Peggy Sue’s ‘50s Diner seemed to be doing everything it could to make sure people can find it, with or without directions. A kitschy restaurant located 130 miles from Las Vegas, Peggy Sue’s is known for its outlandish and oversized marketing campaigns. As for timing, they launch them when others are in survival mode.
During the sputtering early 1990s, for example, the diner expanded from 60 to 250 seats and built a gift shop. They also placed billboard ads in Las Vegas that competed for attention with big-time, glitzy casinos.
What was Peggy Sue’s up to last year during the beginning of this latest economic slide? They were erecting six custom-made sculptures – five dinosaurs and King Kong – at the cost of $40,000.
“There are about 40,000 cars a day passing the back of our property,” co-owner Champ Gabler told CNNMoney.com.
“We’re not sure how long it will take to get a return on our new monsters, but they have created another marketing strategy in trying times.”
Do you and/or your clients cut back on marketing and wait out an economic downturn? Or is a shaky business climate a timely opportunity to solidify your position or even increase your slice of the pie?
I suspect that most hunker down.
(Source: Marketing News, 7/15/08)
Neil Sagebiel 