Lawyers, Guns and Marketing

The 12 January 2005 edition of the Zeitgeist e-Zine

One of the blessings I count each year over the holiday season is the number of truly remarkable, talented and fun people I get to meet as I work with clients across North America. While the travel part of the job is hell, the acquaintances I make more than compensate.

A number of years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a hot little agency out of Mobile called Sullivan-St. Clair. They had the CVB account there and were pitching the new SouthCoastUSA consortium with which I was working. CEO Rich Sullivan and I reconnected last year at a Tourism Week event I keynoted for the Alabama Gulf Coast CVB. We exchanged e-newsletter subscriptions and I have been enjoying Rich’s unique take on the world of marketing ever since (you can sign up at www.sullivanstclair.com).

But, an e-mail I received just before Christmas made me laugh. I mean really laugh. And then think about how absorbed most of us get in trying to “do the right thing” and not offend anyone.

Being thoroughly PC is a quick recipe for getting overlooked, ignored and forgotten. A little irreverence and the occasional risk produces the opposite effect. A few years ago (just before the eyes of the world turned to Utah for the 2002 Winter Olympics), a brewery in Park City shook the world by unveiling a billboard campaign that said, “Bring a 6-pack home for the Wives.” The furor over this gentle poke at the 19th century Mormon practice of polygamy was quick, predictable…and like gold for Wasatch Brewery, which saw a huge increase in sales from across the country.

That’s right…the country. While the billboards only appeared in Park City, the media coverage extended nationwide.

So, it is with a chuckle (and a wink) that I share this story from Rich and the team at Sullivan-St. Clair:

Zea is a chain of four casual dining restaurants in Alabama and Louisiana. Sullivan-St.Clair designed a billboard campaign that attempted to position Zea’s as an alternative to two well known competitors. Using nothing more than the lyric from a classic Rolling Stones song (“Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday”) and the Zea logo…a cease and desist order from the 700-location national behemoth Ruby Tuesday was quick in arriving. TGI Fridays' lawyers did likewise when it saw billboards that proclaimed “Thank God it’s not Fridays.”

Far be it for Sullivan-St. Clair to want to go to court, Rich and his intrepid gang were quick to issue an apology to both chains. And, the best way to say that you’re sorry is to make the apology public. And public they did…by turning back to the very billboards that caused the initial ruckus.

My description could never do the campaign justice and, luckily, Sullivan-St. Clair has created a website to share the story with the world. For a grin AND a lesson in marketing do’s and don’ts…click on the aptly titled www.WeLoveLawyers.com.

And all the best til next time...

Bill

Bil

ZEITGEIST CONSULTING
PO BOX 45445 - MADISON, WI 53744 - 608.836.8876