Internet marketing inspiration lurking in unexpected places

There’s a horribly ridiculous saying that there is no such thing as an original idea. Every thing that’s ever going to be thought has already been thought? Please.

If you and your internet marketing team find yourself thinking the following, re-evaluate:

• My customers have seen it all.
• Our marketing has been there, done that.
• This city won’t respond to inventive internet marketing. (Off-the-wall San Antonio internet marketing? Pfft!)

There’s always a creative twist to put on your marketing to make the old feel fresh again or to tap into something new. My inspiration of the week that solidifies my faith in new ideas comes from Stolkholm.

Saatchi exec sells ad space in out of office reply emails

When Gustav Egerstedt, art director of Saatchi & Saatchi in Stolkholm, took five months of parental leave, the ad agency decided to make his out-of-office reply work harder than any out-of-office reply message ever has before.

Targeting the niche of industry workers that would contact Egerstedt, they integrated ad space into his automated out of office message. Gustav, I think you must get more email than I want.

The Local’s article can give you more details.

The internet marketing inspiration

Will the ad run be considered successful and well-received at the end of Egerstedt’s parental leave? I’d be interested to know, but that’s not the point in this case. Saatchi & Saatchi Stolkholm took something common and boring, (“I will be out today...”) made it interesting and, with any luck, profitable and effective.

What common staple of your industry or business could be made interesting again? What tiny tweak to your marketing arsenal could increase its success factor?

Sure, customers may think they’ve seen everything in the internet marketing playbook... until you come up with a new play.

Where have you found your marketing inspiration this week?

[Image Credit: Brian Hillegas]