Failure (Marketing)

I got this marketing piece in the mail the other day, and had to share how poorly it was done. I think the individual(s) responsible for this portion of the piece should seriously consider a career change.

I was originally intrigued by the articles Cinderella story, but ended up laughing at the production quality of the content. If you haven’t made your way up to the piece to find the faux pas yet, go ahead and take a peek.

If you can’t seem to find the hilarity of the piece, I’ll go ahead and point it out for you now. Check out the white text at the bottom called out with the dark background, “Looking for ways to boost attendance at your events…”. Then check out the picture. Empty seats everywhere.

Whoever put this together, did not take into account the juxtaposition of the called out text to the rest of the page. Whoever approved this piece, did not spend much time looking for the right things.

For everyone out there working designs that will eventually touch someone outside of your team, department and company, please spend some time making sure what you have put together has all of the elements of what you are trying to sell. If you are selling pink lemonade, show pink lemonade. If you detail cars, you better show me something spotless. And if your job is to increase attendance, you better show me a packed house in every picture.

Today consumers love to make fun of marketing as much as they do ignore it. Don’t get caught with your pants down.