I’m down visiting our New Orleans office just before Mardi Gras, and frankly taking a break from thinking about Internet marketing, email and web analytics for a few days over President’s day weekend. If you know what it’s like to have a mind always cranking, you’ll appreciate this note.
As I am walking down world famous Bourbon Street mid-day when it’s still G-rated, I cannot help but notice the number of tourists fumbling with iPhones, all surfing the web. I casually eves drop, which isn’t so hard for the few folks inadvertantly zig-zagging their way down the street.
Seemingly everyone around me was either on the web looking for the next thing to do, or had recently got off the web at the hotel. It’s probably a safe bet that the majority of the folks around me booked their travel to Louisianna on the way down.
Blain Kern, the godfather of MardiGras became a Client of ours a few weeks ago. Blaine had the foresight to realize that in this day and age his business had become global, and that an aggressive online marketing strategy would enable him to reach target consumers for his Mardi Gras World concept at key stages in the purchase decision making process. Before they left, at the hotel, while mobile in town, and virtually everywhere in between.
While surrounded by tradtional promotions on the street, in print and through referals, and the value of many was obvious. I was struck by just how ahead of the curve Blaine was in his online marketing push.
What can every emerging internet marketer learn from a stroll down Bourboun Street… when all the competition zigs… find the way to zag.