure, sounds like a great way to relax and get caught up on some reading”. Upon arrival at the park we made our way down one of the nature trails until we found the perfect spot. It was located near a grove of palm trees that provided some shade and was elevated about 15 feet above the beach. There were only a few people at the beach so it was nice and quite and the view awesome. Waves broke into a white foam on the sand that contrasted with the brilliant turquoise ocean, birds were singing, the smell of the sea…PERFECT!
Then I hear an airplane, it gets louder and louder until it pops into sight towing a banner for McDonalds that reads “You Deserve a Break Today”.
Are you kidding me! I was enjoying a quiet break in paradise and McDonalds interrupts it with an old, polluting, smoking, noisy plane and sticks their message in the pristine blue sky and tell me I deserve a break!
It made me think about how old school, disruptive marketing tactics are dying because the internet has disinter-mediated itself into the equation. TV, outdoor, and radio advertising is down, newspapers are going bankrupt and people now do not have to buy into the old media of the past. Consumers are in charge now, effective marketing is invited marketing. That is why I am so big on Search Marketing. A customer searches for what they want and you deliver a relevant solution with a good Pay Per Click campaign or SEO strategy right at the time the customer is looking.
By the way McDonalds, I’ll pass on your offer and plan enjoy my breaks at the beach…
