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Marketing is a science, and an art.

And it also requires one to use his or her brain and think through certain situations to execute it most effectively.

I love the article in the April 23rd issue of the Wall Street Journal – right on the front page is a piece that describes in great detail how Hawaiian politicians – everyone from those running for school board for the first time, to U.S. Senators up for re-election – must follow tradition and get down in the trenches when running for office.

These politicial figures actually connect with voters by getting out to busy intersections across the state, wearing fabric leis and Hawiian shirts, shaking political signs, and either waving or flashing the “shaka” (the Hawaiian thumb and pinkie gesture = hang loose). You will see them all out there in some way, shape or form personally working the streets.

Similary for markers, in order to execute their craft well, any nuances or traditions of the target audience must be taken into consideration when developing the plan and list of supporting tactics. Also, COMMON SENSE must be applied. My advice: think before you implement any marketing tactic as to what could possibly be the worse case outcome.

What could possibly go wrong in a marketing campaign??

Dr. Pepper in 2007 came up with a marketing ploy where they buried a coin worth $10,000 in one of Boston’s sacred graveyards as part of a treasure hunt (a graveyard so sacred it contains the remains of John Hancock, Paul Revere and Samuel Adams!). When city officials learned about the “campaign,” they took immediate action to cancel the contest, as they recognized the disrespect to history and culture the tactic showed. This certainly did not make Dr. Pepper look strong and smart as a brand.

Another example is from 2005, when Sony launched a grassroots graffiti ad campaign to promote the release of a new PlayStation product, and hired graffiti artists to spray-paint ads depicting cartoonish kids playing with the new video game unit. Graffiti ads were featured in seven cities across the U.S. The problem? In many cities like NY, Philly, etc. graffiti is illegal or severly frowned upon (surprise, surprise!).

Or remember the Boston fiasco of 2007, when approx. 40 battery-operated LED signs appeared in Boston’s public spaces? This frightened citizens, scared the heck out of the police (who thought it might be a bomb attack), and caused police to shut down highways and bridges. Not good for the Turner Network.

So learn from the Hawaiian politicians and these botched marketing case study examples – stick to traditions, follow the culture, and think through how others may perceive the marketing tactics employed.

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Filed under: Branding, Guerilla Marketing, Marketing Campaigns on April 29th, 2010