Guerrilla Marketing idea: Make future customers happy with some good music

The other day I saw a nice example of Guerrilla Marketing at the airport of McAllen, Texas: a country singer.

With only five gates, the McAllen airport is relatively small. However, many people pass and stop here daily - to welcome friends and family or say goodbye to them. Instead of the usual background music through speakers, visitors got to hear live music now. In one corner of the airport there was a country singer with his guitar. He played songs from country through pop to rock music. Next to him there was a board with the name of the main sponsor – a local car dealership. Additionally, in the short breaks between songs, the singer mentioned the other sponsors – the local chamber of commerce, a local restaurant and the airport.

If you are planning a similar event, you should consider the following:

• Choose a place, where a lot of people pass by and also stop.
• Look for a singer that can actually sing. Even though he/she might be a little bit pricier than one that cannot really sing. Nobody will be happy about a bad singer – not you and certainly not the listeners.
• Depending on which place you choose, you can hire a complete band or orchestra.
• Choose a music style depending on the chosen place and your target group (customers).
• Cooperate with other local businesses. Form partnerships – this way you can share costs and the organization of the event.
• Think about how you could show or tell listeners who are the sponsors. How do you want to advertise your company? You can put up boards, posters or have the singer name or sing the sponsors.
• You can have a small event (such as the one in McAllen airport) or you can have a bigger event (for example with a band, a stage, free food) – depending on the size of your budget and the place.

New brands for the Football World Cup - Is Chakalaka really African?

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup, companies invent new special brands worldwide. A well-known German discounter also produced a new product range called "Taste of Afrika". What seems strange here is the mix of German and English. Why "Afrika" instead of "Africa"? Why not translate the expression "Taste of Africa" into German?

Under the brand "Taste of Afrika" a lot of products that have not a lot to do with Africa are offered, such as fruit gums (at least in the form of various African animals), coffee mousse (with African coffee), noodles (with African spices) or cocoa biscuits (with animal prints). Normal products are spiced up with something "African".

Many companies changed their products in time for the World Cup. There are now Marshmallows called "World Cup Stars" in black and white or chocolate cake that looks like a soccer ball - also in black and white. Also very popular is the so-called soccer burger, a hamburger with the shape of a soccer ball (with pentagons).

The most popular product during the World Cup seems to be "Chakalaka". Chakalaka is originally from South Africa - it presumably has its origin in the townships of the city of Johannesburg. It is a spicy vegetable relish (usually with tomatoes, carrots, peppers, chili, beans, cabbage, garlic, pepper, curry, ginger and cilantro), served with bread, stews, curries and pap. German sauce manufacturers put in varying ingredients. Often, Chakalaka is added to existing products and a new World Cup product is created (e.g. peanuts with Chakalaka, Chakalaka BBQ sauce, Chakalaka dip sauce).

For companies it may be worthwhile to produce special products for special events. Clever marketing also means not exaggerating the variety of products.
Companies should also assess whether the event is large enough and a special production is worth it.

Why business cards are important

First of all, ask yourself why you need business cards. Who do you give your business cards and in which situations?

Your business card is a very important advertising medium. With well-designed business cards, you can make a great impression.

You can design your business cards yourself, e.g. with Word, and then send the file to the printer of your choice. Another possibility is to create the business cards online. I would advise you to leave the design to a professional. People will be able to tell by looking at your business cards if they were designed professionally or if you cobbled them together.

You should always have a few of your business cards with you - no matter where you go. You can put business cards in your pocket, purse or your deposit them in your car - this way you always have some at hand. You should keep your business cards in a case, so they won't wrinkle or get stained. Never pass dirty or creased business cards. This is unprofessional. Just throw away your useless business cards.

Place your business cards in letters to your customers. If you send an invoice, you can attach a cover letter and also your business card. There are several possibilities for attaching your business cards: Put your business card in a pre-cut mount, use self-adhesive business card pockets or simply attach the card with a paper clip.

When you go to appointments with customers or events, you should always have your business cards handy. Hand off your business card at the registration when you go to an appointment. This way, your conversation partner also does not confuse your name.

If you get business cards from other people, keep them separate and do not put them into the pile of your own business cards - that could lead to confusion, if you have to pick out your own business cards from the stack.

If you are at a trade show where you hand out many business cards, you should make a note at the make about where you met the person and what you discussed. This prevents confusion and at the end of day you can go through the stack of cards again and figure out who to contact first.