Marketing Outside the Box

One of my favorite places to vacation is Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. There are several things I look forward to each time I visit: the look on my kids' faces as they catch their first glimpse of the castle in the Magic Kingdom, the thrill of riding on Thunder Mountain and Test Track, the smell of fresh baked pastries from the Boardwalk Bakery, and the Appliance Direct infomercial.

I know it sounds crazy, but this Central Florida appliance store airs a 30 minute infomercial each day that is as entertaining as some of the attractions in the parks (if you've ever seen it, you know exactly what I'm talking about).

When I first caught this infomercial, I thought it was a skit from Mad TV. As I continued to watch it, I found it to be funny in a cool sort of way and ever since, I look for it whenever I visit the area. You can view clips of the infomercials at ApplianceDirect.com.

So what could make a 30 minute sales pitch for appliances so entertaining? (and what does this have to do with business?) From a business standpoint, the infomercial accomplishes three things:

1. It grabs attention. Which it does in a humorous and entertaining way.

2. It teaches you about the product. (and more importantly, why to buy from them)

3. It's memorable.

Sam Pak, the owner of Appliance Direct and star of the infomercial has a national cult following. Throughout the infomercial, he jumps around explaining in an extremely animated fashion the benefits of white porcelain toilets, how an oven without convection is merely a glorified toaster and how dishwashers without sani-wash and sani-rinse are "nooo good." It's nearly impossible to watch more than five seconds without getting hooked.

Now if you take the outrageousness of the ad away, it comes across as a reputable business and the message sticks. I've had to replace a few appliances over the last couple years and I've actually said to my wife "no, we don't want that. Remember what the Appliance Direct guy said about that?" more than once. So I retained what was said in the infomercial.

I have no affiliation with Appliance Direct and I've never purchased from them. But if lived in the area, I'd definitely check them out simply because of the way they stand out from the crowd. I see so many commercials these days where companies tell us things like how many years they've been in service, that they are family owned, have a convenient location and that they have happy customers. That's all great, but no one's going stop flipping through the stations to watch one of these boring ads. Now Sam Pak jumping up and down in the back of a delivery truck shouting "I love appliances" shows passion and makes you want to watch to see what the big deal is. It's absolutely brilliant.

When it comes to marketing yourself or your business, try thinking outside of the box. If you're a fun person, be fun. Yes, it's a risk and some people may get turned off, but as long as you're being you (and not offending anyone), you'll attract the type of clients that are more like you - and you're best suited to serve. Again, remember that humor is in the eye of the beholder so be careful not to be offensive in any way.