Did anyone else see the absolute craziness at 7 Brew this weekend?
If you missed it, 7 Brew gave away a little limited-edition squishy toy with the purchase of two drinks.
That’s it.
A squishy.
And people LOST THEIR MINDS.
There were lines wrapped around buildings, traffic backed up into streets, and people waiting an hour or more. Some locations sold out. I saw one report from here in Texas where people started lining up around 5 a.m.
For a squishy.
And as a marketing person, I couldn’t help but think: this is actually pretty brilliant.
Because 7 Brew didn’t discount everything 50%. They didn’t spend the day begging people to come buy coffee. They created something that was limited, fun and collectible — and people wanted to be part of it.
That’s a good reminder for all of us.
Sometimes marketing isn’t another ad saying BUY FROM US.
Sometimes it’s giving people a reason to pay attention.
Maybe that’s a limited-edition giveaway at your sale. A fun piece of ranch merchandise. A customer appreciation event. A contest. A special offer available for one day. A behind-the-scenes video people actually want to share.
It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.
It just has to be interesting.
That’s something we’re thinking about a lot at RHD right now as we head into fall sale season. There is SO MUCH content competing for everyone’s attention. Another sale ad, another calf picture, another “save the date” graphic…
Those things are important. But every once in a while, you’ve got to give people a reason to stop scrolling.
So here’s your marketing challenge for the week:
What’s your squishy?
What’s one fun, different or unexpected thing you could do this fall that would get your customers talking about your business?
And if you need some help coming up with it — that’s what we’re here for.
Whether you’ve got a fall sale coming up, need to freshen up your website, want some new print pieces, or just need somebody to help you come up with a better marketing idea, send it our way.