Make ’Em Laugh, Part II
Ah, song parodies. I grew up listening to Weird Al Yankovic sing songs like “Eat It” and “Like a Surgeon.” Now, I know he did not invent the song parody, but to my generation, Al was THE MAN.
Following my last post (“Make ’Em Laugh, Part I”), as I hoped, I got a message from a reader who has jumped on the song parody train with—in my opinion—great success. Check it out.
I spoke to one of the stars of this video, Dave Gross, and here is what I learned about the company’s efforts.
Interns, yep INTERNS, came up with the idea and produced the video. It cost Think Patented about $300 and they used borrowed equipment and editing software. The marketing VP knew he wanted a spoof of some kind, but credits the idea, writing and production to the interns. Which again supports my earlier claim—you guys should get interns!
There is a lot to love about this effort—it’s funny, it has a great message (Print is here to stay!) and it is a great differentiator. The video shows the company has a great sense of humor and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It already has more than 1,500 hits on YouTube, so you know some customers are checking it out. If I were selling for Think Patented today, I would absolutely be using this video as a way to try to reach prospects and stay in front of customers.
So I’ll say it again. You have nothing to lose. Get creative. Humor, done well, is a great way to communicate with people and show them you are not like everyone else out there just waiting to take their order. We’ve all got to step up our games, folks. This is one great way to do it.
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
- Companies:
- Think Patented
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.
