I took a picture of the sign above at a dentist’s office in my Calumet City neighborhood. (That’s in Chicago’s south suburbs, if you’re curious.) What’s wrong with this sign? On the surface, nothing. But think about the wording “Same Day Appointments” for a moment. Is this dentist so efficient that he can guarantee to look at your teeth the same day that you call? Or is business so slow that there are always open slots in the schedule?
The bar changed the sign after about a week. Must not have worked as well as they thought…
Either that or the slots really do pay out too much and they started losing more money than they made in drinks…
In which case the lead generation method really was brilliant. The lifetime customer value was just too low or the owners were too short-sighted.
Like the dentist’s office, I’ve never been inside this bar, so I’m speculating again.
A few people told me I took the whole thing too seriously; the sign is probably just a joke. And maybe they’re right. (I could just walk down to the bar and ask the owner.)
But even so, marketers have to be careful; if customers feel misled, they’re not going to be happy.
That’s one of the reasons humor is risky in marketing.
What do you think?
Don’t miss these related posts (with pictures from my neighborhood!):