For the most part, dentistry is a commodity.  They all fix mouths.  That's it. 

The marketing of individual practices can be very similar too.  Generic newsletters, standard emails, the occasional snail-mail campaign, and the occasional free clinic to drum up leads.  All good ideas, but nothing exceptional, and nothing unique to any particular practice.

Then along came Michael Zuk, a dentist from Red Deer, Alberta, who changed it all!

He paid $31,000 for a tooth that was once in John Lennon's mouth.  Why, you ask, would someone do that, especially given that it can't even be verified as authentic?

In my opinion, it was genius!

Consider this: from this point forward, he's Alberta's most famous dentist.  Everyone is talking about him.  Some opinions may be negative, but they're still talking about him.  More importantly, any time anyone in Red Deer decides they need a new dentist, Dr. Zuk will at least be mentioned or considered, if not recommended as a result of that fame.  "You should check out the guy that bought Lennon's tooth!", they'll say.

Not a bad for $31,000.  

Imagine an ad agency claiming that for a mere $31,000, an ad campaign will be conceived, developed and deployed, and it's guaranteed to result in the undisputed top brand awareness ranking in your category for as long as you're in business.  Talk about blowing smoke!  Dr. Zuk achieved that very thing in a matter of minutes. 

Genius.

If you're in a commodity business - or any business for that matter - stop marketing just like everyone else does.  Do something unique.  Something memorable.  Something outrageous.  It just might put you on the map for good.

YOUR TURN:   

- Do you agree?  Or is he just nuts?
- What are some of the most outrageous, yet successful marketing stunts you can recall?

Today it was announced that Ford enjoyed its 10th straight quarterly profit. 

Here's what I love about that (from a marketing standpoint):

Back when the auto industry was getting absolutely destroyed by an economic meltdown and skyrocketing gas prices, North American auto manufacturers were clamouring for government bailout money to stay afloat. Ford said "No thank you. We're righting this ship on our own". And they did (obviously), by focusing on marketing. They shed superfluous and strategically misaligned products (some models, but also some brands including the atrocious Land Rover and Jaguar brands). They invested in advertising (with fairly high production values, I might add). They examined the wants and needs of their primary audience and designed products accordingly (the $16K, fuel-efficient Focus, as an example). From a marketing perspective, a pure focus on fundamentals and execution. 

All that being said, I still hate them.

I've done my share of Ford-bashing over the years and they still haven't fixed their fundamental issue: poor quality. They're just not telling anyone about it. Read any worthwhile product quality review source (Consumer Reports is my favourite), and you'll find that Fords, quite simply, break down all the time. To combat this, they are simply preying on the ignorance of the uninformed through deceitful and arguably unethical advertising. First, they state repeatedly in advertising that "quality is now equal with Honda and Toyota". Well, if you actually read the fine print in those ads (yep, I'm that guy!), you discover that they're referencing "initial quality survey results". Essentially, they ask new Ford owners if they are happy. Of course they are - they just bought it! They also ask new Honda and Toyota purchasers the same question and get the same answer, leading to their claim of "equal" quality ratings. That's not even scratching the surface of the overall product quality issue. Second, they've started claiming a fuel-efficiency advantage with ads featuring Ford owners (actors) proudly (and repeatedly) stating that they "haven't bought gas in over a month". Well, as any informed viewer/purchaser can understand: if you don't drive, you don't need gas! Even my 8 year-old son chastised them about that (I'm not even making that up)! Ford, don't insult us by trying to deceive us. I am sad for the uninformed, who presumably didn't see through the advertising trickery and went ahead with their purchase.  

You see why I am vexed so? I can't decide if I am impressed by their relentless focus on the fundamentals of marketing, or disgusted by their advertising deception and manipulation.  

YOUR TURN:

Thoughts? 

Advertising, especially online advertising, is a constant struggle to stand out from the noise.  Branding is a constant struggle to associate your business with attributes that truly reflect who you are.

Rolex pulled of some advertising and branding magic with this simple, yet exceedingly effective online ad.  

Rolex is clearly trying to establish themselves as the world's greatest timepiece.  I also know that the golfing community is a target audience of theirs.  So, you can see the creative genius of this small ad - it's on a golfing web site and tied directly to the concept of time (tee times in this case).

Simple. Targeted. Genius.  

LESSONS FOR BUSINESS:
1) Understand exactly who your target audience is (in this case, golf fans).
2) Understand where they spend time online (in this case, PGATour.com).
3) Decide what brand attributes you want connected to your brand (in this case, timekeeping excellence).
4) Create an ad that stands out from the noise and establishes your brand attribute. 
5) Creativity counts (in this case, advertising a timepiece next to the tee TIMES).

YOUR TURN:
- Are you as impressed?
- Do you know of other examples? 
- Anything you don't like about the ad?  (for example, there's no call to action)