Some Cleverness Formulas
For many years, The Creative Education Foundation has operated out of the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. One of the key organizers was Dr. Alex F. Osborn, whose book, “Applied Imagination,” provides a list of what might be called “cleverness strategies” to create interesting and effective ads and promotional campaigns.

Some of these strategies focus on adaptation, combination, reversal (noted above), minimizing and maximizing. For example, you might take a major manufacturer’s ad and adapt it to apply to your own business. One of Ford’s ads said “Only Your Mother Cares More About Your Safety.” Since this ad was used a few years ago, you could safely use some version of it to talk about your shop’s superiority in making repairs that you can guarantee for the life of the customer’s car.

A cost-effective use of “combination” is co-op advertising. If your paint company offers a co-op program, you may be able to “ride along” on Dupont, PPG, BASF, Sikkens or other paint company advertising. Major corporations also advertise in combination these days. Banks may co-op with travel agencies, cruise lines and other luxury product lines. You may be able to co-op with a related activity like racing, car shows, or even a hospital with a special accident recovery unit.

Using Size to Promote Your Shop
Minimizing and maximizing work because people’s attention is drawn to elements that are dramatically out of proportion. A giant pumpkin gets TV and newspaper coverage.  A giant vehicle on top of a building is noticed by every passing motorist.

Miniaturization is commonplace now that some cell phones have tiny TV screens and computer keyboards.  Many shops display miniature vehicles, but I’ve never seen a miniature wrecked car. A miniature before and after accident display in the waiting area would draw a lot of attention. A miniature layout of your shop’s work flow facilities could also be interesting to prospective customers.

While we don’t think of taking photos as “miniaturizing,” digital photos do make images small enough to show on a TV screen. A video display of before and after repairs in your waiting area would demonstrate vividly what your shop is capable of doing. If you add cost-savings, safety and convenience factors, you will have created an ad that tells your customer at a glance, “What’s in it for me!”

Keep a Clever Flow of Promotions
Add cleverness to the first two of the basic tools of promotion:

    1. Reach out widely enough in new and clever ways. Use minimizing and maximizing: Send out giant postcards with before and after photos, or have a different image on the back of your business cards every month.

    2. Reach out frequently enough with clever variations. Send your prior customers a new message every month. Or post photos and messages on your website and use mailings to invite customers and prospects to look at your website feature of the month.

   3. Reach out cleverly enough to keep a continuous flow of business into your shop. Notice that your bills never fail to arrive every month. Your invitations to customers and prospective customers should go out at least as frequently and consistently as those bills from your suppliers and creditors.

Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing representative and consultant for forty years and is the author of the books, “Business Battlefield Marketing for Body Shops,” “Tom Franklin’s Top 40 Marketing Tactics for Body Shops,” and “Strategies for Greater Body Shop Growth.” His marketing company now provides marketing solutions and services for body shops and other businesses. He can be reached for questions or comments at (323) 871-6862, by fax at (323) 465-2228, or by e-Mail (see banner)