I’m delighted that B2B technology marketing is becoming more creative, and that companies are prepared to try innovative campaigns. Unfortunately sometimes the stunt mentality can be taken a little to far, and I had to smile at the reports of the Dell staff who were arrested for enacting an in-house product-promotion scheme. The comment about the Intel sales conference also made me smile.
There is, however, a serious point to be made. Stunt marketing is fine, but as ideas get more outrageous it’s important that marketing departments consider what might go wrong. Any stunt that ends with the arrival of armed police has to be considered a failure, and marketers should remember that the resultant publicity isn’t going to enhance the image of the company!