The All Inbound Blog

A lesson for marketers from the business that made marketing famous.

I was walking to the LaunchPadINW office yesterday when I stopped to wait for one of downtown Spokane’s interminable red lights.

A 30-ish man walked up beside me with what appeared to be a rental tuxedo in clear suit bag, slung over his shoulder. I said, “I hope it’s going to be a good party.”

He turned to me, completely beaming: “I won a contest! The circus is in town and I got chosen to be the assistant ringmaster! My kids will be in the front row while I’m in the main ring!”  (A few hours later, I drove by the big top. Yep, the circus was in town.)

I won’t soon forget how excited this full-grown man was about going to the circus. Heck, I’m excited for him.

And I won’t forget the brilliance of the El Katif Shrine Circus‘s promotion.

The promotion ties in perfectly with everything we imagine the circus to be. Equal parts wonderment, fantasy and childhood magic. It cost the circus little, other than the expenditure of some imagination and empathy.

Do your company promotions have nearly this much emotional power?

Maybe you’re thinking – “That’s easy for a circus, I have a home heating company. I can’t match that!” Perhaps. But what a lesson:

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers before you even begin to look for that magical connection.

(I don’t know if the circus will be able to get coverage in the press, what an angle it would make, don’t you think? “Ringmaster For A Day – Man’s Children Look On In Amazement!”)

So don’t take the easy way out, and run a typical promotion for your next trade show or event – like giving away an iPad that has nothing to do with your business. Take some inspiration from the man in the main ring, who gets to be the center of his kids’ world in a whole new way. Run a promotion that people will talk about. (Or blog about.)

For your next promotion, how will you capture the essence of your brand, and make some magic for your customers?

Related posts:

1. No wonder Northwest Airlines is disappearing
2. Your company story: A business lesson from Buzz Lightyear
3. From Seth Godin: How to tell a great story
4. What’s your story?
5. Creativity doesn’t just happen; it’s a process