What do you consider extreme marketing?

[JLondon]

I'm not talking about heavy marketing persay.

Sure, the opinions will vary which is why forums are a great way to interact with many different people from different mothers. Some may say extreme marketing is good while others say it is bad.

What do you think extreme marketing is? Is it good or bad? What is too extreme and where must the line be drawn?

 

[Zachary McClung]

Extreme marketing is letting a business tattoo their logo on your head of $10k. Do I think it is good? No! While you may have received $10k and the business may have received some advertising it seems silly to me.

I'm having a hard time defining other extreme forms of advertising. I'm sure with every question and topic there are some good and some bad. What do you define as extreme marketing?

 

[JLondon]

I don't think I can define extreme marketing, because I am pretty creative with marketing techniques.

WAIT! Having a streaker run in the middle of downtown NYC during lunch hour with your company logo all over him/her. Now that would be extreme marketing.

 

[handsonhosting]

So you're talking Extreme rather than Adverse Advertising.

I think there's a market for both. The main thing is the shock factor. If you can get enough shock, you will get press coverage, however you WILL lose customers for this. People may talk about your busienss, but you will have just as many NOT signup for exactly the same stunt that was pulled.

 

[Zachary McClung]

You mean to tell me, customers will leave if you were to paint your logo on a play boy bunny and let her run naked through downtown NYC? I don't buy that.

Might land you in jail though. I have thought about this for my political campaign. j/k

 

[JLondon]

I wrote your idea down in my notebook. Just kidding.

There are many other ways for extreme marketing that isn't as blunt as what I posted. In some cases it could be good and in some it could be bad. If you are trying to get the church crowd, you might not want to have something like the GoDaddy girls. Then again, I wonder how many church-goers use GoDaddy.

 

[handsonhosting]

Look how many DON'T go to GoDaddy for the simple reason of their Superbowl Advertising. Granted many more DO go, but there was an uproar a while ago about this. Even Bob wrote an article (or responded to a release) about how the advertising is geared to a specific clientel and they do see some backlash because of it.

 

[JLondon]

Well, I mean if it attracted the people that they want to attract, mission accomplished. You will usually see backlash for anything that you do. Just not as much as if you did something else persay.

 

[MalcomR]

Extreme marketing may not always work, it may turn people off. But it does what any effective marketer strives to do, and that is to create awareness and discussion about a certain brand.

 

[JLondon]

It can turn some people off, but as I said before if it attracts the targeted audience, the mission is accomplished. In business and marketing we can't please everyone out there, someone will always be turned off for one reason or another.

 

[Zachary McClung]

Look how many DON'T go to GoDaddy for the simple reason of their Superbowl Advertising. Granted many more DO go, but there was an uproar a while ago about this. Even Bob wrote an article (or responded to a release) about how the advertising is geared to a specific clientel and they do see some backlash because of it.

I spend more with Go Daddy now then I ever did with Enom. I hate Go Daddy; however, I end up finding their commercials laughing so hard and then ending up opening my wallet because I'm already there. This whole political correctness and people getting offended over little stuff is getting ridiculous.

I'm sorry but while Go Daddy maybe using sex appeal they are not the only ones. Hell Sports Ill. every year does their swim suite magazine. Just because they do it, doesn't mean I'm not going to read the other 12 issues.

It's one thing if Go Daddy had half or full naked girls on their commercials or someone dropping bombs. However, they are not. I think people need to get over it and realize that its ok if your kids sees a Go Daddy tank top shirts. I have seen worth things on the beach or local mall.

 

[JLondon]

It's all about getting that name in people's heads and GoDaddy has achieved that with their marketing tactics. GoDaddy has generated a lot of profit from these marketing techniques alone.

This isn't to mention the other companies that have done the same. Look at Hooters, what's its reputation built on?

 

[Zachary McClung]

Look at Hooters, what's its reputation built on?

Hooters

 

[handsonhosting]

I"m not saying it's bad marketing - any marketing is good marketing (even bad). There's much that can be done even when there is negative publicity.

I wasn't trying to slam GoDaddy. Heck, if Hands-on could affrod Danika Patrick, or a sticker on a Nascar, we would do the same. It's all about target demographics.

 

[Zachary McClung]

I know you weren't slamming them. I was making a general point that people need to get over it. I remember back in Middle School (6th/7th) grade Playboys and Pent House magazine being distributed around the locker room.

 

[Artashes]

I am not sure why, but when you say extreme marketing I actually think of bold, most successful ad/marketing campaigns rather than out-of-order behavior or ad messages. Or perhaps a classic case of overdoing your marketing efforts.

For example, everyone who has been around for a while will probably remember these:

Media Temple - their support of the web design industry has won hearts of many many graphic professionals. To me, Media Temple almost rhymes with a web designer.

When 1&1 Internet was launching operations in North America, they came to the market with an offer few firms could beat: 3 years of free professional web hosting. Not 2 months, not 1 year - 3 full years. Such a bold move saw the company sign-up over 10,000 account per month, 3,000+ of which were paid clients of other companies switching to 1&1. I certainly don't know how many clients switched to paid hosting after 3 years were up, but the company sure got cheap attention with dozens of conversations started in most hosting forums.

To this day 1&1 Internet continues its extreme marketing with a very heavy print ad campaigns in leading IT magazines, such as eWeek. Rarely do I see an issue without 2-6 pages of full-page ads.

In a similar move, FastHosts.com has been offering free reseller hosting free for a year.

Site5 - when they launched a $5000 website re-design contest, the news has hit the airways and the company has received enormous attention.

CI Host's major gifts with every hosting account. They no longer practice the same policy, but boy was the offer seductive!

 

[Zachary McClung]

I am not sure why, but when you say extreme marketing I actually think of bold, most successful ad/marketing campaigns rather than out-of-order behavior or ad messages. Or perhaps a classic case of overdoing your marketing efforts.

For example, everyone who has been around for a while will probably remember these:

Media Temple - their support of the web design industry has won hearts of many many graphic professionals. To me, Media Temple almost rhymes with a web designer.

When 1&1 Internet was launching operations in North America, they came to the market with an offer few firms could beat: 3 years of free professional web hosting. Not 2 months, not 1 year - 3 full years. Such a bold move saw the company sign-up over 10,000 account per month, 3,000+ of which were paid clients of other companies switching to 1&1. I certainly don't know how many clients switched to paid hosting after 3 years were up, but the company sure got cheap attention with dozens of conversations started in most hosting forums.

To this day 1&1 Internet continues its extreme marketing with a very heavy print ad campaigns in leading IT magazines, such as eWeek. Rarely do I see an issue without 2-6 pages of full-page ads.

In a similar move, FastHosts.com has been offering free reseller hosting free for a year.

Site5 - when they launched a $5000 website re-design contest, the news has hit the airways and the company has received enormous attention.

CI Host's major gifts with every hosting account. They no longer practice the same policy, but boy was the offer seductive!

You make a solid point. Honestly, I do not know how 1 & 1 survived three years with their slim margins. I'ms ure they are still trying to make it up. Lunar Pages provides $800+ worth of free stuff for signing up.

 

[JLondon]

It's those marketing strategies right there that will have an implant in the mind of others forever. At least those that are participating in the web hosting industry in one way or another. Some may consider it too much while others consider it to be worth it completely.

 

[Artashes]

You make a solid point. Honestly, I do not know how 1 & 1 survived three years with their slim margins. I'ms ure they are still trying to make it up. Lunar Pages provides $800+ worth of free stuff for signing up.

Oh yes, I do remember $800+ giveaways by Lunar Pages and others providers as well, but not as memorable as some kind of special promotion a company would choose to do.

1&1 came to the market with serious financing and success in the European market, so it wasn't like they were a startup that took a chance with their promotion.